Tag: shopping

Circa’s Insiders Guide to Holiday Shopping in DTLA

Get a head start on your holiday shopping! This season, think local. All around Circa, downtown Los Angeles is brimming with a sleigh full of options to play Santa, and help support independent shops, entrepreneurs and artisans as well. From family to foodies, pet lovers to plant parents, culture connoisseurs, and even your most eccentric friends, we’ve compiled a unique and eclectic insiders guide to inspire your holiday shopping in DTLA.

West Coast Craft at ROW DTLA holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

West Coast Craft ROW DTLA South Lot 777 S Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Nov 10 The West Coast Craft Market in downtown Los Angeles brings together 175+ of the best artist and designer craftspeople at a single-day, outdoor market at ROW DTLA. You’ll find everything from jewelry & apparel to ceramics, home goods, candles, up-cycled vintage items, artisan food & beverages, and treats for pets. The event is free and open to the public.

Los Angeles Christmas Market at ROW DTLA holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Christmas Market Skylight ROW DTLA 777 S Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Ring in the winter season with holiday cheer at the first-ever Los Angeles Christmas Market. Be transported to the bustling Christmas markets of Europe, complete with 50+ festive food and drink vendors, twinkling lights, fun activities, musical entertainment, and more. Explore dozens of open-air booths featuring seasonal favorites like soft pretzels, hot chocolate, crispy schnitzel, and displays of handicrafts made by local artisans.

Flask & Field at ROW DTLA holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Flask & Field ROW DTLA 767 S Alameda St. Ste 180 Los Angeles, CA 90021

While you’re at ROW, be sure to visit Flask & Field for the wine lovers on your list. Flask & Field is a modern wine shop and lifestyle destination for the discovery of wine, spirits, and bespoke home and personal goods. Flask & Field was founded by former entertainment attorney Miriam Yoo. Inspired by her husband’s love of a good time and driven by her lifelong passion for wine, hospitality and design, she set out to create a neighborhood space dedicated to enjoyment. 

Dublab & In Sheep's Clothing HiFi pop-up at ROW DTLA holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Dublab & In Sheep’s Clothing HiFi ROW DTLA 777 S Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Dublab and In Sheep’s Clothing HiFi presents their pop-up Sound & Vision, your source for vinyl & analog culture. This community market features a record shop, hi-fi equipment, books, clothing, and other accessories related to analog culture. The shop also features events, activations, installations and live broadcasts. At Sound & Vision, shoppers will discover new sounds, and products to enhance their listening experience. In keeping with their vision of a “seasonal community market,” they continue to open up the space to local independent creators, vinyl dealers, and hi-fi equipment makers.

The Last Bookstore holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

The Last Book Store 453 S Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

A true DTLA treasure, The Last Bookstore is California’s largest used and new book and record store, housed in a stunning 22,000 square-foot space in the Spring Arts Tower. The space includes a record store, comic book store, 5 art studios, an epic yarn shop, a famous book tunnel, a mammoth head, and unexpected nooks of funkiness. The Annex, a very special room just to the left as you enter, is gated because it has all the fancy stuff, from first editions, collectibles, and the extremely rare to expensive art/architecture/photo books.

City Home & Garden holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

City Home & Garden 737 San Pedro St. Los Angeles, CA 90014

City Home & Garden is the largest wholesale / retail indoor plant store in the DTLA Flower District. Since 2006, they have provided quality indoor plants, orchids, and pottery. They also make flower and plant arrangements for commercial and retail customers. You can select pottery from their shop or you can bring your own pottery for planting or custom arrangement service. Don’t worry about how to bring your purchases home. They do local delivery.

August Uncommon Tea holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

August Uncommon Tea

August is a small, family-run company based in Los Angeles, committed to making better tea, and to making things better in our world. August is designed to please all five senses, with wild and intense flavors inspired by cocktails, pastry, perfume, and modern cuisine. One of the only companies in the US to focus on super-premium blended flavored teas, whenever you drink August, you’ll always drink something unique. Alongside tasting notes, you’ll find mood notes inspired by art, music, cinema and natural landscapes. August also offers unique tea ware.

