A Different Light Bookstore - The Castro

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider....

Who knew that Bea Arthur had a big following among drag queens? Come to think of it, there is that drag show that recreates episodes of the Golden Girls verbatim. And Bea does sport a look that look that most men could adopt fairly easily, with the right flowy caftan or slouchy boot. Nevertheless, it was a sad day when I realised that I had missed my opportunity to see my idol at A Different Light Bookstore.

In addition to great celebrity appearances, A Different Light sells mostly books and videos that could possibly be of interest to the gay community, but don't expect all gay porn and overwrought lesbian love stories. Shoppers are just as likely to find a book on carpentry or child rearing as they are to find the latest Bear of the Month Calender. It's got a broad magazine selection and quite a few videos. Despite the range of the book selection, the book section seems to be shrinking a bit as the video section expands. Doesn't anybody read anymore?

489 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.431.0891

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

Sephora -- San Francisco Airport

To those of us who are addicted to beauty products, Sephora a pretty, nice smelling crack den. We can't leave the store empty handed. Nars, Fresh, Philosophy, Dr Perricone are just a few of my favorites. They also sell a great lip gloss that plumps the lips, Lip Injection Extreme.

For those who need a little retail therapy to sooth pre-flight jitters, Sephora at the airport seem to carry most of the lines available at the downtown store. Beware, though, it's before the security checkpoint so don't buy anything you can't carry on.

International Terminal
San Francisco Airport

Toy Safari -- Alameda

Forget Toys-R-Us. Toy Safari is a great toy store for kids and adults. It stocks the widest range of Play mobile I've ever seen under one roof. The range of other toys is equally broad. Nostalgic throwbacks to the past sit side-by-side on the shelves with the latest must have toys.


It's worth a trip just to look at old doll display case populated with many of my favorites from the Seventies including, Flatsie, Kiddles and Dawn. Check out astronaut Barbie.

1410 Park St
Alameda, CA 94501
510.522.1723

Self Edge - The Mission

Has anyone else noticed how Japanese make American products better than Americans? Take jeans, for example. When Levis get rid of old looms because they take too long to weave a bolt of denim, Japanese manufacturers buy them, then reproduce them because the quality of the fabric they make is superior to that of the high speed computerized looms many manufacturers use today. Where are the most expensive premium Levis made now? Japan. They don't stop with Levis. A whole industry of Japanese blue jeans has sprung up. Some of these brands, such as Sugar Cane, Samurai, Iron Heart and Flat Head are also sold at Self Edge. In keeping with the American theme, it's also a good place to buy gangsta inspired, handcuff and gun jewelry designed by Jewels Kim.

714 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.558.0658

Val 16 market -- The Mission

Right on the corner of 16th and Valencia, this is one of the last places that sells authentic Dulce De Leche, not Smuckers sauces or those weird hard candies with Dulce De Leche flavorings but the real thing, the kind you can buy on the streets of Mexico, only there it's called Cajeta.

There's also a good range of South & Central American groceries, fresh produce and some things that reflect the changing area, like Bawls soda. If you're a Gavacha expect pleasant service. The clerks are a little cooler to Gavachos, but not rude.

3100 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.863.8790

Therapy - The Mission

Furniture, nick knacks or shoes, this is the store, actually two stores for retail therapy. Both shops named Therapy sit side by side, one for furniture and one for gifts for yourself. Although the breadth of the stock is wide, there it's carefully chosen to reflect a specific sensibility, quirky, urban-cute, anti-hip.

541 & 545 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.621.5902
415.861.6213

Hideo Wakamatsu -- The Mission

Hideo Wakamatsu luggage and tote bags are more proof that form and function can peacefully and stylishly coexist. Modern lightweight design is mixed with traditional Japanese elements, such as the cherry blossom suitcase and the children's school bags made out of motorcycle helmet material. These suitcases certainly won't blend in with all the others on the baggage return and the ergonomic laptop carriers actually look nice.

Another nod to Hideo Wakamatsu's Japanese roots is the strange, automated greeting that goes off when you open the door to the store.

563 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.255.3029

If You Can't Afford Cartier -- Union Square

The next best thing is to buy your jewelry off the street. This vendor is part of the city artists program. She makes the jewelry while minding her stall. If you're partial to coral, like I am, it's much better that the plastic and base metal costume jewelry sold at Macy's.

Street Stalls -- Oxford Street

How do Londoners afford to live? The answer is simple, they shop off the street. While at first glance, this stall on Oxford Street looks like it could be filled with tourist tat, look again. Two pashminas for £5 is cheap enough to keep every Londoner's neck decoratively warm. I've also seen fashionable Muslim girls wearing them as head covers.

