The story behind my relationship with Therapy and its owner Wayne Whelan is an interesting one, an anecdote shared by many beyond just myself and one that carries with it both the heart and the future of this seemingly middle of the road furniture store. You see, if you were to step inside my house today and ask me where I got this love seat, that table, the beautiful floor rug or maybe that lamp, and so on, the truth would be that nearly all of it I purchased from Wayne. It’s thousands of dollars worth of quality product, even if not overtly high end. But I didn’t buy it a piece at a time, as would have been the case if I were paying purely out of pocket. Because Wayne and Therapy offers something pretty special in this day and age – a take it all home today layaway plan based purely on – get this – good faith. “One of our goals is to be as inclusive as possible. We don’t want to exclude people,” Wayne explained. “So if we could only sell things for a thousand dollars or more to people who have a thousand dollars worth of available credit anymore, we’d have a lot less available customers. So by us being able to trust people and work with them, we’re able to sell a lot more stuff, and a lot more people are able to participate in our business model. My experience is that people are so blown away but, then, they realize they’re being trusted, and they don’t want to disappoint that trust.” Because of this relationship, I was able to completely transform my entire apartment in about two weeks, as opposed to the course of two years or so. This has brought me back into the shop on a regular basis in the many years since. If Wayne is there, I can at least count on a good conversation. And Therapy is always loaded (and on some days, one might say overloaded) with great new finds. They range from newer, higher end pieces, like the gorgeous Cologne dining table, to rarer or more affordable vintage finds, such as the very awesome looking vintage fan lamp.

At the heart of this diversity, for Wayne, is one core principle – value, which Wayne defines as “something that tends to look like it’s worth more than what we sell it for. One of the challenges we have being on Valencia Street, we come in contact with a lot of affluent people and we also come in contact with a lot of bright, hardworking artists and waitresses and bartenders. Folks that don’t make bundles of money, but they have really great taste and want to shop with us. And so we have to make this work for them too.”  Being very much a part of the latter group, it works for me. As did the Riverdale lamp that I very much have my eyes on. That lamp in particular could be included as part of the current trend in home furnishings toward the industrial and the repurposed. Wayne’s job in Manhattan back in 1979, well before Therapy opened its doors in May 1994, was to sheetrock factories into live work lofts. “Now, 30 years later, they want the furniture back. It’s kinda sad, that all of this stuff would be obsolete. I think it’s a good thing, by and large. But I’m also always trying to concentrate on the best value, so if things get too out of hand and trendy, I have to step back and invent a new trend.” For now that appears to be a shift away from “that cold metallic, rusty, crusty vibe of factory and inject carnival wheels and sideshow banners”. Like the series of lighted carnival letters, or the totally bizarre man under glass decoration piece. Stuff that is more whimsical and fun. “When talking about work, all of us think about, at some point, quitting our job and running away to join the circus.” I am also included that group. It’s a funny point to make, but what stands out is how very much Wayne, before anything else, is a people person.

As I walked through his shop with him, taking notice of beauties like the wood art by Dave Marcoullier, the quietly vibrant set of Garcia chairs, the fantastic set of metal and wood basket ceiling lamps or the uber rustic cool and epic antler shield, Wayne told me what’s next for him and Therapy. And it is most certainly all about the people. Something of a philanthropist in a shop keeper’s clothing, Wayne discussed his idea to build his own sustainable line of furniture in the Bay Area which would employ inner city youth that don’t have the means to go to college. “I’d like to get them some skills to where they’re not beating themselves up all day because they don’t know how to program or haven’t gone to school. I don’t think it’s going to be lucrative for us, but that would be rewarding for me.” And this is that interesting connective tissue that makes the layaway plan so much more valuable, where things come full circle. “I have the luxury of knowing through our payment plan sales, my rent is going to be paid. But from the intrinsic perspective, I want to give back more.” That’s something. As it is, Wayne and his partner and wife Jing Chen, who runs their chain of clothing stores, already give one per cent of their sales to charities, usually focusing on underdeveloped schools that have suffered hardship. Nothing makes me happier than giving $500 or $1000 to a teacher and saying, ‘this will help you with your supplies’. And the letters that I get back from those teachers are enough to make me cry.” And that’s the gold. That’s the payback. “If we ever did have a message, it’s thats you get the one per cent back.” Thanks, Wayne, for that.

