Borough Market - Southwark

The Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market at Embarcadero used to be one of my favorite Saturday morning activities when I lived in San Francisco. I cried the last time I went there, knowing I'd be moving soon and despairing of ever being able to shop from such variety of fresh organic fruit and veg ever again.

So, naturally, when I heard Borough Market compared to the Embarcadero Farmers' Market, I jumped on the bus.

Started in 1276, Borough Market is London's oldest food market. It's known as London's Mecca for foodies. While it's unfair to compare the fruit and veg with local produce in California, it certainly lives up to it's reputation in shear variety and quality. The food isn't cheap, but everything is fresh, artisan-quality and delicious.


Free range and organic eggs of all types.


Cheese has it's own wing. Local British cheese makers sell their wares alongside their European counterparts.


For those who like Turkish Delight, there's plenty to choose from.


For those who eat meat, organic ostrich is one of the choices.


Speaking of meat, there's a whole section devoted to pig.


And meat pies.


And don't forget the fruit and veg.

Borough High Street
Stoney Street and Winchester Walk
London, SE1 1TL

Netto - Stamford Hill

Continuing with my series of weird budget grocery stores, I was drawn to Netto by the cute logo I've seen on bags all over town. Their motto is, "Why pay more when you can pay less?" It seems straightforward enough. Shoppers have to pay for their bags, but the prices on everything else are cheap, cheap, cheap.

The layout of the store is very strange, and doesn't seem to follow any logical order. Soap, next to canned fish, next to bread, next to lightbulbs, and so on.... This is fine for those of us who like to shop by going up and down each aisle, not so good, though, for those in a hurry who like to run straight to the item they came for, then leave.


and what's with the strange gate system at the entrance?

158 Clapton Common
Stamford Hill
London, E5 9AG

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

Noe Knit -- Noe Valley

While not the cheapest option, Noe Knit has a nice selection of good quality yarn. They also have cute wearable samples knitted up so shoppers can actually see what the yarn looks like. Unlike many similar shops, the staff don't shout at you if you touch the merchandise, something that's very important if you want to know what the yarn feels like before you knit with it. They also offer a whole calender of knitting classes every month. Overall, it's a lovely neighborhood shop with helpful staff.

3957 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94114, USA
415.970.9750

F-art - Bethnal Green

Household objects are so artfully displayed, that you’d be tempted to call this shop an art gallery. In fact, owner and artist Steven Davids does just that. Contemporary art is displayed for sale and Davids regularly hosts gallery nights featuring local artists. Most of his shop, however, is filled with quirky, interesting objects reflecting popular culture of the late 20th century, easily accessible art, mass produced for a consumerist society. Product premiums and branded images from the 50s through the 80s appeal to a wide range of collectors, from those who like vintage Japanese toys and read Super Seven magazine, to those who trawl eBay. Since much of the stock is rare or vintage, it changes regularly. My favorites were: a vintage plastic Bibendum, the Michelin man, a large Japanese plastic statue of Astro Boy, a battery operated model of Godzilla, and a large mechanized monster toy from the 60s, complete with box.

24 Cheshire St.
Bethnal Green
London E2 6EH

020 7729 5411
Saturday 12:00 to 6:00pm
Sunday 10:00am to 5:00 pm
And by appointment

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

Rugby at Colette? - Paris

Quintessentially American meets quintessentially French.

What's more American than Ralph Lauren? That would be Lauren's line for college co-eds, Rugby. Previously sold only in college towns and, of course, Manhattan, which could be argued is one giant college town, Rugby will soon be available at Colette, Paris's quintessentially French department store.

I'll be interested to see how the French put their own stamp on the line. A special edition polo has already been designed.

213 Rue Saint-Honore,
Paris, 75001
33(0)1 5535 3390

Favela Shop - Shoreditch

If you need a bikini to go with your Brazilian, the obvious choice is a genuine Brazilian bathing suit from Favela in Shoreditch. Favela also sells sundresses, cute Brazilian-themed accessories and knickers.

12 Hoxton Street
Shoreditch
London N1
020 3222 0042

What makes a good market? - Hackney & Walthamstow

Walthamstow market is the longest daily market in all of Britain & Europe. Started in 1885, it is often touted as a little piece of authentic East London. The reality doesn't really live up to the hype, though.

Walthamstow market has many good things: It's open every day. It's cheap. There are clean and accessible toilets. Shoppers are mostly locals.