Old Vogue -- North Beach

Old Vogue is a vintage store specializing mostly in men's clothing. They sell the type of fashion that doesn't change much from era to era, Hawaiian shirts, classic Pendletons, cashmere coats, so it's hard to say what decades are covered here. To the untrained eye, a 70s Pendleton looks much the same as one fron the 50s. One thing that stands out, though, is the excellent condition of all the clothes, including the vast selection of blue jeans on the top floor. It's not as low-cost as the vintage chains on the Haight but the nicely organized displays and high quality of clothing is well worth the cost for those who like this vintage style that would fit in well at the next Hillbilly Hop.

1412 Grant Ave
San Francisco, California 94133
415.392.1522

Estate Sale - Civic Center

There's usually a sandwich board out in front of American Rag on the weekends that simply says "Estate Sale, Fern Ally." One day, I decided to follow the sign down the ally. I expected to find a ratty apartment filled with an old dead person's things, but I found so much more. This little shop is a collection of rooms filled with display cases and shelves filled to the brim with all sorts of household items, collectibles and books. Whoever is responsible for displaying the goods has an obsessive compulsive collector's sensibility appreciated by shoppers who like to look at collections of things, and there are many collections here. If you need a specific pyrex bowl to complete a set, this is the place to look for it, likewise for Jasperware, clocks, old radios, coctail sets, 60s and 70s lamps....

This little shop seems to be only open on the weekends, so keep an eye out for the sandwich board.

Fern Alley
around the corner from American Rag

Portobello Green -- Notting Hill

If Portobello Market is a bit too rich, Portobello Green may be just right. Less antiques (none) fill the stalls, but there is plenty of vintage, and just plain used stuff to be had. Artists, jewelry makers and seamstresses sell their wares too.


Suitable for vegetarians? Expect to find the quirky and unusual, like these non-sweatshop made trainers. They look a bit like an art student made them.

Sunday Up Market -- Brick Lane

Handmade and vintage, that's all that's for sale at the Sunday Up market on Brick Lane. There are more Artistes (with a capital A) selling here than at Spitalfields, but prices are very reasonable and the food vendors are the best I've seen, so far, in any of the London markets.


The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London
E1 6QL

Portobello Market -- Notting Hill

It's said that people who like a lot of junk, can make their spaces look less cluttered by grouping their beloved things into collections. Of course, that means buying more junk. Portobello Market is a great place to do it. The vendors considerately group all their wares into collections for you. The junk doesn't come cheap, but hundreds of one-of-a-kind collectibles, antiques and vintage nick knacks fill the stalls. On Sundays, just as many shoppers fill the street.



First aid for collectors? Each one of this interesting set of cigarette cards illustrates a different bandaging technique




Portobello Road, W11
Nearby Tube Stops: Ladbroke Grove Station Westbourne Park Station Notting Hill Gate Station

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Will Tesco Take Over the World?

As long as I have other choices, I will never shift all of my grocery shopping to a supermarket. I love shopping at the open air markets too much, and I like to have small, local grocers all around me.

Even the butcher two doors down is not too offensive. He sells eggs for 99p a dozen, and he's got a lovely butchers' block in his shop that must be generations old. It's hollowed out in the centre from years of chopping and cleaning.

I would be really sad to see the Turkish grocer down the street close. He's less than a block away from me, and it's not only convenience that draws me there. His selection of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cheese is the best I've seen, so far, in London and his fresh fruit is better than Tesco, ripe and ready to eat, instead of hard and half formed. He seems to supply half the neighborhood with groceries, beer, etc, on credit, with nothing more than a slip of paper kept in the cash register. He's also been very kind to me. I'm an easy mark. Anyone who shows kindness has a customer for life.

Even though I wouldn't shop there exclusively, I was happy to discover a 24-hour Tesco within walking distance of my home. As grocery chains stand, Tesco is not my favorite, I prefer Sainsburys, but Tesco is close to me. It's cheaper than many stores. It has its place. There are times when it's nice to be able to drop by, straight off the train, late in the evening, when everything else is closed. Some things, like family-sized laundry detergent can't be bought in small shops.

When I got a Tesco club card, I didn't really pay too much attention to the points I accumulated until one of my cousins told me she paid for a weekend in Paris, Eurostar and hotel, with her Tesco points. She has two sons and probably spends thousands of pounds a year feeding them, but it made me think perhaps I should shop there more. I actually have increased my Tesco shopping a little. It would be nice to have a weekend break, paid for by Tesco. But is it really paid for by Tesco? What is the higher price?

I wounder how many people do this? Is Tesco going to do a WalMart and drive all the little businesses out of town, then raise their prices? Are we enabling these big organisations to create monopolies? I'm certainly not going to stop shopping at Tesco, but I'll try to think about my purchases their a little more closely. Am I buying something because I need it, or because it's a good price and it's double points week?