Visit Therapy at 541 Valencia Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

When I started writing this post, I thought of the old black and white comics I used to read and considered starting with something like, “It was a breezy August afternoon as I stepped inside Needles And Pens…”, which it was and has been for the past unusually mild week here in San Francisco. But yeah, no. Not when one of the two owners is named Breezy as it is. The word play still resonated, however, both because the name of the shop is itself an expression turned upside down, and because the people who fill it with clothing, accessories and zines are a highly creative bunch. Owners Breezy Culbertson and Andrew Scott are the two halves of a store that reaches deep into the community, plucking from it writers and designers who are both friends and also share their DIY, community ethic. Breezy, with a background making clothing, is the side of the coin that handles all the buying and merchandising for the clothing and jewelry, while Andrew provides the “Pens” to her “Needles”, hosting an abundant collection of books and zines, all of which are produced locally including his own zine called “Sob Story”. And part of the store is reserved for local artists and their work, which tend to be shown for two months at a time. It’s an unusual combination, one that has worked beautifully for 10 years and marries a bohemian aesthetic with a punk vibe in a wholly unique way. “At the time we opened, there wasn’t a place like this,” Breezy told me. “There wasn’t a place that sold independently published zines and hand made clothing that was affordable, and that was an art gallery as well. We always wondered why there wasn’t a place and decided, well, someone’s gotta do it, so we did it.”

Good thing they did. As it applies to the clothing and jewelry, Breezy makes an effort to choose items that are both local and produced from recycled materials. Like the lovely handmade dresses from Field Day, which are crafted from recycled sheets (her vintage looking ties are quite handsome, as well). Or the earthy yet elegant earrings by Alchemilla, from Oakland, as well as the more ornate, rustic line from Little Feather. My favorite was a wallet by .retool, who locally manufacture their line from recycled seat belts. And at Needles And Pens, local is such an emphasis that it can even mean “down the street”, such is the case with the hand-hammered gold hoops from Cady Rose, who lives, yes, just down the street. “Everything here is definitely down home and hand made. And we both come from punk roots.” Enter the zines. In a media culture so saturated with pdf’s, Kindles and blogs, it’s especially important to honor the legacy of print. Andrew’s moved here from Chicago to work for the punk record label Maximum RockNRoll, and he lends that same spirit toward the world of self-publishing, a trade that has become something of an art form. Needles and Pens even boasts their own independent publishing company, & Pens Publishing, which printed “Morph Traits”by Daniel Higgs and Kyle Ranson, as just one example. The Mental Health Cookbook by H. Finn Cunningham also caught my eye. Its a genre the store takes quite seriously, as evidenced by the copy of “Behind The Zines: Self-Publishing Culture”. As far as the mortality of the zine, Breezy noted that these days writers tend to spend a lot more time on them, going as far as silk-screening their own covers as an effort to emphasize the special pleasure of holding a book or magazine in your hands. “I think technology will hinder the publishing world, but I think people will aways gravitate toward it because they like the smell of it, the feel of it and the quietness of it.”

The quietest corner of the shop, dedicated as Needles Of Pens’ own gallery space, was filled, rather ironically, with tambourines. Painted tambourines, actually. They’re the work of Needle’s current resident Brigid Dawson, who also plays in the local band The Oh Sees. She is also a good friend of Breezy’s, a relationship which more than hinted toward the community element that is the jangle and strum of the shop. “A lot of what you see in here is from friends,” Breezy explained. “All the zines are sold on consignment and the writers hand deliver them to the shop. It’s a community space in the sense that everything in here is made locally and by hand. There’s a lot of people involved here.” “Home Grown?” I asked. “Definitely home grown,” she chuckled. Which, to my mind, captured the essence of the shop quite nicely. I was reminded of a childhood of hand me downs, drawing and writing in the dark with a flashlight, and painting once I’d moved out and could grow hair on my face. I was surrounded by artists then, and places like this remind me I still very much am. This coming September 7, for example, Breezy and Andrew will host a solo art show by Jason Jagel, another San Francisco resident whose work encompasses painting, drawing an vinyl, with a musical performance by Dominic East . Should be good stuff. And, oh, if you happen to have heard about Needles And Pens because of those adorable onesies from Mamacow that everyone seems to be talking about, they are still there. But don’t forget to grab a handful of pens and a pocket journal before you leave.

Visit Needles And Pens at 3253 16th Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

United we stand, divided we fall. Maybe a lofty discipline to apply to the realm of fashion and commerce, but one I couldn’t help but reference upon talking with Devon Chulick, co-owner of DFS Clothing Company and Art Gallery. Affable and confident, he’s a man with an entrepreneurial spirit and a vision. For while he owns a store full of, yes, product,  the boutique experience he works hard to create is less about the merchandise and more about the people. The artists. A sharing that fosters the independence of both the artist and the owner. Inspired by a background full of relationships with artists, beginning with his mother, yet not himself an artist, Devon possesses that rare counterpoint which threads the needle through competition straight into the fabric of community.  Connecting with others in order to make everyone involved richer from the distinct fruit that is collaboration is an art itself, it’s a curator wearing his own shoes, and the thing he just knows and understands. He’s good at it. The idea of collaboration versus competition is something Devon feels is somewhat unique to San Francisco, and why it thrives, even if, in my view, more quitely. “In New York everything is a competition. In Los Angeles, everything is just perception. And San Francisco is all about what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it with. Thats why I love it here,” Devon said. “There’s no point in competing, because you both lose. At the end of the day we’re stronger together.”