So what's wrong with it? Perhaps it's best compare it side-by-side with a true little bit of authentic East London, Broadway Market in Hackney.

Both markets attract local shoppers


Walthamstow


Broadway market

Both Have Authentic East End fare


Cockles and muscles at Walthamstow


An authentic jellied eel shop on Broadway market.

The difference in in the merchandise. Although there are 500 stalls at Walthamstow, much of the merchandise looks the same. There are no stalls filled with nice old junk. Instead, it's mostley plastic tat. The fruit and veg leave a lot to be desired.



The merchandise at Broadway market is a different story:


Vintage quilts


Artisan cakes


Homemade jams......

......and blocks of vintage and handmade clothing, old knick knacks and good old junk.


Walthamstow High Street, London E17

Broadway Market, London, E8

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

Premium Jeans

It seems Self Edge, the premium jeans store on Valencia has been mentioned in the The New York Times. If you want to read about the Japanese obsession with premium jeans and the lawsuit Levis is pursuing against some of the manufactureres, the article, Out Levi-ing Levi Straus is worth reading. Here's my original post on Self Edge in San Francisco.

Calandra Cheese - Arthur Avenue

In my constant search for authenticity, this cheese shop is a little gem. Started in 1952 by late patriarch Salvatore Calandra, the family still uses some of the original techniques to make their cheese. Yes, they actually make some of the cheese on the premises. Other hot sellers are imports from Italy, Spain and Greece, and local cheese, fresh from a farm in Pennsylvania. It's still run by the Calandra family.

2314 Arthur Ave.
Bronx, NY
718.365.7572

Mags & Fags - Shoreditch

This magazine shop is worthy of entry just for the name.

90 Hoxton Street
Shoreditch
London N1


020.7613.0664

Paxton Gate - The Mission

If you think taxidermy is a dying art, go to Paxton Gate and take a class on how to stuff your own mouse. If that's a bit too hands-on, you can buy one dressed in a cute little outfit, in a shadow box. Paxton Gate also sells mounted bugs, animal skeletons fossils of all types, bell jars, pedestals and other decorative items for those whose taste leans towards the macabre.

824 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110 map
415.824.1872

Vending by Sony - Santa Rosa Mall

Sony calls them robotic stores instead of vending machines, but I think whoever thought that term up should be fired. It just brings attention to the fact that Sony is using the novelty of vending machines to avoid paying employees. What happens if a shopper accidentally pushes the wrong buttons? How do you return anything? Who do you ask questions to? What if the mp3 player you just bought is defective?

635 Healdsburg Ave
Santa Rosa, California, 95401

Street Fairs, Festivals and Markets - London

It's festival season in London, and that's good news to those who love to wear hancrafted fashion.

Of course the markets like Spittalfields, Sunday Up at Brick Lane and Portobello Green run all year, but in the summer the artists and young designers and tailors get more exposure.

If you think handcrafted clothes are a bit granola, think again. Alternative fashion week at Spittalfields proves otherwise.

Chocolate Eating Vegetarians Unite - Mars Recants

Who says it doesn't pay to complain? If I had a pound for every time someone told me, "it's not worth it," I'd be a multi-millionaire. In reality, if enough people make their voices heard, social (or culinary) change isn't far behind.

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that Mars candy was no longer vegetarian. The update on that issue is that enough people complained to make Mars reconsider this decision.

Here's the letter I received today from Mars:

Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for taking the time to contact us in connection with the change of ingredients in our chocolate confectionery and ice cream range.

Please note that after recently changing the source of some of the whey that is used in some of our chocolate products we have received lots of feedback that this decision has made it difficult for some of you, especially those of you who are vegetarians, to continue to enjoy our products. We realise that we made a mistake and we apologise. We have committed that we at Mars UK will ensure that a selection of favourite brands including Mars bars, Snickers bars, Galaxy and Maltesers will be suitable for vegetarians in the near future.

Meanwhile we are currently experiencing unusually high volumes of contacts from our consumers and therefore we hope that you understand that, rather than answer your question individually, we are attaching a list of questions and answers we believe would be useful and help answer your enquiry.

Alternatively you can visit our web site (www.masterfoodsconsumercare.co.uk) for this, and other useful information.

Once again thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please do get back in touch, at the dedicated email address below, if your specific query has not been answered and we will do our best to get a speedy response to you.

Yours faithfully

On Behalf of Fiona Dawson
Mars UK
fionadawson@masterfoods.co.uk

Q1.What are you announcing?

