Listed are some of the coolest independent shops in Los Angeles.
To begin, select a neighborhood and/or tag from below.
The stores associated with your selection will appear right here and on the map.
Aero & Co
To be edgy and not go over the edge is tougher than most people will admit or understand. Aero & Co. allows you to pirouette on the most miniscule of edges. The clothes, often representing...
Alife
In Alife, the full breadth and depth of the Alife brand come to life. While their shoe line is widely available in hip boutiques across the country, their other products are not. The store...
All Purpose
In many ways All Purpose is the Swiss Army knife of a man's wardrobe. The featured attraction is Filius, the shop's in-house line of men's clothing--think classic, casual menswear...
Alpha
After the "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy"-ification of America, men everywhere were left wondering "where do I go to buy high-end facial cleansers, modern home goods and stylish...
American Rag
Seamlessly mixing new and vintage clothing to create a unique look may mainly be the work of hip celebrity stylists, but with stores like American Rag the task got just a little bit easier. The...
Amoeba Music
For anyone who doubts for a second the ability of independent music stores to survive against the corporate megastore witness Amoeba. The huge, vibrant record store stocks thousands of new and...
Amsterdam Modern
Reader Suggested: It's a "hidden secret" in Van Nuys, California, a 5000 square foot warehouse filled w/mid-century Modern (50s thru 80s) furniture, lighting, art from Amsterdam. Amsterdam Modern is...
Apartment Number 9
If there's anything you'll learn from Apartment Number 9, it's that laid-back, casual clothing doesn't have to look messy. For shirts, pick from a multitude of patterned...
Apartment Number 9
If there's anything you'll learn from Apartment Number 9, it's that laid-back, casual clothing doesn't have to look messy. For shirts, pick from a multitude of patterned...
A+R
A+R equals good design. More bazaar than gallery, the shop stuffs a globe's worth of design objects in its modest space. Objects likes a handgun shaped vase, an agate candle holder, wood...
A+R
A+R equals good design. More bazaar than gallery, the shop stuffs a globe's worth of design objects in its modest space. Objects likes a handgun shaped vase, an agate candle holder, wood...
Arp
Reader Suggested: Killer jewelry store. They sell like 3-4 designers work here and they are all kick ass: Ted Meuhling (god of all things jewelry and ceramic), Gabriella Kiss (wow. glamazon. fantabulous), Nicole...
Arundel
Do you really need a 150,000 square foot mega-bookstore to have something for everybody? Arundel Books proves that you don't. The store stocks new, used and rare books but does so in way as...
Ashland & Hill
When modernists go to the beach, Ashland & Hill is the result. The upholstered furniture and woodwork of the spacious furniture showroom is certainly modern--clean lines and solid colors...
ATeam Shoe Shop
Reader Suggested: This store is DOPE! They have a killer selection, tons of rare and original kicks, a mural of Jordan on their wall and located in Manhattan Beach, which is a sweet little town!
Bar Keeper
Having a well-appropriated bar is critical to any fun, urban domicile. Bar Keeper makes creating a perfect bar easier than ever before. Every imaginable bar accessory is within arms reach including...
Bird
With a plethora of clothing from up-and-coming, often European labels it's safe to say that this Bird has been around. Not content to let designers find the boutique, Bird seems on a mission...
Bittersweet Butterfly
Combining flowers, chocolates and lingerie? Why did no one think of this earlier. Bittersweet Butterfly certainly seems like the perfect Valentine's day gifting destination, but it's...
Blackman Cruz
At Blackman Cruz the objects either came from dead people, are made from dead people or animals or could easily kill you. By objects that came from dead people we of course mean antiques, but...
Blends
The uninitiated will feel uncomfortable walking into Blends. The OC location stores its kicks in glass-door fridges. The San Diego spot is an all-white gallery, with a ledge for shoe display and...
Blue Rooster Art Supplies
You're an artist for Christ's sake. You can't go to some corporate mega-chain to buy your supplies. You should go to Blue Rooster Art. They have oils in a ridiculous number of...
Book Soup
Lest you think that Los Angeles is devoid of culture enter Book Soup, a heady, vibrant space that looks more like an expansive personal library than a retail book store. Floor to ceiling shelves...
Camille Hudson
A small store in an unlikely location, Camille Hudson displays about fifty pairs of shoes on metal rods that stick out of the walls--a gallery for shoes if you will. However, this is not a gallery...