And people do come together at DFS. Weekly. The first friday of every month Devon hosts a party to launch that month’s artist whose work can be seen on the tall, lengthy walls of the shop for the next 30 days. It’s an opportunity quite in demand, as the space has already been booked through this coming February. Currently being shown is the lively, bombastic work of Nick Beery as part of a series entitled “Live Fast Burn Slow”, something I felt echoed Devon’s ambitious nature quite well. And on the remaining Fridays, Devon books a variety of events – from magazine launch parties to fund and awareness raisers – that bring consumers and designers together with the goal of prospering the community and building relationships. This goal is so important that Devon reserves the back corner of DFS as a miniature pop up corner for artists that don’t have a complete body of work yet show a good deal of promise and dedication. Currently filling that spot is the skateboard art of Nicky Gaston. And if wasn’t clear enough that Devon is an art addict, he reserves the wall space just to the left of the entrance for art that he is particularly fond of, which, these days, is the photography of two independents who go by the name of Devoir Art. Devon’s goal to promote the independent artist doesn’t exclude his own brand, however. They do have their own line which includes silk-screened t-shirts and an up and coming denim line.

So yes, merchandise. Within this gargantuan of a closet is an aesthetic reflective of DFS’s unique blend of mojo, which is to say sexy, brash and smart, but totally open to your interpretation. It’s a refreshing mix of apparel and art, which includes jewelry by the likes of Steven Wood and Backstage Boutique, hats made from sustainable sources by Yellow 108, playful casual shoes by Blu Kicks, and a whole host of t-shirt lines including the locally designed Bush & Leavenworth series. Women can classily get their sexy on with the likes of the Costa Blanca crochet top, and men can walk handsomely with a canvas bag from Ministry Of Tomorrow slung over their shoulder. And then there’s even more art. I fell in love with the cooly seductive set of photographic prints by Seen Lin, while the cardboard back set of assorted prints once again echoed the DFS ethos of living and playing hard. Which is all, in the end, Devon asks of the artists and people he surrounds himself with. The key to preserving his brand of prosperity is hard, serious work and following through with it all the way to the end, which possesses a great golden light of its own – maybe call it possibility – something Devon does happily, seven days a week. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love it.” Cool, then. Let’s all do more of that.

Visit DFS Clothing Company And Art Gallery at 520 Haight Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

Screaming Sky is a shop and art gallery locally owned and operated in the Alberta Arts District in NE Portland. They carry all kinds of toys and art from local and handmade to exclusive designer releases. Screaming Sky also has rotating gallery exhibits that open every Last Thursday, which is a street fair that happens once a month on Alberta. Emily, who works at Screaming Sky, said that the gallery loves taking part in the Last Thursday street fair. It gives the gallery an opportunity to introduce the public to the world of vinyl toys and a new way of art collecting.

When we visited the gallery they had just put up an exhibit by Guy Burwell called Ladies of Lascaux. The gallery walls were covered with colorful paintings of the interesting and unique ladies. Although Ladies of Lascaux’s run is over you can still get your hands on some of the artwork at Screaming Sky’s online shop. If you are in the Alberta neighborhood in the near future, be sure to check out the new show Alchemy by Kalina Torino.

In addition to supporting the local art scene by having gallery shows, Screaming Sky also carries handmade goods and toys from local artists such as these wallets made in Portland by the company Tiny Meats. They also carry an assortment of locally made monster art dolls and other goods from Junker Jane. You can also find an assortment of the Field Notes Brand notebooks which are a collaboration between Portland-based Draplin Design Company and Chicago-based Coudal Partners.

Screaming Sky Gallery also gets involved with the art scene by collaborating with artists to produce their own toys. They worked with Scott Tolleson of StolleArt Studio to create a line of plushes named Nosellots. There are currently three characters and the fourth one, Sayjo Bean, had her debut at San Diego Comic Con this year. Sayjo Bean will be available online and in-store soon. Each character has a limited colorway which is only available in-store at Screaming Sky Gallery, or on their website.

Make sure to download the StoreSnaps app to see more of the amazing products you can find at Screaming Sky Gallery!