Maiden Lane -- Union Square

Diptyque. Yves Saint Laurent. Chanel. Do I need to say more?

Lola -- North Beach

Lola of North Beach has a lovely collection of cards that far outshine Papyrus, for a lower price. Quirky, unusual cards, non-traditional cards and just plain nice ones, including some with letterset printing. Picking a card for any occasion a pleasure, instead of the frustrating search it often is, and the employees don't harass you if you spend a long time reading everything before making a small purchase. Lola also sells boxed stationary and small gifts. The best items are irreverent baby clothes with funny sayings like "I might barf."

415 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.781.1817

Yone - North Beach

It seems, these days, that everything is becoming commercialized, mass produced, and turned into plastic tat or pastiche crap. Things that used to be slightly arty have now been dumbed down and sold at Micheal's to every housewife in American who gets a crafty itch. It's happened with knitting, paper arts and certainly jewelry making. Shoppers can buy complete kits from craft chains, with all the materials to make complete necklaces, from the nylon string to the plastic beads to the base metal findings, these kits come with instructions on how to make a necklace exactly like the one on the package, no creativity required.

Not so at Yone. Everything about this store is authentic, from Herman the proprietor, to the beautiful stones, bits of coral and amber, hand carved beads, all types of cording, findings....I could go on forever. You can find things at Yone you thought were not made any more; perhaps they're not. Prices go from surprisingly cheap, to quite reasonable. The open hours are short, opening at noon and closing at 6:00, but if you want longer hours, you can always go and buy a bead kit at Micheals, instructions included.

478 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.986.1424

Alternative Fashion Week -- Spitalfields

Felicity's Fetiché / Foot Worship - Polk Gultch

The funny window displays and fantastic sign make Felicity's worth mentioning.

This stripper supply store is well stocked with fishnets, stage costumes, plus plenty of naughty nurse and French maid costumes for those who are not in the trade. Upstairs Foot Fetish is well stocked in lucite shoes sized for girls and trannies.

1214 Sutter St
San Francisco,
CA 94109-5517
415.474.7874

Prada -- Soho

Prada often gets a bad rap. A favorite of label whores and counterfeiters alike, the streamlined, subdued nylon bag favored by these two groups is what many people envision when they hear the word Prada. True, some low-end bags still have that silhouette, but Mucia is so much more than that.

The New York flagship store in Soho showcases all that Prada has to offer. Much of the floorspace showcases architectural elements, not fashion, but as with all forms of art, isn't fashion also about context and setting?

575 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
212.334.8888

Buffalo Exchange - Haight Ashbury

When it comes to recycled fashion, Buffalo Exchange is one of the best. I would go so far as to say it is the best second hand shop on the Haight for everyday wear. It's not full of cheaply made new clothes like Crossroads, or costumey like Wasteland, yet the selection is better honed, and of better quality than the Goodwill on Haight. In addition to a full range of clothes for all sexes, it has a good selection of shoes, bags, belts and other accessories.

1555 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.431.7733

American Rag - Civic Center

Interesting small labels share the racks with big, yet still stylish labels like Comme des Garçons, Pucci, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. The front of the shop showcases new clothes, surprisingly divided nearly evenly between men's and women's fashions. The back is filled with vintage, clearly picked with the swing set in mind.

The selection changes often, so the Moscow rule of shopping is well-advised here. American Rag always has a nice selection of denim, including those übertrendy styles that may not look good on every figure, but, I'm sure, have an audience. Shoes are fashionable, yet walkable, from dressy flats to Pumas and Vans. My favorite section of the store is the jewelry, much of it made by local designers.

1305 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.474.4553

General Woodwork -- Stoke Newington

Since I've been in a DIY frenzy lately, I had to mention General Woodwork Supply on Stoke Newington High Street. They carry everything an urban do-it-yourselfer could need and offer a valuable service: custom cuts. Bring in your pieces of wood that need to be cut to fit around those strangely shaped Victorian plumbing fixtures, and they'll cut them for you.

76-80 Stoke Newington High Street
London, N16
020 7254 6052

Fad or Trend?

What is the difference between a fad and a trend?

In fashion, the word "fad" seems to hold negative connotations, while "trend" is up-to-the-minute good. Vogue publishes "trend reports," not "fad reports."

Literally, a trend is meant to be the beginning of a cycle, or movement, as in "the downward trend in real estate prices is escalating," or "the trend in eco-friendly appliances has carried over to electricity providers." Linguistically speaking, the word "trendy" is often used wrongly. In most instances "faddish" should be used instead. Big shoulders were a fad in the 90s, fancy jogging suits in the 00s.