Carla
In an area bursting with glitzy vintage furniture stores where pieces are priced in the compact car price bracket, Carla offers vintage furniture and accessories with zero pretense and less...
Carol Young | Undesigned
The conceptual never looked as comfortable than at Carol Young. The line was born from the concept of creating clothing for the "urban nomad." Sleek, modern but with touches of femininity...
Clover
Clover must be a product of people who didn't know what kind of store they wanted to open. Should we open a clothing store? There is a nice selection of hip women's clothing and shoes...
Creatures of Comfort
Creatures of Comfort is actually rather restless--anxious to find who's next in fashion and scouring near and far to make it happen. Looking far they introduce up and coming labels from Japan,...
Crewest
Graffiti art meet fine art. Before Crewest we more used to seeing graffiti on freeway overpasses and building faces. The airy, shop/gallery is a one stop shop for graffiti art. There are paints and...
Daisy Arts
If you go to Italy and can peel yourself away from the priceless art, the romantic settings, if you can get over the ridiculously good-looking people and the heavenly food, you may notice that...
Dean
Some people have a very specific idea of what they want and they're willing to search high and low to find it. And when they can't find it, they're willing to open the factory to...
Decades
In an era where trends turn on a dime, it's useful sometimes to remind ourselves that good designs never go out of style. So it's only appropriate that in the rather trend obsessed Los...
Decades Two
In an era where trends turn on a dime, it's useful sometimes to remind ourselves that good designs never go out of style. So it's only appropriate that in the rather trend obsessed Los...
De La Espada
De La Espada's process is a simple one really. They take brilliant black walnut and white oak from sustainable forests in the US and turn them into modern furniture pieces using traditional...
Denim Revival
In the day and age of designer (and expensive) denim, only the foolish would sacrifice their denim to bad tailoring. As the name implies, Denim Revival (formerly Denim Doctors) is here to fix...
Denmark 50
Denmark 5000 is more like it. Denmark 50 stocks classic Danish furnish by the the hundreds. The showroom is overflowing with Danish chairs, tables and larger pieces. Classic pieces by Wegner,...
Des Kohan
Des Kohan's fashions don't need to scream to make their point--black, brown, beige, navy, and white are the colors in the shop's rainbow. Dresses, separates and a host of belts, bags...
Dewey
The uber-cool, rock-chic vibe of Dewey will get your attention, the well-edited collection of bold, beautiful shoes will keep it. Think knee-high boots in supple brown leather to a 3-inch heel done...
Diavolina
The lush leopard print carpets and gleaming gold and silver fixtures and adornments do well to complement Diavolina's luxe shoes and accessories. The boutique picks from the top rung of shoe...
Diesel
For those that are used to independent bookstores of the cramped and cluttered variety, Diesel is a breath of fresh air. The design conscious, fiercely independent bookstore stocks new and used...
Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir adds subtle class in notoriously loud and casual Los Angeles. The men's store keeps it simple and elegant. Fine button down shirts, well cut pants made in soft fabrics, luxurious...
Duncan Quinn
Combine fine European suitings and shirtings with some hints of funky, fun American style and we get Duncan Quinn. The shop offers the hallmark service of any European tailor--bespoke suits...
Edna Hart
Three rooms that speak to three different aspects of womanhood, Edna Hart offers knitting implements in one room, children's stuff in another and jewelry in the third. It's hard to say...
Empiric
Rarely does a shop come along that mixes several themes so flawlessly and naturally as Empiric. The shop's own line of 1940s style furniture forms the base of the store. The new sofas,...
Empiric
Rarely does a shop come along that mixes several themes so flawlessly and naturally as Empiric. The shop's own line of 1940s style furniture forms the base of the store. The new sofas,...
Entre Nous
Los Angeles designer resale stores tend to fall into two categories: the we've dressed all the stars for the award shows, we don't serve commoners and the of course that's designer,...
Equator Books
Equator Books is one of the most beautiful bookstores you're likely to come across. The center of the tall, airy store includes a gallery wall featuring monthly exhibitions of original...
Faire Frou Frou
One of the powers of womanhood, other than the ability to wear skirts and pants, is the ability to make everything we wear pretty. Think about this, has the male undergarment changed since the...