It had been months since I visited with Liddy Parlato, owner and buyer for the spacious boutique shop Hangr 16 on 16th Street in the Mission. At the time, I was doing a piece on Amanda Bassolino of Voce Keen, just one of the many unique artists and designers Liddy showcases at her shop. The overall collection was impressive, so this week it was time for a return visit to focus on Liddy and the store itself. Deep into our conversation, one particular anecdote summed up the vibe and vision of the store quite nicely. As Liddy tells it, several months ago a man on a skateboard zoomed up to the storefront and began poking around the shop. Liddy, always with an eye out for great new stuff, was quite taken by the brown wash jeans he was wearing. “Who makes your jeans?” she asked. It was a new label, Railcar, out of Arcadia, California. She immediately contacted them. Apparently the owner collects vintage sewing machines and sews all of his own clothing. Smitten by this, Liddy carried Railcar in her store just weeks later. ”It’s so cool. They came in here and brought some wine and we talked denim for like an hour. Now he’ll email me and tell me ‘I’m sewing your jeans right now” she said, gleefully. And it’s an abundance of stories and conversations much like this that make Hangr 16 what it is. Much of the merchandise is created by friends of friends of friends and ends up in the store through a building of connections and community. Liddy seems to have made a name for herself as someone who is open, spontaneous and genuinely interested in building relationships that simultaneously bring wonderful product into her space as well as providing one that gives the designers exposure.

The interior of Hangr 16, which opened in January 2010, lends itself well to this type of gallery meets store type of vibe. It is long and voluminous, boasting clean lines and cream-white walls anchored by multi-toned stone concrete floors. Ample space for a wide array of carefully chosen merchandise with plenty of real estate left for actual art to be hung tastefully on the walls in a way that neither are competing, and instead adding a new layer of harmonious aesthetic. This months installation, for example, is courtesy of local artist Maureen Shields, whose work is sometimes on canvas, often on wood-natural bark and always, in Liddy’s words, “pretty, with a whimsical sort of faery tale element, yet all possessing a dark humor as well”, something she feels reflects her choices in jewelry and clothing as well. Like the shark’s tooth necklace by local designer M Stone or a Collarbone necklace of bullet shells and crystal. The pieces by Shields we’re introduced in a Hangr 16 opening party this past July 27 as part of a monthly series that Liddy books months in advance. These events, complete with DJ’s and wine selections chosen either by winemaker friends of Liddy’s or Liddy herself, are part of her overall effort to use her store as both a place to sell product she loves as well as a place to establish a community of artists who trade ideas and open doors for one another. “On the selfish side, it’s inexpensive marketing for us. But, really, it’s a cool way to support people who are doing creative things. And a lot of the designers I’ve worked with are also customers in the store, so it’s a really nice way for us to build community.”

Some of that whimsical nature Liddy loves comes across beautifully in her newest favorite local find, the interchangeable watches from Modify Watches, which offers a playful line of bands and faces that consumers can mix and match to create a bounty of looks. Liddy took particular pleasure one afternoon watching a father and son spend and hour creating their perfect watch. She also adores anything with repurposed wood, like the uber-cool wooden sunglasses by Proof, also local, or the totally unique, 1800′s retro wooden watches by We Wood. The bracelets repurposed from wood veneer by Contexture design we’re also stunning. Perhaps my favorite pieces, and in my mind the most evocative of Liddy’s brand of quirky cool energy, were the bracelets made from magazine paper, cork and leather by BFR Industries. With an aesthetic calling to mind animated, svelte, seashells, I’d never seen anything like them. Liddy is just as thoughtful when it comes to clothing, even down to something seemingly so simplistic as the line of socks and underwear by Pact. Their special secret is that they manufacture their line out of local, wind-powered factories. And they’re cheap. I loved the dapper line of skinny ties by Revl, and most definitely have my eye on the sunnily provocative Little Rain Playsuit by Finders Keepers for my lady. Fitting, as playful is the pervading feeling of the Hangr 16 environment, one that invites discovery with the doors always left open, both literally and figuratively, to a community of artists and commerce, all framed by the humor and style within their conversation of revelations.

Visit Hangr 16 at 3128 16th Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Five And Diamond store manager Jessica Atreides several years ago. Just fifteen minutes after we said hello my perspective regarding notions of what is and isn’t art were changed. More specifically Jessica had turned my face into art at one of the shop’s first Day of the Dead face painting events just outside the storefront where artists like Jessica use airbrushing in magical new ways before sending you out into the candlelit night. It has become so popular over the years that nearly two hundred locals hoping to get their pagan on had to be turned away last November. Fortunately you’ll never be turned away at the doors of Five And Diamond, and, in the form of clothing, jewelry, accessories and props, there’s plenty of art to behold there too. Everything in the shop is wild, gorgeous and has the spirit of creativity and adventure. “What we’re going for is trying to get the most unique, edgy stuff out there,” Jessica said. Art, it seems, is a way of life for those associated with Five And Diamond. Which makes sense when you consider its origins. Phoebe Durland and Leighton Kelly, at the time both members of the traveling cabaret Yard Dogs Road Show, are both artists in their own right. They opened Five and Diamond as flagship for their design lines. From there their approach to living and creating caught on, and now, led by buying manager Haley Lynn, the shop hosts numerous design lines that feel more like a movement than mere commerce.