What's the fad of 2007? Uggs are not considered trendy anymore, but they're still around, so perhaps they were actually trendy, not faddish. The same applies to Crocs. I have to admit to owning a pair of those. They're so ugly they're cute, and anyone who's tried them on has to admit that walking in Crocs feels like walking on marshmallows. I have to draw the line at wearing them with dresses, though. That's just wrong.

Can something be trendy, even if it was naff the year before? Vera Bradly bags come to mind here.

I've got it! The new trend is to dress like a granny. My shopping trolley should be right in style soon. More on that later.

Samsonite Black Label - The City, Sloan Square, Oxford Street

If Webstats are to be believed, Samsonite Black Label is more popular in the UK than the US, perhaps because of the collection designed by Alexander McQueen? It's certainly more expensive. Shoppers who want to buy this designer line of the tried and true workhorse of travel have several options in London. The boutique on Sloane is modern and minimalist, while the boutique in The City is a bit more traditional. The basement of Selfridges also has a nice collection of Black Label in stock.

The displays at Selfridges are, as usual, true to brand, adopting the decorating schemes of many Black Label boutiques.

8 Sloane St
London, SW1X 9LE
020 7245 8261

7 Royal Exchange
London , EC3V 3LL
020 7929 3944

Hamleys -- Regent Street

Hamleys is one of those magical toy stores that can drive even the most well-behaved children into a frenzy of greed, while causing adults to wax nostalgically for the nonexistent "good old days" of childhood. There are no new-agey ideas that boys and girls should play with the same toys here. The fifth floor, labeled "Boys Toys" is chockablock with toy weapons and action figures. The third floor, "Girls" is a pink riot of baby dolls, Barbies and arts and crafts sets. Computer games and Lego are wisely placed in the basement, along with science toys. Perhaps as a nod to the adults buying things for themselves, train sets dominate the floor called "Hobbies."


The non-PC Golly seems to be banished from the shelves but it still seems to be OK to sell prostitute dolls to little girls.



Is it my imagination, or does Superman have breasts?

188 - 196 Regent Street
LONDON, W1B 5BT
0870 333 2455

I'm a Top Shop Girl -- Oxford Circus

I knew that if I waited long enough, Bea Arthur's fashion sensibility would eventually come into vogue.

Top Shop has always been one of my favorite High Street chains, so I was not surprised to see the shop stocked with items that seem to recognise Bea's, until now, ignored role as a fashion icon. Strangely, these clothes still manage to be trendy. Acrylic fruit on chains and flowing dresses in Mod prints hearken back to the Maude era, while slouchy boots and jersey caftans remind us of Dorothy, in The Golden Girls.





216 Oxford Street
London , W1D 1LA
020 7636 7700

Caravan -- Spitalfields

I suppose this place is called Caravan because it is filled with all sorts of lovely trinkets that an especially stylish travelling gypsy might collect, homey with a touch of magpie and a hint of bordello. The price range is broad, but everything seems to be carefully chosen. Plastic, larger than life, ravens share shelf space with hand blown light fixtures and silver ceramic cookie jars. I hate the overused word "eclectic," but in this case it truly fits.

11 Lamb Street
Spitalfields, London
020 7247

Gift With Purchase

In the US, gifts with purchase are usually limited to the makeup counter and fast food outlets. They're certainly important in those markets. I don't know a single woman who hasn't, at some time bought a lipstick, on an unguent because it came with a free set of makeup, purse, umbrella, perfume..... I'm sure that every child in America knows what a Happy Meal is, unless she has never seen television, nor been allowed to mix with other children. Where would McDonald's be without them? It's a pity that most US manufacturer premiums seem to be limited to cheap disposables or those bought from vintage tchotcke vendors on eBay.

In the UK, it's all about the gift with purchase, with everything. Every weekend, the Newsagents are chock full of free premiums offered by publishers. This Saturday alone, the London Times was giving away a free DVD of The Killing Fields with purchase of the newspaper, The Independent was giving away one of a series of banned books, Time Out London's Literary supplement was giving away a free book too. Glamour was giving away a free umbrella with the purchase of this month's magazine.

It's not limited to publishing. Branded premiums are available every day in grocery stores. PG Tips is currently giving away a free toy monkey in specially marked boxes of tea. It ties in with a new ad campaign, which pays homage to their old "monkeys' tea party" ads. They seem to be flying off the shelves. I've noticed some are up on eBay already.

This Web site gets about 100 hits a day, so I know there are readers out there. I'd love to hear from you. Have you ever bought something because there's a free gift with purchase? What was it? Am I one of the few swayed by these type of marketing ploys?