Venice Shops

Jacques Marie Mage makes supremely cool sunglasses and eyeglasses, which are handmade in Japan.

Florist Spencer Falls puts together gorgeous, unexpected arrangements—often leafy and prickly-looking, with uncommon varieties of flowers.

The Gjelina family of restaurants has grown in all directions, now encompassing a grocery store, home goods store, rentable apartment, and flower shop down the street from Gjusta. It’s a beautiful space to pick up arrangements for events, for hostess gifts, or for your kitchen counter.

This indie glasses designer makes sculptural-looking shades influenced as much by organic shapes as geometry and architecture. If you’re in the market for sunglasses or eyeglasses, AHLEM’s are among the coolest.

If there was anywhere for this Byron Bay, Australia-based label to land for its first US outpost, it’s Venice Beach. From now through November 25, 2018, sisters Elizabeth Abegg and Isabella Pennefather of Spell & the Gypsy Collective bring their breezy bohemian dresses, kaftans, and swimsuits to the West Coast. The line itself is a one-stop shop for your next holiday: the space oozes with floral kimonos, light-as-air maxi dresses, and 1970s-style swimsuits. In other words, they’re the kind of clothes that make you want to pack your bags—now. One of the most unique things about Spell is their unfailing commitment to the environment—they design with organic cotton and use ECONYL®, an Italian fabric made from seventy-eight percent recycled nylon for their swim collection and Little Gypsies swim). There’s an entire section of the site called “People + Planet” dedicated to celebrating the work of their network of artisans and their ongoing commitment to supply chain transparency, too.

Run your hands across the rack of light-as-air linen dresses or super soft high-waisted Merida trousers at Apiece Apart's newest LA home and you'll wonder why the brand hasn't had a storefront on the West Coast all along. (Its first retail location opened last year in New York City, near SoHo, where Laura Cramer and Starr Hout design the collection.) Here, the duo brings their love of the American Southwest to life, creating a dreamy space where a thoughtful edit of clothing in the prettiest blush, tan, and lilac palette is rounded out by Peruvian handwoven straw hats, espadrilles, and French market bags. Also of note: the Woman fragrance, a scent for women who don't really wear scents, designed by LA-based Bodha Modern Wellness. The pop-up boutique is open through September 2018. Photos: Tim Hout for Apiece Apart.

Inspired by the Italian linens she encountered on a trip to Amalfi several years ago, Parachute founder Ariel Kaye wanted to bring the same luxurious bedding experience to the American market, without compromising on quality. While the line started with bedding (the linen sheets are the only thing you'll want to sleep in—trust), Parachute has rounded out its offerings to include waffle bathrobes, Turkish towels, table linens, and throws. Recent collaborations have included bedding with Jenni Kayne, decorative throw pillows with Caroline Cecil, and, most recently, ceramics with Kat & Roger. The storefront boutique is chock-full of design inspiration, too (a rose gold-colored mirror, potted cacti, and leather-and-copper chairs from Eric Trine).

Four Sigmatic founder and former forager Tero Isokauppila (who grew up in Finland on his family's farm) is all about bringing mushrooms and their incredible health benefits to the mainstream. (Read our Q&A with him here.) Shroom Room on Abbot Kinney sells dozens of inventive, adaptogen-spiked products like lion's mane matcha, reishi hot chocolate, and even mushroom coffee pods suitable for your morning coffee-machine fix. If consuming mushrooms in their natural or powdered form is new to you, don't stress—the (very) knowledgeable staff will happily whip you up a shroom-spiked elixir or offer a nibble of chocolate to try and point you in the right direction.

Like many businesses in this part of town, this beautifully turned out shop occupies a teeny, whitewashed bungalow, and artist-slash-designer Lily Ashwell makes excellent use of the space. There’s a little bit of everything here, starting with a tightly edited display of home goods (locally made tableware, hand-woven rugs, candles, art books, etc.) and ending with a house line of dresses, jumpsuits and flowing skirts—all of which are made from vintage fabrics.

In addition to being one of the longest-standing shops on Abbot Kinney, Bazar is also one of the most special. Owner Tina Wakino keeps the smallish space packed with antique furniture, textiles, and racks of hard-to-find international brands and vintage pieces for both men and women, then she rounds out the assortment with imported apothecary favorites from Santa Maria Novella and Astier de Villatte. Though small, the children’s section holds incredibly adorable options for giftables and accessories that are unlike anything you might find at a traditional toy store.