Claremont shopping: New destinations and old favorites
Home and garden décor shops in Claremont are scattered throughout town, but most are clustered within a few blocks of Indian Hill Boulevard between First and Fourth streets. Pictured here: an offbeat teapot by artist Jason Miller, who often offers a subversive take on traditional design, and acorn-shaped salt and pepper cellars. Both are at Raku, 224 Yale Ave., shopraku.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Claremont remains off the radar for most people west of the 605 – strange given that the so-called City of Trees and PhDs has so many draws, including the Pomona College Museum of Art, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and Claremont Heritage, organizer of an annual home tour. For shoppers, here’s a quick sampling of what you’ll find in town.
A wall display of specialty soaps and room fragrances silhouettes Maria Andriani, an employee at Raku, 224 Yale Ave., shopraku.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
The Outdoor Room has large-scale sculpture and fountains as well as smaller works, including potted plant arrangements that mimic gardens in miniature. Here, a toy arch and bench get their shade from a wispy rosemary plant pruned into a wee tree. 201 Bonita Ave., theoutdoorroomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Attached to the Outdoor Room is an indoor space that the owners used for consigned vintage design. It’s loaded with mostly small-scale stuff – think side tables, chairs, stoneware coffee pots from the 1960s and ‘70s and inexpensive tchotchkes. 201 Bonita Ave., theoutdoorroomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Vintage typewriters in store at the Outdoor Room, 201 Bonita Ave., theoutdoorroomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
And if pictures instead of words are your thing, check out the vintage cameras, including the Kodak Brownie at far right. The Outdoor Room, 201 Bonita Ave., theoutdoorroomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
For those who prefer contemporary over vintage, these two-piece, Barclay Butera-designed acorn vases may appeal. The lid lifts off for a Minimalist ceramic vase, and when you don’t have a fresh bouquet to display, you simply return the lid for a bit of modern sculpture. The small vase is just $32, the large $62. On A Mission, 305 Yale Ave., (909) 626-4810. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
The steel seasonal novelty that turns a pumpkin into a silly spider has been a big seller at On A Mission, 305 Yale Ave., (909) 626-4810. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Another favorite: Wire baskets whose web-like design has the look of handmade craft. They come in a variety of sizes – letter holder to waste basket – and sell for $23 to $38 apiece. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
The Green Gypsie is loaded with handmade furnishings, many by local artisans. Among the novelties: A table lamp whose shade is composed of old photographic slides. The store is located in the Packing House, an old fruit packing warehouse that has been restored and revived as a retail and restaurant center. The Green Gypsie, 526 First St., www.thegreengypsie.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Green Gypsie co-owner Angela Rossi gives vintage china amusing updates, adding the imagery of wildlife in Victorian garb or kitsch icons such as Mr. T or Yoda. The Green Gypsie, 526 First St., www.thegreengypsie.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
As L.A. at Home has reported, a big trend this year are wall flowers — planters and vases mounted on walls as alternative art. The Green Gypsie sells floral sconces in various forms: Coke bottles, Mason jars, even recycled Christmas lights. The Green Gypsie, 526 First St., www.thegreengypsie.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
DIYers might find some inspiration in Heirloom, a gift shop that runs crafts workshops for kids. On one wall: a whimsical tree made of cut cardboard tubes, with colored tissue paper as flowers. 175 N. Indian Hill Blvd., www.heirloomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
What’s another word for quirky? Heirloom, 175 N. Indian Hill Blvd., www.heirloomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Owner Rob Lewbel’s lamp made of measuring sticks brightens Heirloom. 175 N. Indian Hill Blvd., www.heirloomclaremont.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
The Folk Music Center has been a Claremont institution since 1958, its walls lined with exotic instruments from around the world. Pictured here: ukuleles in various style – pear, teardrop and, at center, cigar box. “You can get a good uke for $60,” owner Ellen Chase said, though the store also sells finer designs, including a vintage Hawaiian-made piece crafted from solid koa wood. Price for top-end ukuleles? About $1,000. 220 Yale Ave., folkmusiccenter.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Ellen Chase plays a 12-string ukulele in the Folk Music Center. Her parents, Charles and Dorothy Chase, founded the store, which draws devotees with rare and exotic instruments: Irish bouzouki, Persian sitar, Macedonian bagpipes, Afghan rubab and so many more. Ellen Chase said soundtrack composers are regular customers, in a perpetual search for instruments that will yield fresh and surprising audio. 220 Yale Ave., folkmusiccenter.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Haitian and African drums are among the pieces on display not for sale at the Folk Music Center, which also operates as a nonprofit educational organization. The center is working with the nearby Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts to develop an exhibition about the artistry in handmade instruments. Folk Music Center, 220 Yale Ave., folkmusiccenter.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Music is pressed into service in a different way at Cloud Nine, a custom stationery and gift shop in Claremont. It carries journals with covers crafted from vintage vinyl. 216 W. 2nd St., www.cloudninepaper.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Cloud Nine owner Joanne Monroe said customers buy her artisan-made papers for all kinds of uses: as book bindings, lampshade covers, bulletin board backdrops, even as bits of framed graphic art. 216 W. 2nd St., www.cloudninepaper.com. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
The reflection of Claremont City Hall appears in the window of Cloud Nine. The handbag is by Jump From Paper, whose novel line of accessories has the two-dimensional quality of cartoon drawings yet expands to 3 inches – wide enough for a laptop or tablet, plus phone, keys and your list of other don’t miss stops in town.
The Scout: Check out our photo shopping tours from the Santa Ana Arts District, Pico Boulevard, Costa Mesa, Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls and Highland Park. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)