Family
Think of Family as the official library of a sprawling, makeshift family of artists from Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, or Tokyo. Here the staggering creative output of the talented group is...
Fat Chance
Fat Chance is where you come when you want the real thing. You don't want Nelson "inspired" clocks or Eames inspired lounge chairs. You want the original article. The mid-century...
Fitzsu
When you happen upon a design store and the salesperson (adorned in all black of course) encourages you to pick up items and fiddle with them you know you're on to something. This was exactly...
Flight 001
These days where every train station and airport have become bastions of legalized assault, it's nearly impossible to be a fashionable traveler. So, you have two options, you could travel in...
Flight Club Los Angeles
Reader Suggested: The best sneaker store in the united states, period. This store is a consignment store and stock changes daily. Over 1000 styles for purchase.
Flounce
On a block that really couldn't get any hipper if it tried, Flounce is an essential element. In the adjacent doors are arty clothing hip and streetwear hip, while Flounce naturally supplies...
Footsie
Considering the unassuming store-front and jumbled window, it's hard to imagine the treasures you will find at Footsie. Carrying just about every major European brand (and select American...
Galcos Soda Pop Stop
If it pops, fizzes or hisses, there's a good chance Galco's Soda Pop Stop has it. The shop that looks like an old time grocery store from the outside is obsessed with stocking every soda...
Giant Robot
If Giant Robot the magazine began as an ode to Asian pop culture, then Giant Robot the store is now a mecca for the same. Alongside copies of the latest issue of GR you'll find all sorts of...
Giant Robot
If Giant Robot the magazine began as an ode to Asian pop culture, then Giant Robot the store is now a mecca for the same. Alongside copies of the latest issue of GR you'll find all sorts of...
Gibson
"We expect people to shop a little at our shop and then a lot at places like Ikea or Crate & Barrel," we overhead Gary Gibson of Gibson telling a young couple during our visit...
Gogosha Optique
Reader Suggested: The bright, modern, new eyewear boutique on the east side features high-end international designers like Theo, Orgreen, and Anne et Valentin. Visionary Julia Gogosha Clark fits your frames based on...
Golden Apple Comics
At Golden Apple Comics the golden age of comics is still going strong. Go in and get lost among the comics and comic-related items. Besides the thousands and thousands of new and back-issue...
Golden Apple Comics
At Golden Apple Comics the golden age of comics is still going strong. Go in and get lost among the comics and comic-related items. Besides the thousands and thousands of new and back-issue...
GR2
If Giant Robot the magazine began as an ode to Asian pop culture, then Giant Robot the store is now a mecca for the same. Alongside copies of the latest issue of GR you'll find all sorts of...
Grey One
Reader Suggested: Live in Boston and still think Bodega has THE BEST retail experience I've ever seen (hidden door in the wall? Damn!). BUT... was visiting the West Coast a month back and hit Grey One for the...
Han Cholo
Han Cholo is what happens when you mash up geek culture with street culture. The arty boutique features its own line of men's and women's gold and silver jewelry that features boomboxes...
Heist
Leave it to a shop that's a short walk from the beach to figure out how to be stylish and elegant, and even at times glamorous, without looking fussy or being uncomfortable. So we have Heist,...
Hillary Rush
An eponymous boutique where you feel comfortable walking in and chatting with the owner is rare. Hillary Rush is exactly that. A small space, oozing ease and comfort, where you're welcome to...
Holiday
Somewhere in the midst of the feminist movement we forgot the joy of the swish. No, no we don't mean the infamous athletic swish. We mean an entirely different swish. Let us explain. In...
Holllywood Trading Company
Hollywood Trading Company could have opened a shop with their extensive line belts and buckles and called it a day. Instead they decided to assemble clothing from some of the most interesting young...
Homework
Homework may be over after college, but most people's homes could definitely use some work. That's why the kind folks at Homework are here. The store carries simple, stylish home and...
Horizons West
Sure we have some great shops in our guide, but few have legitimate cultural significance. Horizons West is the original location and direct descendant of the Zephyr surf shop. This was the shop...
Ige Design
Ige Design is more designer's store than design store. The centerpiece of the space is Helene Ige's distinctive furniture, featuring unique laminate insets. Modern table with a retro...
Jonathan Wright
Jonathan Wright makes the wonders of letterpress available to casual passers by. The store carries on the letterpress tradition with its quaint, one-of-a-kind letterpress cards and stationery....