A1.We have recently changed the source of some of the whey which is used in our chocolate products made in the UK from a vegetarian friendly variety to one which contains traces of traditional rennet from animal sources. We have received lots of feedback from consumers and reversed this decision.

Q2.Are you reverting to vegetarian recipes for all of those products that were subject to the ingredient change?

A2.Yes, this announcement means that favourite products - Mars bars, Snickers bars, Galaxy, and Maltesers will once again be suitable for vegetarians.

Q3.You make lots of other brands - what about the suitability of them?

A3.Other products will also be suitable for vegetarians including Minstrels, Revels, and Ripple. However, Twix, Bounty and Celebrations will continue not to be suitable for vegetarians.

Q4.I'm a vegetarian - which products can I eat / should I avoid?

A4.Currently we cannot guarantee that our products contain vegetarian rennet. However, we are starting to change our manufacturing process with immediate effect. We want to get our vegetarian products on the shelves as soon as possible. During this process of changing the recipes we will provide updates on this consumer care website, on a regular basis. If you are not sure about the suitability of our products please call us on 0845 0450042.

Q5.Why did you decide to change the ingredients in the first place?

A5.We made the change to broaden our supply base in order to ensure we could continue to provide our consumers with products of consistent quality in the future.

Q6.Will you now consult with consumers on any future changes to products?

A6.Yes. This change was a mistake and we are sorry that we may have prevented consumers from enjoying the products they've always enjoyed.

Alexis Bittar - Soho

Jewelry made out of gold, gems and lucite sounds a bit like a throwback to the 50s, but Alexis Bittar is anything but that. The lovely handmade pieces sold here are perfect for people who like unusual jewelry and have money to spent on it.

Alexis Bittar
465 Broome Street
212.625.8340

I'm not a plastic bag - eBay

I have to admit. I was initially attracted to the Anya Hindmarch "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" promotion. The shopping bag was cute, a beige canvas tote with a braided handle and the slogan, "I'm not a plastic bag," emblazoned across the front. The Anya Heinmark logo is understated but there, along with the motto "We are what we do" hidden inside. In England, it was sold at Sainsburys for £5, and sold out within hours. The same thing happened in the US at Whole Foods.

Then things got crazy. People started selling them on eBay for £30, £50, £100. Is there no end to greed? This seems contrary to the original intent. It feels like the bag has gone beyond environmentalism, beyond fashion, into elitism. Some would argue that fashion is elitist, but it doesn't have to be. Fashion often starts on the street, then is dropped when it becomes mainstream. The Lance Armstrong wrist bands are a good example of that. They swept American, but then, they were so cheap and easy to come by that they lost their cachet. Anya Heindmarch was probably trying to avoid that by manufacturing such small quantities, but I think it backfired.

A clever artist, Marissa Vandersee, is selling a bag at Sunday Up on Brick Lane, that looks almost identical to the Anya Hindmarch version, but sums up my current sentiments about the bag. It says "I'm not a smug twat."

Lidl - Wathamstow, Finsbury Park

Worst. Store. Ever.

I didn't think anything could get any more depressing than Big Lots. I was wrong. LIDL is filthy. Most of the stock was stacked along the wall in boxes. The cheese is injected with cheddar flavour and to add insult to injury, customers have to pay for bags.


This is the Finsbury Park LIDL, not much better.

Sterling Way
N18 2XZ London/Edmonton

269 Seven Sisters Road
Finsbury Park,

Fear is the New Pathos - Brick Lane

I've noticed many appeals to fear in recent advertising. The anti-smoking hooked ads are so scary the campaign was pulled due to public complains. The Ribena march of the lemmings ads, though funny, have a certain horror movie sensibility. Then there's the ad illustrated above for Obey clothing.

Is it just in London, or is it everywhere? Certainly evocative ads create a message that sticks in the mind of the observer. This reminds me of th Benetton ads of the 90s. While the Obey ad is graphically appealling, is the message appropriate in a city with a swelling group of militant religious fundamentalists? What is the call to action here: Embrace the veil? Oppose war in Iraq? or buy Obey products?

American Apparel -- Shoreditch, Notting Hill

Shoreditch


Notting Hill

If you plan on visiting New York any time soon, it's worth waiting until you get stateside to do your shopping at American Apparel. While the prices are not cheap in the New York and San Francisco stores, it's worth paying a little more to get good quality. However, in London it seems the people who did the pricing just took the $ symbol off and replaced it with a £ symbol, with little, if any adjustment for the exchange rate.