Healthy Spot holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

 Healthy Spot 1000 S Grand Avenue Suite A Los Angeles, CA 90015

Give your furry friends something to bark about this holiday season. Healthy Spot is a pet care retail company that offers pet owners a full range of nutritional foods and eco-friendly products, along with award-winning, personalized grooming, daycare and training services. Founded in 2008 by Andrew Kim and Mark Boonnark, the company prides itself on assuring that every stocked product contains premium-quality ingredients and is procured and manufactured safely and ethically. 

The Shop at The Broad holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

The Shop at The Broad 221 S Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Located in the lobby of The Broad museum, The Shop at The Broad is inspired by The Broad’s renowned postwar and contemporary art collection. The Shop features a unique, artist-driven array of products, books, and gifts at every price point, from museum-branded items to objects for the home to artist-inspired exclusives available only at The Broad. Free general admission tickets to The Broad are required for entry to The Shop. Proceeds from The Shop at The Broad support the museum’s mission of making art accessible to the widest possible audience.

Renegade Craft Fair holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Renegade Craft Fair LA State Historic Park 1245 N Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Nov 16 – 17  Renegade Craft is a leading showcase of independent craft and design. Renegade hosted its first Los Angeles Fair in 2010, and has been hosting sunny, lively events around the city ever since. Curated with established and up-and-coming artists, every LA event has a unique roster that leaves shoppers with a feeling of discovery and inspiration (and usually a good dose of vitamin D. All Renegade events and endeavors are produced, juried, and curated in-house by their small yet mighty team, a thoughtful group of artists and doers that are inspired to build, cultivate, and foster creative community.

Unique World: Holiday Pop-Up Experience holiday shopping near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Unique World: Holiday Pop-Up Experience Cooper Design Space 860 S Los Angeles St. Los Angeles, CA 90014

Dec 7 – 8  Part trade show, part design fair, part creativity zone, Unique World’s focus has always been to encourage creativity and connection between people in-real-life. Their markets shine a spotlight on small businesses, designers & artists, while curating an elevated and hands-on shopping experience for the community. Based in LA, founder Sonja Rasula has been hailed as one of the leading forces behind the ‘shop small’ movement, Eileen Fisher called her “1 of 30 Women Entrepreneurs Changing the World,” and Forbes named her “The Millionaire Maker.”

Photo credits:

Photo #1: Rolling Greens Nursery

Photo #2: ROW DTLA 

Photo #3: Los Angeles Christmas Market / ROW DTLA

Photo #4: Flask & Field

Photo #5: Dublab & In Sheep’s Clothing HiFi

Photo #6: The Last Book Store

Photo #7: City Home & Garden

Photo #8: August Uncommon Tea 

Photo #9: Healthy Spot

Photo #10: The Shop at The Broad

Photo #11: Renegade Craft

Photo #12: Unique World

Shop DTLA’s Historic Core

Bounded by Hill Street on the West, Los Angeles Street on the East, Third Street on the North, and Olympic Boulevard on the South, the Historic Core is one of LA’s oldest and and most intriguing neighborhoods. A century ago, the intersection of Spring and Main was essentialy the Wall Street of the West, but as banking and finance migrated to Financial District skyscrapers and elsewhere, the historic streets and fell into neglect.

In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council passed an Adaptive Re-Use Ordinance, allowing for the conversion of old, unused office buildings to apartments or lofts. Developer Tom Gilmore purchased a series of century-old buildings and converted them into lofts near Main and Spring streets, a development now known as the “Old Bank District.”

Walk these storied streets and you’ll discover some of the city’s most notable architecture, such as the Eastern Columbia Building, Bradbury Building, The Edison, and the Broadway Theatre District, featuring the largest number of old movie palaces in the United States. The Historic Core is also dotted with eclectic shops, art galleries, bars, and restaurants, and destinations like the Grand Central Market.

Ready to start exploring? Historic Core BID Walking Guide here. “Walk the Historic Core” printed map guides are available at Grand Central Market, The Last Bookstore, Ace Hotel, IndieDesk, Ilcaffe, Gelateria Uli, and other retailers around the neighborhood.