Keep
At Keep the lowly canvas sneaker, the most basic staple in casual footwear, is given a new and vivacious lease on life. One of a half dozen or so basic styles are embellished in stylish...
Kelly Green
Honestly, the fact that the furniture, paper goods, home accessories and tableware at Kelly Green are eco-friendly are just a bonus. We just like them because they look cool. Cards are cute,...
Kendo
Comfortable and hip, sporty and stylish--these attributes have long been mutually exclusive in women's footwear. As a high-end sneaker boutique for women, Kendo offers women the best of both...
Kicks
You don't want the same boring sneakers you can find in any mall. But you're not exactly willing to stand in line for 6 hours for one of 50 artist/sneaker manufacturer collaboration...
Kicks
You don't want the same boring sneakers you can find in any mall. But you're not exactly willing to stand in line for 6 hours for one of 50 artist/sneaker manufacturer collaboration...
Kidrobot
To call Kidrobot just a toy store would be like calling Barneys just a department store. The cool, quirky store was a pioneer in selling designer toys. These vinyl, plush and plastic toys are...
Kiki de Monparnasse
Imagine that, someone actually managed to create a sex shop that's actually sexy (and not gross or creepy). Kiki de Montparnasse does have some rather sleek "instruments of...
Klasse LA
Casual clothing isn't all pink sweatsuits with "BITCH" tattooed on the ass or T-shirts that are rather more distressed than mental patients. For a more stylish, dare we say classier,...
Lady
Lady keeps its space much like a stylish urban lady might keep her closet. Down the length of the store is one long rack of clothing in no particular order, with cute dress and tops from a slew of...
L.A. Eyeworks
In a city obsessed with fixing The Good Lord's little defects, it's refreshing to see at least one storefront encouraging people to yelp "I'm half blind, and damn proud of...
L.A. Eyeworks
In a city obsessed with fixing The Good Lord's little defects, it's refreshing to see at least one storefront encouraging people to yelp "I'm half blind, and damn proud of...
Lake
Delicate, somewhat romantic clothing, an apothecary stocked with natural and organic products, and a smattering of distinctive home accessories constitute the ecosystem of Lake. The well-edited...
Lawson-Fenning
If ever a furniture shop encapsulates the eclectic, often contradictory aspects of the Los Angeles area, Lawson-Fenning is it. Consider that the city is ground zero for Hollywood Regency, was the...
Lawson-Fenning
If ever a furniture shop encapsulates the eclectic, often contradictory aspects of the Los Angeles area, Lawson-Fenning is it. Consider that the city is ground zero for Hollywood Regency, was the...
Legion
Legion is like no men's club LA has ever known. The lushly furnished and finished shop carries the type of men's clothing that was previously difficult if not impossible to find in The...
Le Labo
Le Labo certainly looks like a lab, but it's not all smoke and mirrors. The boutique perfumer operates like one as well, mixing one of its ten scents on the spot. The idea is to ensure maximum...
Le Pink
Sitting on shelves and stands, tables and trays are le pink, le brown, le green, even le black. Stocking a clever mix of bath and beauty products and candy, Le Pink is a wonder for the senses....
Lily Simone
If there's any city that should know a thing or two about laid-back style, it's LA yet so often laid-back devolves into just-got-out-of-bed. At Lily Simone observe a laid-back done right....
Lions Den
Lions Den is a dark, stark space, with shoes and streetwear that are the furthest thing from dark or stark. Those, we suppose, would be the lions. Sneakers for men and women range from thugged...
Liz's Antique Hardware
Stepping into Liz's Antique Hardware is more like a history lesson than a retail experience. Start with the new, modern fixtures but then work your way back in time as you scan the wall and...
Lucky Scent
The fragrance world is a much more complicated and diverse world than the department store perfume counter would have us believe. Luckily there's LuckyScent.com and its offline counterpart...
Madley
Madley is for the free spirit fashionista, the woman who wears feathers in her hair, effortlessly mixes designer and no-name vintage, pairs contradictory patterns and colors but somehow pulls it...
Maison Midi
Maison is French lifestyle store complete with demonstration models. Orange, green and yellow colored glass tumblers, stacks of linens, pillows, vases, trays and colorful dinnerware are laid out...
