NEW! Culver City’s the spot for funky gifts
Art lovers, furniture hunters and foodies flock to the enclave of galleries, interior design showrooms and recently sprouted restaurants in downtown Culver City. The area has developed into a cultural epicenter for L.A.’s booming art scene, making it a prime destination for unique holiday gift buying.
Royal/T Café is modeled after the maid cafes in Tokyo, with servers dressed as anime-style French maids. And the fantasy doesn’t stop there. Royal/T’s gift shop carries an eclectic mix of items such as Kid Robot zipper pulls and Gummi Girl, a candy dish designed by Japanese sculptor Yoshitomo Nara. For the friend who has everything, artist Lola Ramona is at the store this holiday season creating one-of-a-kind portraits. Her work is anything but traditional: She draws her subjects as the animal she thinks they resemble. Prices start at $100 (small animal) and go up to $3,000 (for those who resemble, say, a giraffe or sperm whale).
Farther west in the heart of downtown, the newly opened gift shop Lundeen’s has a great selection of candles, cards and baby items. Owner Kathryn Lundeen stocks adorable (and affordable) beauty tins illustrated by British artist Fiona Hewitt that make easy gifts for girlfriends.
Across Venice Boulevard where Culver City turns into L.A. is Govinda’s inside the Hare Krishna center. The gift shop carries imports from India, including saris, silk scarves, leather sandals and great gold bangles. After all the shopping, you can grab a bite downstairs at Govinda’s Vegetarian Buffet -- and possibly find enlightenment at the Bhagavad-gita Museum, which is in the same building.
Gifts found in this neighborhood certainly won’t be bland, and you’ll easily spot funky treats for friends or family members.
Royal/T Café, 8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-6300; Lundeen’s, 9726 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (310) 842-8400; Govinda’s, 3764 Watseka Ave., No. 1, Los Angeles, (310) 836-1269.
Magsaysay is a Times staff writer.
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