To hear Jessica expound on that list of designers as we walked through the shop is to realize that Five And Diamond is far more than simply a one stop costume shop for people heading out for a week in Black Rock every August. It really is a base for artists that are friends of friends friends, who travel frequently and do craft in New York, Los Angeles, Bali and Japan, to name just a few places. The result is indeed edgy, and lends itself well to those with a vaudevillian streak and a panache for showtime. It attracts a wide array of folks – belly dancers, performance artist, goth kids, stretch art kids and steam punkers. And for these genres and sub genres, the styles they wear are, more often than not, suggestive of their whole lifestyle. One example of this is the holster bag, from Phoebe’s line of leather accessories, Wild Card. It’s attractive, yet wholly functional with lots of hidden pockets to keep things safe while traveling, echoing the life of an artist who spends so much time on the road. Her flask garter belt does this quite provocatively as well. Tawapa, Phoebe’s jewelry line, much of it focused on stretch jewelry, lives here also. And there are plenty of other Five And Diamond favorites, like the interesting and sexy Chromat line from New York, which produces elastic banding pieces that get “tons of attention”. Or Spatterdash, offering modern updates on turn of the century spat designs. The Five And Diamond collective, which includes designers like Heathen and Steam Trunk, are especially fond of the one-of-a-kind jackets by Tiffa Novoa of Ernte. Not only are they grand and ornate in aesthetic, but they also have a deeper, emotional pull, as Tiffa passed away in 2009. Her partner discovered some of her work in storage and gave them to the shop to sell as a way of commemorating the artist’s work. Beyond the Tawapa line, jewelry is in abundance here from the likes of Dust, often created from quartz and bone, and Leighton’s Bootleg line, which has a brash, raucous feel to it.  And I especially loved the steam punk unisex goggles, which captured that movement’s post-apocalytic meets science fiction fantasy ethos perfectly. They, like everything else in the store, satisfied the Five And Diamond criteria of being unique and avant garde in the “weirdest, freakiest and highest quality” way imaginable.

Product lines by artists who create their designs to be worn into the real, alternative world is a rich concept, one that is being taken to unusual extremes at Five And Diamond’s upcoming event, “Headdress” next month on Thursday, August 9th. “We’re doing an art show with thirty artists, and we provided them with a base, leather aviator helmet and gave them free reign to interpret that. The goal is to see what people could come up with, and just really push the boundaries of their ingenuity.” I was able to get a sneak peek at a few of them, one of which Jessica described as “a little bit dangerous”, with a complex design of sharpened crystals as its foundation. Ouch. And gorgeous, too. Events like this, as well as the Day of Dead annual, speak to the notion that if fashion is indeed a statement of living differently, then those who think differently need a place to come together and share ideas and creativity as well as make a living. Five And Diamond, racy, out there, romantic and bold, is, for a great many vagabond souls, just such a place.

Visit Five And Diamond at 510 Valencia Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – when a shop has owners that stock their shelves with their own creations, it’ll always be a more special, intimate place, and the choices they make when sourcing product to compliment their own goods will always be a deeper, truer reflection of their vision as a whole. This is most certainly true of Gravel And Gold, what many locals consider to be a curious find, run by a wonderfully creative team of artistic women and led by owner Cassie McGettigan. The vibe inside the shop, which itself is warm, rustic and smart, calls to mind a summer cabin in Northern California during the seventies, hums quietly with an earthy, creative, DIY energy. If you look beyond the front counter, for example, you’ll notice sewing machines and spools of yarn and thread where Gravel And Gold design and craft, the latter part courtesy of resident tailor Holly Samuelson, their own line clutches as well as totes and women’s clothing,  both of which serve as a uniquely perfect canvas for Cassie’s illustrations. And all of these mingle perfectly with staff selected vintage wear and wares.  ”The clothing is a mix of new and vintage items. We think of vintage things as inspiration for things we’d like to design ourselves,” Cassie said.

That type of hands-on direction that sums up the heart of the shop also answers what I am told is a question Cassie, manager Em Gift and the others hear quite frequently – just what exactly is Gravel And Gold? Indeed it is a store, where you can come in and buy things. But that wasn’t always the case, nor was it even part of the original plan. “We hear it constantly, and I honestly understand that because we never really intended to have a store in the first place so we’re kind of evasive about it. We’re way more interested in the art.” The original plan was to utilize a studio space upstairs and use the shop space as a community space to display their work as well as others. “Something that was tangible, sustainable and, as a business, could support itself and wasn’t arbitrarily dependent on funding and stuff like that. We actually began, in March of 2008, in a tiny studio space that was 10 by 12 feet. So when this space became available we moved here. Now we’re in our fourth year.” Since their move to the current space in August, 2009, the evolution into a full-fledged store was a journey Cassie likens to something being “flipped on its head. We’ve always wanted to be making our own stuff.” Instead, the store came first and now it affords Gravel And Gold’s crew the opportunity to focus on creating and designing their own work.