Matrushka
Made in China. Made in Malaysia. Made in the Federated States of Micronesia. While we appreciate the forces that permit our stores to sell T-shirts for $9.99, we also worry about becoming...
Meg
Featuring the designs of Meghan Kinney, Meg offers a complete, fun and completely fun wardrobe for women. There everything from impeccably cut slacks to lacy tops, tweed suits to a multitude of...
Meltdown Comics
The well-informed know that some of the most engaging writing, art and just general creative output produced anywhere comes by way of the humble comic book and few places do as well to recognize...
Michael Thompson Books
An old fashioned storefront in what has become a hectic fairway of furniture and fashion, Michael Thompson Books provides its customers a calm, comforting place to peruse rare and antiquarian...
Milk
Consider Milk a staple in fashion-conscious Angelenos' diets. This is as close to one stop shopping as boutiques get. Long racks run down the side of the store with an intriguing mix of...
Mimio
Mimio celebrates "the artistry of paper". Their paper gallery has exquisite sheets of hand and machine made papers from Japan, Nepal, Thailand, India, France and Italy. Their selection...
Mini Melt
The well-informed know that some of the most engaging writing, art and just general creative output produced anywhere comes by way of the humble comic book and few places do as well to recognize...
Mini Melt Too
The well-informed know that some of the most engaging writing, art and just general creative output produced anywhere comes by way of the humble comic book and few places do as well to recognize...
Mister Freedom
Reader Suggested: One of the last REAL vintage clothing stores in Los Angeles! A 3000 square feet space filled with authentic clothing from the late 1800s to 1970s from around the world, vintage denim and workwear,...
MOCA Store
LA isn't exactly known as a museum town but is known as a shopping town. So it makes sense that the Museum of Contemporary Art's (MOCA) store would be tack sharp. Next to prints and...
Modernica
Some people's heroes are Koufax, Robinson and Mayes. For other people it's Eames, Nelson and Noguchi. Modernica is for the latter group. Finding "original" pieces designed by...
Moss
More museum of industrial design than design store, Moss displays its collection of exquisite modernist home accessories like artwork. Among the items are toasters, toothbrush holders, colanders...
Munky King
For years now, Munky King has been a benevolent steward of the tight knit community of artists, designers and collectors that has formed around the designer toy industry. The store features the...
Munky King
For years now, Munky King has been a benevolent steward of the tight knit community of artists, designers and collectors that has formed around the designer toy industry. The store features the...
Mystery Pier Books
The mystery in Mystery Pier Books could be referring as much to the narrow, dark passageway one must traverse to reach the shop than to the number of rare, first-edition mystery and crime novels...
NoHo Modern
Noho Modern is more furniture gallery than furniture store. The furniture pieces, mostly from the mid-20th century, are first class representations of mid-century design with prices to match. The...
Noni
Noni, a small pseudo-industrial/mod store does not have any velour or pictures of starlets wearing the clothes they carry. Instead, they carry one of the best-edited, heretofore unseen collection...
Noodle Stories
If you want to buy high-end clothing and don't have a fortune to spend here's a tip: focus on the basics. Buy basic pieces that you'll wear from season to season and that'll...
Now/Again
Furniture stores tend to focus on one era--somehow not seeing the Queen Anne with the Barcelona. Fortunately, the folks at Now/Again understand man's predilection towards mixing and matching....
Nucleus
Reader Suggested: I think it should be added because it has amazing prints and art books as well as bags, t-shirts, and other items promoting independent Asian artists. It is also one of the few art stores in its area.
Obsolete
For the home that has everything consider adding decades old advertising signage or a factory work table or Goodyear slick racing tire. Rather than running after furniture or ceramics or lighting...
OK
OK is the one expression you really can't use to describe OK. Gorgeous, hip, beautiful, classy, stunning--these would do better. The gallery is an ode to exquisite design. Learn a thing or...
Ooga Booga
A raw and humble space, Ooga Booga is a product of the collective creativity of today's young artists and designers. These artists and designers publish zines and graphic novels and comics....
Opening Ceremony
When we think clothing boutique and New York a store like Opening Ceremony is what we have in mind. The store is hip and worldy, avant-garde but approachable, artful and industrial. The shop...
Orange
For most, Orange will be more about inspiration than commerce, but either way you can't go wrong. Pieces represent the finest in 20th century furniture and accessories design. The collection...
