WHERE TO NEXT?By Kaitlin Childs, Interior Designer
Nothing puts me in the mood for shopping more than the lovely summer sun. Any excuse to be out and about, coupled with shopping, makes for a certain sort of magic. The magic becomes even more magical when I know my hard earned cash finds its way into the hands of small, independent, conscious business owners. I’ve compiled a shopping guide of local home stores, online handmade communities, as well as, design and craft fairs in the Orange County and LA area.
Local Home Stores:
Road Less Traveled: Not only will you find exclusively green, sustainable products here, but they also hold weekly how-to classes on making a smooth transition into living a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Seed People’s Market: Seed’s is my favorite store for buying gifts and unique knick-knacks with reasonable pricing and great craft classes to boot.
Online Handmade Communities:
These sites can become addicting, so beware! If you need a convenient, quick way to shop for something specific in mind, you’ll find these to be valuable for most any item you can dream up.
Local Design and Craft Shows:
Patchwork Show: A bi-annual craft fair where you’ll find pottery, jewelry, home goods, stationary, clothing, indie music and food from local vendors. A great way to spend a leisurely day! It’s happening this Sunday in Santa Ana.
Handmade Brigade: These ladies host a wide variety of craft-related events around Orange County.
Unique LA: An upscale version of most handmade fairs, vendors here are quite skilled and well-versed in their craft. The creativity can be overwhelming, but you’re likely to walk away with some great finds and a heavy dose of inspiration.
The Renegade Craft Fair: A traveling craft fair who also have a permanent online store of handmade goods.