Pocket Square Founders

Pocket Square Clothing Flagship Store 205 W 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90014

Established in 2011 as an LA-inspired men’s accessory brand, Pocket Square Clothing has become an incubator for the burgeoning LA menswear movement. With no formal fashion training, founders Rodolfo and Andrew have created a lifestyle brand beyond clothing, geared toward the modern urban gentleman. Starting with the bow tie, their collection features menswear staples, a plethora of accessories, and Made to Measure suiting and shirting. Pocket Square Clothing takes pride in its domestic manufacturing and attention to detail. Using traditional techniques, everything is carefully handcrafted by some of the oldest remaining craftsmen in the heart of Los Angeles. Each piece comes with a narrative and fully handcrafted vintage inspired packaging.

BNKR

BNKR 901 S Broadway & W 9th St. Los Angeles, CA 90015

From its humble beginnings as a small online retailer in Australia, BNKR has quickly expanded to become a global company specializing in premium Australian fashion. Located on the ground level of the historic Blackstone Apartments, the 6,000 square foot BNKR flagship store takes up the entire corner of the building, with a minimalistic storefront and expansive floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street. The only retailer to stock the full ranges of C/MEO COLLECTIVE, Finders Keepers, Keepsake and The Fifth, BNKR presents a fresh selection of clothing, accessories and footwear from street style to classic, and everything in between. BNKR’s labels are a favorite of international celebrities, bloggers and street style stars, including Cara Delevingne, Jessica Alba, the Kardashian and Jenner sisters, Solange Knowles, Song Of Style, and Margaret Zhang of Shine By Three.

Aesop

Aesop Downtown LA 862 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014

LA is clearly getting Aussie-fied! Headquartered in Melbourne, with offices and stores around the world, Aesop is your go-to for deliciously aromatic skin, hair, and body care formulations, along with fragrances, sprays for the home, and gift and travel kits. Since its inception in 1987, Aesop has sourced the finest quality plant-based and laboratory-made ingredients from across the globe, with a proven record of safety and efficacy. Ready for a facial detox? Try the Parsley Seed collection, featuring Cleansing Masque, Anti-Oxidant Serum, Anti-Oxidant Facial Treatment, and Anti-Oxidant Facial Toner. Nourish and purify your skin with Geranium Leaf Body Scrub, an invigorating blend of Pumice, Bamboo Stem, and purifying botanical oils that sloughs away tired cells and leaves skin cleansed and smooth, perfectly prepared for hydration. For a relaxing respite, cleanse, calm and warm your skin with Coriander Seed Body Cleanser, a richly aromatic formulation enhanced with Coriander Seeds and Black Peppercorns.

Photo of Raw Materials Inventory

Raw Materials Art Supplies 436 S Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

Raw Materials Art Supplies is a rare commodity these days—an independent art supply store in the heart Downtown Los Angeles. Hunkered down in a bright, minimalist space, Raw Materials stocks thousands of art supplies, tools, and materials at every-day low prices, including many top brands of paints, stretched canvas, and brushes. The store has partnered with Castelli Art Framing, to offer professional custom fine art framing services to the downtown community. Raw Materials handles the design work in their store on Main Street, where you can drop off and pick up your artwork, certificates, or other pieces to be framed, or you can arrange for pick-up and delivery at your office or residence. Celebrity customers include painter Salomon Huerta,whose work is exhibited and collected all over the world, including the Whitney Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Hammer Museum, LACMA, and MCA San Diego.

Last Bookstore

The Last Bookstore 453 S Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

A true DTLA treasure, The Last Bookstore is California’s largest used and new book and record store. Named one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world by Flavorwire, The Last Book Store is housed in a stunning 22,000 square-foot space in the Spring Arts Tower at 5th & Spring. Currently in its third incarnation, the store began in 2005 in a downtown LA loft, when owner Josh Spencer took his decade of experience selling everything from cars to clothes online and focused instead on his first love: books. According to Spencer, the name was chosen with irony, but seems more appropriate with each passing day, as physical bookstores die out like dinosaurs from the meteoric impact of Amazon and e-books. In addition to over 250,000 new and used books on two floors, including the Arts & Rare Book Annex, the shared space includes tens of thousands of vinyl records and graphic novels, and a huge mezzanine level featuring the Labyrinth Above the Last Bookstore, Gather Yarn Shop, and the Spring Arts Collective gallery shops.