the era of pop-ups + shoppy shops
the era of pop-ups + shoppy shops
where to pop-up + shoppy shop in la
it’s the era of pop-ups and shoppy shops – every neighborhood in la has (at least!) one shoppy shop and many a pop-up happening.
pop-ups:
you see them on every other block. pop-ups with food, pop-ups with drink.. with flash tats and/or tooth gems, build-your-own bouquets, etc etc. there’s indie designer yard sales, there’s your favorite sandwich spot in the parking lot of your neighborhood wine bar. you might grab a canned bevy from a big plastic bucket and sip while you browse from any of the following categories: food, bev (if you’re lucky good boy wine is pouring), flower trucks, local ceramics, vintage clothes (esp t-shirts). if there’s an upcoming gift-y holiday, (like a v-day or christmas) there might be six good pop-ups happening in any given five mile la radius. i like to call these guys “pop-up weekends” and i *swear* the traffic’s worse as you pop-up hop down sunset blvd from one complementary can of hard kombucha to the next. + if you want to be in the know of the many la pop-ups happening at all times, follow camber and 5pm lucky.
where to pop-up:
some of my favorite pop-up hosting venues are offe market (block party feels), brother brother (parking lot turns up), wine & eggs (all the snaccs), serviette world (slightly higher-end gifting), botanica (rotating chef supper series), or those pop-up collectives with evolving homes like mayumi market.
i asked offe market’s founder (+ my best friend!) rachel gannon why are pop-ups so hot right now, and she pointed to their very post-pandemic nature: ”people want to experience brands in-person, in a way they can't through their screen.”
ojai’s pinyon pop-up at bucatini + bandini’s parking lot over the weekend was a quintessential la pop-up experience. i was walking by with oslo (on the way back from a sweet potato run, of course) and there was already a steep line at 12:08 (with a 12pm start time, mind you)... a dj was playing records + bandini was pouring natty wine on tap, in line for sourdough pizza. tbh, not all pop-ups are always worth it (a little instagram vs reality so to speak) but pinyon outdid themselves. i over-ordered and have no regrets: the tomato pie (oslo wanted in), citrus olive oil cake, salted chocolate chip blondie. speaking of which, i’ll whip up an ojai guide for you all soon.
this week nashville’s (finest!) lou and sasha are popping up at found oyster
shoppy shops:
a shoppy shop is a (cute!) boutique grocer with a combo of local + trendy provisions, fancy condiments, farmers market produce, bevs, snacks and little giftables.
emily sundberg’s grubstreet article is a must-read to truly grasp the shoppy shop essence. it’s a (usually) compact space where all the girlies lose their minds and (most of the contents of their wallets). new york’s ogs pop up grocer, big night and the goods mart paved the way for la’s current shoppy shop frenzy.
you’ll probably see shelves lined with very snaxshot, picturesque-branded bottles of graza olive oil, zabs hot sauce, woon stir fry sauce, sqirl jam, fishwife tinned fish, bub & grandma’s sourdough loaves, rancho gordo beans, fly by jing chili crisp, bottles of vegan salad dressing nour, bags of canyon coffee beans, seasonal bouquets, bottles of natural wine (obviously), cans of ghia, molly baz’s cookbooks, linen napkins. i have a soft spot for a cafe component – some of my favorite pastries are from shoppy shops like cookbook, sqirl away, gjusta and little nelly, and a lot of natural wine bottle shops have a shoppy shop element like vinovore and kamp’s gifts + books. restaurants and cafes can also have shoppy shop energy like the entrance market area of botanica and clark street, echo park’s combo of scandinavian and local provisions.
everyone’s getting in on the shoppy shop action – alison roman opened up her own in upstate ny. even the small town of upland, ca has (honestly one of the cooler) japanese-leaning shoppy shop / wine bar / pop-up hybrids: omo mercado. i ran around omo like a kid in a candy store till i settled in with my glass of italian skin contact served in my favorite glass (!), staring at all of the shiny shoppy shop shelves.
la’s best shoppy shops + grocers:
cookbook - multiple locations (echo park, highland park, larchmont)
wine & eggs - atwater village (+ their desert sister wine & rock shop)
little nelly - burbank
sesame la - chinatown
sqirl away - virgil village
bucatini - echo park
golden poppy market - cypress park
suá superette - larchmont
broome street general store - silverlake
carla’s fresh market - highland park
la homefarm - glassell park
altadena bev - altadena
convi - west adams
gjusta grocer - venice
the canal market - venice
fattymart - mar vista
lady & larder - santa monica
custom travel itinerary:
just in time as you plan your 2024 travels, i’m throwing on your radar my (d’s!) personalized travel itinerary service: curated custom itineraries + city guides with travel recs on where to stay, eat, drink, see, do, etc. for any destination you request. you’ll take a questionnaire and based on your travel preferences, i recommend options for dining, sights + all the good stuff in the form of a downloadable google doc with links, blurbs on each place, and google map bookmarks. vip + paid subscribers get their first custom guide at a discount. email me at danielle@daniellegadams.com for more info, a quote estimate or just to get the ball rolling.
now playing:
west end girls by pet shop boys — just got this record and can’t stop playing