The Conran Shop - Marylebone

I love the Conran shop. Supposedly, it is stocked with nicely designed product at all price ranges. I have my doubts about the lower end of their price range -- there doesn't seem to be one, so I haven't ever bought anything here. I like to look, though.

The Conran Shop Marylebone
55 Marylebone High Street
London W1U 5HS
020 7723 2223

House of Fraser - Cheltenham

Cavendish House is the oldest department store in Cheltenham, dating back to 1823 when the town was a close rival to Bath as a holiday spa destination. Because it did not suffer the widespread destruction to housing during WW2 that London did, Cheltenham is said to have the most intact Regency period buildings in the UK. Unfortunately Cavendish House, now owned by The House of Frasier, does not reflect this.

The quality and selection of merchandise is good, though, exactly what you would expect to see at the House of Frasier.

Promenade
Cheltenham, GL50 1HP
0870 160 7233

Formula Foam - Upper Clapton

Open to the public - NOT!

There are times when you may need a piece of foam to pad a window seat, reupholster a chair or add a layer of comfort over a dodgy mattress. It's times like these that you appreciate a specialty supplier. I was in need of a piece of foam. Formula foam was in the neighborhood, so I stopped by one morning. I walked down the alley, past a couple of workshops and a mechanic to what looked like a foam warehouse. The door was blocked from the inside. So I thought, "Oh well, it must be wholesale only," and started to walk away.

A man came out, "Do you want something?"

I explained what I wanted.

"Wait a minute," he said.

I waited outside for 15 minutes. Did I mention it was cold? Finally, I was led in to a back room with a man at a computer. After some discussion he looked up a price on the computer that made my eyes pop out.

It wasn't exactly wholesale either. I left and bought my foam on eBay.

Upper Clapton
end of yard
London, E5
020 8442 9327

James Selby - Holloway

James Selby is a charmingly weird old department store. Unlike Liberty which is graciously old, James Selby just seems like it hasn't been redecorated since the 80s. It's a bit like a DIY project that's been added to bit, by bit over the years with none of the new construction matching the old. The merchandise follows the same principle. Upstairs, shoppers can buy sewing notions, polyester granny smocks and aprons, low end Wedgewood lines, Pyrex, and linens. A nice range of linens is offered from practical no-iron percale to sheets and pillows by Monsoon. On the ground floor, clothes are grouped into boutique-like clusters. Evans has a section, so does Monsoon, so does Top Shop. Cosmetic counters in the front sell everything from Fashion Fair to Corres.

386-400 Holloway Road
London
N7 6PR

020 7607 2466
Nearest Station Holloway Road

Holloway Market - Holloway

If you have to buy nets, it seems must more appropriate to buy them from a stall at the market, from a bloke who sounds like he belongs on Eastenders, than to buy them at John Lewis from a woman who has mastered the art of talking without moving her mouth.

Fry's - Palo Alto

Fry's has long been known as a mega-store for geeks. Every electronic device imaginable is available here, generally cheaper than anywhere else. If cheap isn't cheap enough, Fry's also sell reconditioned electronics and kitchen appliances.


If you're still not convinced this is geek heaven, take a look at the large Anime porn section.


340 Portage Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
650.496.6000

IKEA - Emeryville

After years of clever marketing, and now, the developments of Flatpack homes, IKEA has turned more into a lifestyle than a furniture retailer. IKEA has mastered the art of aspirational shopping. If you buy one of their MDF shelf units, you too could live the contemporary modern lifestyle showcased in the sample apartments set up in the giant shops, complete with the square footage. They're sort of like showhomes without ceilings, except there are two problems:

1) The sample apartments don't have ceilings or doors, so they look much bigger than your own home of comparable square footage.

2) The fake apartments are built around the standard-sized IKEA furniture, creating a custom built-in look.

Unfortunately, most houses don't come in IKEA standard sizes. Perhaps the flat pack houses do?

House of Foam - downtown Palo Alto

Specialization usually makes good shopping, if you're interested in whatever it is the shop is selling. In this case, it's foam. House of Foam, as the name indicates, sells all types of foam, from egg crate sound insulation, to padding for furniture, to pillow stuffing, to foam mattresses. It sure beats visiting every Home Depot and fabric store in the area, looking for the one specific type of foam you need. The staff are friendly, with the type of specialist knowledge you'd expect.

150 Hamilton Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650.327.4300

Fresh from Debenhams - Brick Lane

Sometimes the best parts of a market are the guerrilla booths that pop up selling everything from handmade earrings, car boot closet clearings, and this vendor specializing in new housewares, "fresh from Debenhams."