So what you’ll find as you browse the walls and Tripp Carpenter’s gorgeous black walnut table, which has run down the center of the store since its opening, is a beautiful amalgam of their product as well as both the new and old, all of which share a seemingly effortless harmony of aesthetic. Whether its Darren Wilson’s line of ceramics, Oregonian George Knowles’ paddles and spoons, or Californian Cliff Glover’s gorgeous pottery, Gravel’s choices in wares reflects their personal favorites of the vintage world. The same is true of the clothing and accessories. Whether its the super cozy boots made by WindWalkers, the handsome line of belts by Tanner Goods, the indigo dyed scarves and ties by Upstate, or the boldly designed earrings by Laurel Hill, it’s clear the staff takes great care to choose artisans and designer that craft goods they would wear and use themselves. You can also find more eclectic items, like assorted knives hand crafted in France by Opinel, the totally interesting straw and steel cake tester and the Fat And The Moon herbal care line from across the bridge in Oakland. And books, books galore. The staff here clearly appreciates a good book that can teach you how to make and beautify your own things and create your own culture. “The Printmaking Bible” caught my eye. And I was particularly attracted to Lloyd Kahn’s “Builders Of The Pacific Coast”. The cover contained an image in the lower left corner which seemed to echo the look of one of Gravel And Golds window displays in some distant, sublime way. I think perhaps whats’ most amazing about searching through the many treasures at Gravel And Gold is hearing the the girls discuss their newest ideas in the background, the clacking of the sewing machine just beyond that producing the next piece that will appear, perhaps, on the wall just behind you. Or the table in front of you. Who knows? But there is always something new happening here, more work being done or plans being laid. In the words of Cassie herself, “It’s fun!”

Be sure and visit Gravel And Gold at 3266 21st Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

It was a sunny Monday last week, the beginning of July, as I walked briskly toward Accident And Artifact with my camera slung over my neck and bouncing off my belly. The entrance spoke of abundance and fertility, bedecked as it was with vibrant plants and vines. And it felt equally bright and alive once I stepped inside. Situated on the main floor were two leather love seats in burnt sienna with a small baby blue vintage coffee table at their center. There were books, flowers and small dolls made by Tijuana artist Natalia Cervantes, all of which invited you to not just shop, but visit the place. As Larkin Small, employee and right hand woman to owner Martin Holden, put it, “it’s designed to be an interactive store space.” Martin echoed that notion, saying “I feel, from my background in retail, that with a store, inevitably, there needs to be a conversation…where you walk in and you’re part of a family.” Thats a sentiment that’s fully realized here. What you may not notice immediately amidst all of is that Accident And Artifact is full of things that are antique, primitive and, sometimes, brutal. One object in particular, seemingly non-descript,  initially might appear to some as perhaps a kind of trowel for digging. But that isn’t the case. In fact, Martin discovered it at Alameda Point, and listed it as one of his favorite pieces in the store. His explanation summed up what makes Accident and Artifact wholly unique. “It’s actually a whaling harpoon tip which, if you think about it, is kind of an awful instrument.” Yet, as a piece, separated from modernist notions about what is and isn’t palatable, has this inherent beauty to it, so steeped in history and real life and death. Martin said it perfectly – “It’s beautiful, and tragic.”

And while this is the store’s most poignant truth, the shop itself has undergone some changes of its own since it opened three years ago and Martin took full ownership last July from Gideon Padwa, whose initial vision was a bit starker, or scholarly, and more along the lines of a gallery or a museum. Since then, Martin, who helped open the store with much of his own collection, a good deal of it from his years at Alameda Point, has taken great pleasure embracing the contemporary as well as the rudimentary. “The main theme is that, while material objects are trivial, when someone recognizes something and it brings a story out of them, there’s a connection there. It starts with inquiry. I’d like it to be a conversation with the street, where a sophisticated collector is going to come in here and find something of interest, but then someone who just wants to come in here and find a gift for somebody, you know, thats interesting and beautiful, that they can too, at an approachable price point,” Martin explained. Which means, in addition to strange relics, you can also find products like the gorgeous and painstakingly made line of indigo dyed bags by Job And Boss, which were brought in by Martin’s younger staff under his encouragement to give the store a new feel by emphasizing the contrast between the old and the new. Particularly lovely is a line of pottery vases made in Emeryville by Sara Paloma, whose secret is referencing, of all things, electric line simulators in her design work. Martin even goes out of his way to highlight new and local artists, like the intensely personal paintings by artist Timothy Wilson, or a selection of jewelry from assorted local designers. Not only that, but people are welcome to just come in here and talk, or play the piano. Apparently, even that is for sale. “Our rule is that everything is for sale,” Martin said.

