Best Handmade, Green And Sustainable Design In Los Angeles
Reform School
3902 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90029
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
323.906.8660
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Opened by two high school buddies dedicated to DIY and crafts, the pair has fantastic taste picking out goods from the handcraft community. The store is a visual feast of modern housewares, art and children's toys and ultra unique gifts - much of it sustainable. The website is impressive, but shoddy to non-existent phone and web service makes the brick and mortar store the way to go.
Mindful Nest
3319 West Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, California 91505
Neighborhood: Burbank
(818) 840-0123
www.mindfulnest.net
Mindful Nest offers a beautiful selection of handmade items from local artists, a friendly staff and a warm and inviting atmosphere. On a recent trip, merchandise included earrings made from scrap tires, clocks made from recycled vinyl records, distinct greeting cards and a natural line of bath and body products. Items are chosen with obvious thought and creativity.
PLASTICA
8405 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, California 90048
Neighborhood: Silverlake
(323) 655-1051
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One of the best L.A. stores for a mix of both modern design and local artists, PLASTICA has adopted a broad, modern view of the term "plastic." The store describes plastic as "1. capable of being molded or sculpted and 2.capable of adapting to varying conditions." Some of our favorite novelty items included the Bento Box modular lunch pail, the ModKat litter box and the staple-free stapler (log on to the website to see how that one works).
Lula Mae
100 North Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, California 91103
Neighborhood: Pasadena
(626) 304-9996
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Named after Lula Mae – the great, great grandmother of shop owner Marci Toombs – Lula Mae was a girl from Texas known to make clothing for her family and chase away strangers with a shotgun. The store offers whimsical although less-than modern gifts; In fact, it feels a bit like a smaller, less corporate version of Anthropologie. Some of the more curious items we found included "Bacon Mints" and "Botot" mouthwash first invented for Louis XV of France.
Renegade Craft Fair
Los Angeles Historic Park
1245 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
www.renegadecraft.com/los-angeles
RCF – known for its top-notch Indie craft artists - is held in cities across the U.S. including Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin and yes Los Angeles. The juried selection at the second-annual Los Angeles event this year included clothing, housewares, posters, prints ceramics, jewelry and more. RCF wasn't as big as we expected, but definitely had some talented artists with the added bonus of free parking and entrance, and free activities including Spinning the Threadless wheel (www.threadless.com), demonstrations by Sew LA, kite making workshops and a photo booth with props.
