The thread on fantasy retail businesses got me thinking about the real-life shops that I most adore. I thought it would be fun to share our favorites.
Unfortunately, several of my long-time favorites have closed in recent years:
Maxilla and Mandible, NYC: The natural history emporium on Columbus Ave stuffed to the gills with fossils, bones, shells and other weird and wonderful natural specimens;
Takashimaya, NYC: The Japanese department store on Fifth Avenue filled with beautifully designed and unusual clothing, housewears, linens, jewelry, leather goods, food items, all in impeccable taste and much of it surprisingly within reach of regular mortals;
Soolip Bungalow, Los Angeles: a small but beautifully curated collection of unique and unusual decorative objects.
I’ll list some of my surviving favorites in a separate post, but in the meantime, what are your favorite shops? Could be bookstores, food emporiums, pastry shops, art galleries, antique shops, clothing stores, linen shops etc. etc. Could be a neighborhood place with good bargains or a destination place with prices so high that browsing, not buying, is the point. Looking forward to hearing everyone’s favorites!
Paxton Gates, San Francisco: another natural history shop, this one a bit hipper than Maxilla and Mandible, with all sorts of interesting specimens and as well as unusual plants and gardening supplies. On Valencia, on a block with a number of other special shops.
Powell’s Book Store, Portland, OR: The mega-monster bookstore that goes on for acres, with combinations of new and used books on every conceivable subject.
Blackmun Cruz, Los Angeles: glorious collection of strange and wondrous objects that has spawned many a trend. Nominally an antique shop, that doesn’t begin to describe the contents of this shop. Who knew that World War One stretchers, 1930’s gymnasium lighting fixtures, antique sporting equipment, Edwardian mug shots, etc could be so interesting. The biggest challenge this place faces is that Restoration Hardware knocks off their finds five minutes after the originals are placed in the shop. Most of the stuff here is at a price point that is more for browsing, not buying, but that’s okay; I have too much stuff in my life anyway.
Deyrolle, Paris: Sure to be a controversial choice, this spectacularly upscale purveyor of taxidermy is not to be missed. Definitely for browsing, not buying. David Sedaris’s essay on the place understates its magnificence (hard to believe from the master of exaggeration).
These are all famous, grandiose places; I’m interested in the smaller, quieter places, too.
There is a small local shop here called The Sprited Hand. It is my go to spot for wedding gifts, house warming gifts and the like. I’ve never gotten myself anything there…but it’s great for gifts.
I used to enjoy going to the YMCA as a kid but now the YMCA is kind of expensive so I haven’t stepped foot in the nearest one in ages. I’m a big fan of coffee shops that sell food stuff and have books and/or videos and whatever. Barnes and Nobles have gone so far as taking away almost all chairs and even plugging the electrical outlets to discourage people from hanging around. You talk about misunderstanding your customers! I get that you want people to buy stuff but as far as I know B&N is on the verge of bankruptcy and I can’t say that shocks me.
Which brings to my answer. There is a almost forgotten place near where I live, actually it isn’t that close, but it is basically a place to hang out with zero pressure to buy anything. It is sort of a coffee house that used to also rent videos but now the videos are gone so it has morphed into a place where people get coffee, eat and bring their kids and dogs. It has a small stage for might music and what not. I kind of value the quirkiness of the place.
thumper1 , that sounds like a store I really love. It is called The Artful Hand. There used to be one at Copley Place in Boston but that one closed. They still have a shop in Chatham Mass ( and web based shop too ) I was there last summer and got a couple of Christmas gifts.
There is also a shop in my area called the Olive Tree…very , very pretty jewelry and interesting gifts
My most beloved, one of a kind shop is Molbaks! Plants, plants, and more plants! There is a coffee shop and a wing with artsy, crafty gifts and beautiful things, as well as an isle with gardener’s necessities.
Oh, I love Powell’s! There are some local shops in West Seattle that I like-can’t remember all the names, but lots of hand-crafted items, consignments, etc. I liked one consignment store especially, but they went upscale about a year ago and decided that plus size is not upscale, I guess, because they no longer carry anything in my size. I feel pretty bad about that. But they still carry lots of pretty, locally made jewelry so I still take a look.
Powells, on Hawthorne- the one in the Pearl is too big, but at least it has an app.
The old REI.
Not the original, but the one with the railroad ties for flooring. Although I do like the current Seattle store as well.
The original Secret Garden bookstore, with the clinker bricks across from the wading pool.
Our local hardware store is pretty cool, not as big as Ernst or PaynPak, but it’s close and you can pre order from the catalog.
Sseamom, I haven’t found much in the consignment stores in West Seattle either, but I love the ones in Portland.
Red light?
beloved? Galerie Seydoux, Paris. Never leave Paris without a few prints or drawings. The highest quality at prices even I can afford. I could spend days in there. www.galerie-seydoux.fr/nouveautes/
You know, I’ve been all over the world, and I can’t think of a one. I don’t covet or want anything, can’t think of any item that I really treasure. I wish there was. I would really like a store to bring me pleasure, but I hate shopping so much, and I just don’t care that much about any particular item. Maybe if I’m on trip, I can visit these stores that you all treasure, and perhaps I’ll find something magical.
I’m a sucker for any store with a nice collection of paper - especially origami paper. The museum shop at the Ino Paper Museum near Kochi was great.
I’m very fond of The Toadstool bookstore in Peterborough New Hampshire which is not huge, but has a really nice collection of books. In the same town the Sharon Arts center has lovely arts and crafts. There’s also a small clothing boutique whose name escapes me, but has great stuff and they are very low key. No one will bother you if you don’t want them to.
The entire area has various high end boutiques, but I make sure to visit the Papeterie Nias. Although it is a chain, the FNAC bookstore in Brussels has an incredible collection of comic books that celebrate the Tintin, the Smurfs, and dozen other characters less known in the US.
That’s what I had the chance to discover as a kid and will make a point to haul my kids all the way to Europe.
PS Fwiw, there is that town in Germany that seemed to only live to sell nutcrackers. My parents loved it, but I found it boring after a while.
Liberty of London: Not only is the building beautiful, especially their iconic scarf hall, they carry the most eclectic and unique collection of items. I could, and do, spend hours wandering around their furniture and antique galleries. I also adore Liberty-patterned fabrics. My H knows that he can go there and select almost anything for birthdays or Christmas and I’ll be happy.