And, oh, how I wanted that piano. Or to leave with some earrings to bring home to my girlfriend. Or maybe just read a book and fall asleep on one of those love seats. And, indeed, Martin and I did talk. For a good hour. I could have stayed much longer. But walking away, it was still those old, crude, dirty artifacts that made the biggest impression on me. History is like that, and has a way of silently booming its voice from a distance, leaving you with feelings of nostalgia you may have no explanation for other than you’re connection to the timeline itself. I mean, there’s a reason why all that is antique and vintage appeals to so many of us, and I’ve a feeling it isn’t pure aesthetic. Some of the most beautiful things aren’t always shiny and brand new. Like the weathered Stickley chair, sitting beside a vintage sculptured tiny horse. Or the original 1930′s U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, its leather nearly tattered, itself a vessel for thousands of stories and letters, but still handsome enough to wear around town. There’s a dusty set of natural dyes culled directly from the surface of the earth. And, if you’re really in the mood to capture art that is so purely by accident, take a look at the yellow jacket nest hanging inside one of the two glowing storefront windows. That’s a contrast, and quiet agreement, to beauty that comes from the unlikeliest places, and ends up, somehow, with the right eye, in the same store as the Oregonian crafted Olo perfume line, exquisite and the antithesis of ancient.

Visit Accident And Artifact at 381 Valencia Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

Good lord, I miss traveling. The thrill of new places, faces, languages, the way the air feels different, has an altered weight on your skin. Even the taste of the water is specific, lingers. Though in the case of my last abroad trip to Mexico, it lingered for a full nine-hour hour layover in Puerto Vallarta like Montezuma’s revenge, confirming with great unease that classic tenet, “Don’t drink the water.” Still, I missed it. It takes planning. Just getting everything together to leave can be a huge hassle, but once you’re up in the air, hands clutching the seat or the hand of whoever is beside you (hopefully you know them) as you takeoff into the great unknown, all that chaos disappears. It is the great roller coaster of the baby eyed, the curious, the wanderluster. And yet, it could be easier. While away, the list of stuff you should have brought grows. And by the end, you might hear yourself muttering, “damn it, I don’t even have room for all this new crap I bought.” Funny. Well, about 13 years ago, one John Sencion got to talking with co-worker Brad John about how to these small dilemmas, sitting side by side on a flight that would change the course of their professional lives. It landed them, ultimately, at Flight 001. As sales associate Marisa Plaice tells me, the idea to create the company was launched when the two discussed their mutual wish to have “somewhere they could go that was kind of a one-stop shop for all their travel needs.” Not long after, the first Flight 001 was opened 11 years ago in New York. Soon after, a second store opening in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. That store celebrated its 10-year anniversary just this past March and now joins five other stores in the U.S., as well as two locations abroad in Singapore and Australia. Since then, roaming around the world got a little easier.

When you head inside Flight 001, you might feel immediately a step closer or two to your destination. Particularly when you look overhead and onward. The ceiling of the shop calls to mind the hull of a plane, with its beaming little lights and rounded corners. There is a subtle ode to futurism, ala “2012: A Space Oddysey”, with the clean, shiny white interior. The iconized blue and white signs speak to an international, easily understood language that you tend to find in airports are equally modernist and attractive. That Flight 001 has a specific and unique aesthetic became considerably less surprising when I learned that co-owners Sencion and John come from backgrounds in graphic design. “They wanted to incorporate the design aspect they were familiar with when they decided to open this store, ” Marisa told me. This, for me, confirms the inspired notion that when you travel you leave with whats most important and come back with something thats even more profound. And more stuff, too. But where do you put that stuff? How about some smartly designed souvenir bags? Or something so simple, yet so often forgotten, a place to keep your dirty laundry. I so often end up using trash bags, but I’d much prefer these Go Clean bags. Much of the product line in the shop captured the sense of humor that will take you a long way when dealing with the hassle aspect of traveling, like their luggage tags or the quirky Pamela Barsky line of toiletry bags. For the more functionally minded, there’s plenty of handsome luggage, including a nice leather and canvas duffel by Will, a travel sized line of skin care by Mario Badescu, beautiful wallets by Boconi to stuff your euros into, and an Ultra Pod Min camera tripod by Pedco so you can get nice still shots of the ruins and remove the weight from the adventure.

