Weekend shopper: Seven new SoCal stores worth checking out
Forget summer, forget fall. In L.A.’s home furnishings marketplace, the name of the season is change. As consumers fluff homes for the holidays, the rush of new stores and expansions is enough to daunt even the most devoted shopper. A sampling of the comings and goings:
Bobby Berk Home: The company that describes itself as “California chic” opened its first store here last week after establishing its brand in New York, Atlanta and Miami. Berk, 31, said his space in the Helms Bakery complex is something of a test site for his just-released line of contemporary sofas, chairs, dressers and tables, all made in downtown L.A. Other names familiar to fans of modern design — Bend, Loll, Fermob — fill out the shop. 8884 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles; www.bobbyberkhome.com
The Mart Collective: The Times reported the story in January -- the last of the antique malls on L.A.’s Westside was closing. But from the ashes of Wertz Bros. Antique Mart has risen the Mart Collective, a 120-stall, 16,000-square-foot vintage emporium run by Wertz veterans Robin Messick and Anthony Hudson. The grand opening is this weekend, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 1600 Lincoln Blvd., Venice; www.facebook.com/TheMartCollective
Camerich: In one of L.A.’s premiere districts for home furnishings, Camerich has opened its doors pointed squarely at customers seeking attainable luxury — a step above mass-market furniture stores but less expensive than couture or custom. You’ll tables and storage ottomans for under than $1,000 and some standouts that cost a bit more. In one configuration of Camerich’s Jane sectional sofa, leather-wrapped steel panels curl up to form a built-in end table on one side and a console table in back. Many pieces have been designed with hidden storage compartments to please the space starved or clutter-holic. 461 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood; www.camerichla.com
PHOTO GALLERY: Browsing through seven new SoCal stores
Co-op 28: What started as a small gift and clothing shop in Los Feliz has expanded into adjacent storefront with 1,500 square feet for vintage furniture, handmade design and other work from local artists and designers. Funky lighting, modern bath accessories, candle holders and other trinkets are aimed at the eclectic shopper. 1728 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles; www.facebook.com/Coop28handmade
Christofle: The 183-year-old French flatware company that has collaborated with artists such as Man Ray and graced the tables of the Orient Express now brings its bold vision of the future to a new boutique in Beverly Hills. The store opened last week with a limited-edition steel furniture collection called Arborescence, sleek abstractions of nature by designer Ora-Ïto (see gallery for a peek at the $49,000 dining table), and the premiere of Silver Time pieces by Jean-Marie Massaud specifically made for entertaining outdoors. 9515 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills; www.christofle.com/us
Spruce: New York flower artist Gaige Clark has moved west and opened an L.A. outpost of her shop, Spruce. Beyond the wedding and event arrangements and weekly vase service, Spruce L.A. has grab-and-go offerings that include potted plants, handmade soaps and modern botanical objet with a striking minimalist bent. Imagine a hydroponic succulent, installed sans soil in a glass vase, or a single chrysanthemum flower immersed in a canning jar of water. 4313 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles; www.sprucela.com
Urban Hardwoods: The store whose tables, benches and headboards are built from salvaged urban trees uprooted itself from La Cienega Boulevard in L.A. in favor of a larger home on Santa Monica’s boutique row. There you’ll find giant slabs of black oak, walnut and elm hand-finished and set atop hefty bases in blackened steel, satin nickel or the occasional powder coat. The new store also has room for accessories: large bowls turned from fallen trees by artist Laura Yeats. 1627 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; www.urbanhardwoods.com
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