Palmetto
Palmetto is a store for everything you need to feel and stay beautiful sans someone ambushing you with a perfume or forcing you to buy lipstick when all you wanted was concealer. The amazing staff...
Palmetto
Palmetto is a store for everything you need to feel and stay beautiful sans someone ambushing you with a perfume or forcing you to buy lipstick when all you wanted was concealer. The amazing staff...
Panty Raid
In the olden days, towns had a general store, a blacksmith and a barber to cover all the retail bases. Fast forward to the future, to another town, with a town lingerie store (across the street...
Pixie Market
With Pixie Market, fashion fans can have their cake and eat it too. The shop has assembled a truly cosmopolitan collection of clothing and accessories coming from small, sprightly designers. Pixie...
Plastica
If "plastic makes it possible" then you'll find it at Plastica. The store is dedicated to our favorite petroleum product and more generally items that are pliable. Housewares,...
Plushpod
Yes, if you furnished your home top to bottom with furniture and accessories from Plushpod your space would look rather severe--high-concept modern furniture has a way of going there. But...
Post 26
For not a particularly large space, Post 26 does well to capture the sprawling LA fashion scene. For a city were comfort in clothing is still paramount, they're sure to carry soft, basic tees....
Presse
That a boutique like Presse could thrive is testament to how far the Los Angeles fashion scene has come. The classy, high-brow boutique brings magazine editorial worthy pieces to its racks and...
Pulp
Pulp celebrates the art of the card. The expansive (well, expansive for a stationery store anyway) store has row after row, shelf after shelf of interesting cards. Many of the cards are handmade...
Realm
Any Chinatown anywhere in the world has dozens of those shops overflowing with little bits of everything. On the surface, Realm looks like another one of those shops, but a closer look reveals a...
ReForm School
The cottage that houses ReForm School could easily pass as an old-time school house and it is bland, mundane homes that are the pupils. An almost daunting selection of creative output is on...
Regeneration
Regeneration can show anyone a good hundred ways to be "green." T-shirts to tote bags, salad bowls to textiles, baubles to household every item in the multi-roomed shop ha a bit of...
Re-Mix
Okay, so we have become somewhat adept at shopping at vintage stores. But, the one remaining roadblock in our psyche is vintage shoes. We've seen some amazing shoes, but we keep thinking gym...
Resurrection Vintage
Expect to pay more for a vintage dress at Resurrection then you have ever paid for a brand new one. Then expect to be grateful for the honor. Carrying the very best of vintage clothing and...
Retropia
Reader Suggested: I believe that our store would make a nice addition to your store guide based on the other stores that you have listed. Retropia offers a wide variety of antique and mid century furniture,...
Rewire
Reborn is more like it. Rewire takes vintage lighting--all styles, sizes and refurbishes them for posterity to enjoy. Some pieces are anonymous but distinctive, others are classics like Eva...
Rodan vs. Griffith
Rodan vs Griffith is more like urban minimalism versus relaxed beach styling. Minimalism is obvious in the spot-on stylish clothing--cotton dresses with subtle details and soft basic tank-tops and...
Room Service
Full dozens classic modern furniture pieces and hundreds of chic accessories, Room Service is one stop shop for those seeking a fun, modern lifestyle. Affordable reproductions of iconic pieces by...
Room Service
Full dozens classic modern furniture pieces and hundreds of chic accessories, Room Service is one stop shop for those seeking a fun, modern lifestyle. Affordable reproductions of iconic pieces by...
Rose
If you fancy an object at Rose, may we suggest you buy it right there, because chances are you're not going to see it anywhere else. This is one shop that is curated in the truest sense of...
Roseark
Roseark does not concern itself much with the myriad lines of jewelry using semi-precious stones or inexpensive materials like glass and resin. The one of a kind jewelry and accessories boutique...
Rubbish
Too often "vintage" furniture stores come with a staff that wouldn't know wood from MDF. Fortunately, Rubbish offers a bit more depth-in furniture and staff. The furniture...
Salt
Among the girly, beachy boutiques nearby Salt at first looks out of place, but where better than near the ocean to sell clothes that are organic and essential. Dominated by solid, understated...
Sample
It's rare to walk into a store, especially one as simple as Sample, and want one of everything. It's even more rare in the case of a store such as Sample, that carries a few simple items...
Satine
Satine approaches the world of fashion with a truly global viewpoint. In a city where store after store carries the typical LA look of tops, T-s and jeans, Satine bring together the looks of a...
