Spreading their wings

Indoor-outdoor decor emporium Inner Gardens already has showrooms in Culver City and West Hollywood, so why open a third location -- especially in this tough retail climate? “Our client base is in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu and Brentwood,” President Stephen Block says. When a storefront became available on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, he moved fast. Doors opened Jan. 4, and the grand opening celebration is scheduled for Thursday. When asked whether the product mix of the new store will be influenced by the economy, Block responds: “We’re perceived as expensive, but I don’t mind. . . . Our selection is very well edited.” A 1920s iron plant-holder shaped like a multi-trunk tree may carry a price tag of $15,500, but the inventory also will include less expensive items: design books, potted plants and American ceramics, including some 1930s vases. “They were made by Garden City Pottery, a San Jose potter, and this stuff was considered the poor man’s Bauer,” he says. Eight-inch daffodil and tulip vases are $95 each; a 1950s bowl planted with a spotted kalanchoe is $165. Regardless of an item’s size, price or pedigree, Block insists that each has a compelling narrative. “Simplicity and patina are my driving requirements,” he says. “I want to look at a stone urn and see where it’s been bleached by the sun on one side and covered in moss on the other side.” 1324 Montana Ave., (310) 576-3400, www.innergardens.com.

-- Debra Prinzing