Speaking of imagery, arguably the centerpiece of the store is a fantastic art piece designed by the owners which hangs on the wall just behind the cash register counter. It is the world spilt in half, then conjoined in a brilliant off-white and pressed behind luminous glass and appointed with little red dots that serve as destination points. It represents, according to the staff, an image of a mock itinerary of the first flight around the world, itself an artistic extension of the company name. 001, Marisa told me, means “the very first flight”. Which brings up an interesting point. If you happen to be going somewhere soon for the very first time, you may want to stop by the store and pick up either the Streetwise or Luxe set of city guides so you don’t miss anything. Because some stuff you can’t bring back with you, and some places might not be there if ever you get to return. That’s the mystery of travel. Gear up smart so you can take it all in.

Visit Flight 001 at 525 Hayes Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.

The first thing you might notice when you step inside the Mission District location of Public Bikes is the wall of red bicycle bells. It has a great effect to it that calls to mind Andy Warhol’s pop art with its shiny repetition. More glaringly, however, might me the fact that this particular shop is not entirely its own brick and mortar – it shares a much larger space with Harrington Galleries, a furniture gallery that sells new and used pieces as well as art and home decor. Interesting combination. But there’s a simple reason for this. The Public Bikes in the Mission is actually a pop-up store, opened in March of this year with a closing date of November 2013. Even more interesting. When I first decided to do a post on Public Bikes, the motivation was simple – it’s a cool little shop that makes great looking bicycles and they just opened a couple of new locations in San Francisco. Seemed timely and relevant enough. And while, for a moment, I thought this pop-up angle might be a more compelling way with which to frame the piece, it was a quick five-minute conversation with sales associate and mechanic David Goldiron that revealed what would become the heart of this story. “You know Design Within Reach?” David asked. Which, of course, I did. “Rob Forbes? Well, the founder of Design Within Reach is the founder of Public Bikes.” Really. Now that was something.

Perhaps this shouldn’t have been new information to me. That I wasn’t in the know, however, was precisely the reason that the Rob Forbes element, with his unique vision and approach, was so appealing. I grew up loving bikes. Got my first red and white Huffy dirt bike when I was a little boy, crashed it a few times, as is necessary, and learned to fly on that thing. As a teen, I got a Sunday job to save up enough to money to buy a more “serious” bike – a cobalt blue Schwinn 10-speed decked out with a pump, toe-clips, a pannier and water bottle holster. That was the last bike I ever bought. Living in San Francisco, bike culture can be so cultish and polarizing that when I’ve longed, even nostalgically, to get a new bike, I’ve felt too intimidated to just talk bikes at one of the local stores. Much in the way I avoided  purchasing a pair of skinny jeans for years, I’ve done the same with bicycles. In my mind, there was too much of a culture schism attached to it. But Rob Forbes has always had the regular person in mind, and with him at the helm, Public Bikes has a different take. “Bike companies hire designers that are inevitably ‘bike people’, so there’s always this sort of bike geek slant toward whatever new is coming out. It’s really sort of myopic. Rob Forbes brings design. Not from within the bike industry, but from without,” David told me. And this was reflective of Rob Forbes vision as a whole. “Part of his whole focus is conjoined public spaces, and instead of stepping out of your front door into a car, why not have the outside, where you can have parks, social spaces outside that are tasteful and peaceful. City governments can provide that, and companies can provide that. These bikes are like the token city bikes, where you can wear normal clothes on them, they last, they’re comfortable. Anyone can jump on one of these, and still have the quality that appeals to the sophisticated customer.” Lovely. Bicycling as a way to share social and public space, and postured in a way that wasn’t so specialized, was a wonderful idea, and decidedly more accessible for someone like myself, someone not so in the know.

This type of culture is more apparent in European cities, an infrastructure Forbes likes to emulate. You can see that reflected in the design of Public Bikes. Like the Public M, based on the classic Parisian Mixte frame design that was hugely popular in the 1960′s. Or the Public C, commonly referred to as a Dutch bike with its vintage aesthetic beauty. Ultimately, however, the primary goal with Public Bikes is comfort and durability. The all-purpose Public V was a gorgeous expression of this. Beyond the bikes, Public Bikes was smartly stocked with accessories on smooth wooden walls. They also seemed to embody a spirit that was classic and fun. The Nutcase line of bicycle helmets made me want to be a kid again and take some “sweet jumps”, while the Peterboro picnic basket made me want to take a ride to the beach with my girlfriend and some strawberries. The company also makes panniers of their own. I quite liked the handsome leather seats by Brooks. And, once again, there was that very playful line of bike bells by Public Bikes. Everything was quality craftsmanship with an understated elegance, but it was the feeling of just how fun it is to jump on a bike and head out into the city or to your best friend’s house that spoke to me the most. It reminded me that I didn’t need spandex or a fixie, nor did I need to be a member of Critical Mass to experience that. All I really needed was a Public bike.

Visit Public Bikes at 599 Valencia Street and be sure to download StoreSnaps onto your iPhone so you can keep up to date with their info and products.