Scentiments
The sentiment seems to be that if you spend on flowers the recipient will not notice the cellophane, foam or cheap glass (using the world glass liberally) vase that holds the flowers. We knew...
Scout
If you need elaborate displays, too-cool-for-school salespeople and obnoxiously loud rap music to create a "hip" clothing store, you're doing something wrong. Here's an...
Secret Headquarters
Remember the comic books shops with dingy carpet floors and merchandise covering every square in of the store? Secret Headquarters is not one of those. Try dark hardwood floors, comic art on the...
Selima & Benjamin
Imagine thriving New York City eyewear shop Selima Optique going on a California vacation, and Selima & Benjamin would be the result. The tiny outpost doesn't bother carrying too many...
Shareen
Reader Suggested: A no-boys-allowed vintage clothing mecca where girls play dress up like they're in their hipper than hip grandmother's closet. Owner Shareen gives her honest opinion and is always there...
Shelter
Maintaining the grandiosity of a modern furniture showroom minus the snootiness that usually comes along with it, Shelter is a one-stop shop for high-end modern furniture. The large space is...
Shelter
Maintaining the grandiosity of a modern furniture showroom minus the snootiness that usually comes along with it, Shelter is a one-stop shop for high-end modern furniture. The large space is...
Show
We've walked through many a 10,000 sq. ft modern design stores and found nothing we wanted or, for that matter, could afford. Then there are stores like Show, where in a couple hundred square...
Show Pony
An unpretentious hipster closet is how we think of Show Pony. In a walk-in closet of a space are clothing, accessories and artwork from an intrepid group of local artists and designers. Racks...
SilicaThree
Reader Suggested: Okay, this one is a bit strange. There's not really a storefront in North Hollywood, just a warehouse. So here's the deal: David is an ex dot-com graphic designer type, if my memory...
Sirens & Sailors
While the work of local Los Angeles clothing designers is rather less high-style than their New York counterparts, for the hip, casual look LA is second to none. The clothing at Sirens &...
Skylight Books
Skylight Books knows its neighborhood and its city. In the bohemian Los Feliz neighborhood of LA the independent shop is heavy on books on art, film, LA History (even if some consider LA History to...
Soap Plant/Wacko
Soap Plant/Wacko is the only kind of art gallery fit for La-La Land. Sure there are a few demure rooms of hardwood-floored, white-walled gallery space. But that is among a huge store of...
Some Odd Rubies
Some Odd Rubies concerns itself mainly with diamonds in the rough. The shop scours the country for promising vintage fashions and transforms them into modern garments. While the bold prints and...
Sonrisa Furniture
Stainless steel appliances may be all the rage now but let us not forget steel's more humble beginnings. File cabinets, office desks, card catalogs and lockers are how steel first entered our...
Soolip Bungalow
Soolip Bungalow may have left the paper behind, but borrowing the aesthetic that helped make Soolip Paperie a success has worked out well. The store carries a varying collection of pretty, elegant...
Soolip Paperie & Press
What started as one person's passion for paper has turned into a perfect little paper shop. Soolip carries its paper by the sheet. Traditional Japanese papers, unique Parisian papers and...
South Willard
The first time we walked into South Willard we walked right out. After all, faced with all this style and elegance in Los Angeles, is it at all surprising that we had to check the street signs and...
Squaresville
In the world of the vintage store, there are generally three categories: the ever-elusive treasure chest, the ubiquitous punks-shop-here and the sweat-of-the-brow store. For the last, if you work...
Steinberg & Sons
Look at all hip, funky dressed people in the neighborhood. Then go to Steinberg & Sons to see where they buy their clothes. For men: cool T-shirts, comfortable pants, button down shirts with...
Strange Invisible Perfumes
In a country used to buying its perfumes at the department store counter, the idea of customized fragrances and a master perfumer is as good as a fairytale. Strange Invisible helps bridge the gap,...
Sugar Paper
Sure, sure Sugar Paper is sweet, but there's no artificial sweetener in the place. The shop if firmly committed to the craft of card and paper making. Choose among a selection of cards from...
Sugar Paper
Sure, sure Sugar Paper is sweet, but there's no artificial sweetener in the place. The shop if firmly committed to the craft of card and paper making. Choose among a selection of cards from...