Shops Without Names - Camden Passage

This little shop along Camden Passage, in Islington, stocks a nice selection of ceramics from the 60s and 70s. When my shopping companion said, "Look, those pieces are so Johnathon Adler," the proprietor responded:

"You Americans and your Johnathon Adler. Sod Johnathon Adler! Who do you think he copied from?"

Battersea Boot - Battersea

Some displays at the boot are better than others.

Wink - Noe Valley

Wink sells, cute eclectic gifts for all occasions, or even for yourself. Shelves are artfully arranged with toys for the person who has everything, from cloth dolls fashioned to look like they are made out of pieces of poop, to Gamma Go clothes and nick knacks, to nice design-oriented household items and gifts for babies, both the human and the four-legged variety. The cards are beautiful, and stocked with a wide range of interesting occasions. The staff are friendly.

4107 24th St
San Francisco
CA 94114
415.401.8881

Tiger - Hammersmith

Tiger is stocked with random knick knacks, toiletries and kitchenware that could be found at Big Lots, but they seem nicer here, probably because of the quirky Scandinavian merchandising. Just like IKEA, shoppers wend their way through a maze of beautifully displayed wares. Instead of furniture, the products are note pads, kitchen towels, small toys and household items sold at bargain basement prices.


41-42 Kings Mall, King Street
Hammersmith, London W6

Reject Pot Shop - Camden Town

The name implies this shop is dirt cheap. It's not, but there are some good deals to be had on seconds of , Portmeirion stoneware and serving platters.

56 Chalk Farm Road,
Camden
NW1 8AN
020.7485.2326

Labour and Wait - Shoreditch

The proprietors of Labour and Wait say that, whenever possible, they collect items that are made in the traditional way. Stepping into this shop just off Brick Lane is, indeed, like stepping back in time. Nice, solidly made household goods, like kettles, teapots, even tins of string reflect this commitment to quality.

18 Cheshire St
London, E2 6EH
020 77296253

Greenwich Market - Greenwich

This is a great market for arts and crafts. I'm not talking about potpourri cozies with dead flowers glue on them, this is the real meaning of the word craft: lovely hand-crafted things by artisans and craftsmen. The usual suspects, pottery, jewelry and knitted clothing sit side-by-side with turned wood bowls, blown glass and textiles.

Greenwich Town Centre
Thurs & Fri: Antiques & Collectables: 10.00am — 5.30pm
Sat & Sun: Arts & Crafts: 10.00am — 5.30pm

The Urban Nest - Noe Valley

French chic for household items and gifts. This shop is filled with lovely things like enamleware for children, clothes for babies that are not so cute that they're twee, yet not that "hip" urbane aesthetic that's beginning to get annoying. A great place to pick up lovely smelling candles and soaps and expensive dog gifts for those who have everything else.

3927 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94110

415.341.0116

Heals - Tottenham Court Road

I have been coveting a silver pouffe at Heals for a while now, so as soon as I got my first full month's paycheck I ran to the Tottenham Court store. It was still there, under a pile of sheepskin rugs and assorted pillows and bean bag chairs. No price. I wandered around looking for a sales clerk to help me, but they were all otherwise occupied with yuppie & middle-class looking couples buying sets of furniture or expensive textiles. Finally, I managed to flag someone down. She begrudgingly looked the price up - £120. I had the cash, so I plonked down my debit card. She picked it up, and said. "We don't take electron," then turned her back on me. That was it. She didn't ask for another card, of which I have too many. She didn't ask for cash, nothing. I though "electron" was another name for debit cards. Now I know better. When I left, I couldn't help but notice the irony of the sign wishing me goodbye.


Perhaps it's not ironic, just honest.

The Heal's Building
196 Tottenham Court Road
London W1T 7LQ

020 7636 1666

Dreamtime - Islington

Vintage clothes and accessories for the swing set, and anyone else who likes to collect jewelery and knick knacks from the 50s, and 60s. Cardigan sets and a few things from the 40s and 80s such as mint condition Home Pride men are a few of the treasures found at this hidden gem at the back of Camden Passage. It's a hidden gem because everything for sale is in excellent condition. The proprietor is a fellow collector, so if you have a special request, such as some vintage Bakelite jewelry shaped like cherries, she will call you when she comes across it.

6 Pierrepont Row
Camden Passage
Islington N1

07804 261082

Cliff's Variety -- The Castro

This is one of those rare instances when a store is aptly named. Cliff's Variety is much more than a hardware store. Of course it carries hardware; the typical you would expect to find, like nails, paint and light bulbs; the less typical you would hope to find, like Victorian ceiling sconces and latches for old-fashioned windows; and the completely surprising, like tiaras, toys and quirky kitchenalia.


Jungle-themed cleaning supply display. It's not easy being green.

479 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.431.5365