See origanal post

176-178 Portobello Rd.
London W11 2EB
020 7243 8499

123 Curtain Rd.
London EC2A3BX
England
020 7012 1112

Earlybird -- Stoke Newington

At first glance Earlybird looks like so many of the card and gift stores scattered around London. Cute small items like home wares, retro decorative items, stationary, tradesman mugs, gift bags and other carefully selected gift items fill the shelves. Unlike most other shops, at Earlybird some of the collection of greeting cards and wrapping paper are designed and made on the premises by illustrator and part owner Dominic Early.

This is also one of the only places to buy the hard to find "I heart Hackney" badges. For those who want to assert that they live in the "good" part of Hackney, "I heart Stokey" badges are also for sale. In fact, being in Stoke Newington, the shop stocks a lot of "I heart Stokey" paraphernalia, including mugs, bags and t-shirts.

86 Stoke Newington Church Street
London, N16
020 7923 3504

The Laden Showroom - Shoreditch

Lovely frocks by young and independent designers, line the walls. Each desiner's wares fit neatly into their own little nook. Quontom, Bohemia and Eucalyptus are a few lines seen recently, but they seem to change regularly.

103 Brick Lane
Shoreditch, London, E1 6SE
020 7247 2431

Gourmet Garage -- West Village

I admit that the first time I went into Gourmet Garage it was because Ted from Queer Eye took one of the hapless straight-guy victims there. That was before Queer Eye for the Straight Guy became boring, but that's another blog.

Gourmet Garage is not the super giant warehouse that its name implies. It's better. While some grocery stores have more variety, quality is emphasized here with gourmet pre-made meals, fresh bread, organic veggies, domestic and international cheeses, and they deliver.

117 7th Ave S
New York, NY 10014
212.414.5910

Forth & Towne is Shutting its Doors

Fans of Forth & Towne should get down there before June 15, when the chain is closing after less than two years. The sale should be good.

The tag line Forth & Towne splashed all over their advertising was, "Let the Chic Revolution Begin." The clothes looked nice in the ads, a bit Banana Republic, but perfectly acceptable. The models looked chic enough, but it was difficult to miss that they were a little older than the typical Madison Avenue fare.

What happened?

Were shoppers not ready for chic? The question should really be: was Forth & Towne chic, or just another arm of the Gap, targeted at the older shopper? Theoretically this could have been a good concept, except that the original Gap doesn't exactly target the youth market. Why can't this "older shopper" shop at the Gap, or Banana Republic? If the cuts in these stores are a bit slim to accommodate the spreading posteriors of older shopper, then the savvy storekeepers would add another size or two to the line to capture this growing market.

From a marketing perspective, having different brands makes sense. Gap is casual wear, Banana Republic can be worn to work, or the office party. Forth and Towne, however, veered off from Gap's usual lifestyle niches into the dangerous territory of age. Clothing is often sold in different age categories. Abacrombie and Fitch, Forever 21, Hot Topic, Delias and the Gaps own, Old Navy all unabashedly sell to teenagers, so why didn't Gap's attempt to sell to the middle aged, and beyond, work? Can this type of targeted marketing work at the other end of the age spectrum? In the era of Botox, pilates and Fabulous 50 year olds, I think not. Even the tried and true brands sold at places like Lord & Taylor don't try to sell exclusively to an older audience. Ralph Lauren sells to all ages and St. John has tried to make its brand seem more youthful by hiring Angelina Jolie as spokesmodel.

865 Market Street
San Francisco, CA, 94103
415.947.0332

Shopping For Candy?

If you're a vegetarian, forget about eating Mars Bars, Twix, Maltesers or any other chocolate made by Master Foods. The company has switched over to cow rennet.

Considering he's in the food business, it's a bit ironic that Master Foods' corporate affairs manager Paul Goalby hasn't quite grasped the concept of vegetarianism. What is a "strict" vegetarian? I'm sure the definition is as broad as the reasons people decide not to eat animals. Those who do it for their own health probably wouldn't care what kind of rennet is in the foods they eat, but they wouldn't be eating candy bars anyway. Those who do it for religious reasons are probably appalled by Goalby's cavalier attitude about their fear of accidentally violating laws that they believe would stop them from getting into heaven. Those who don't eat meat because they care about animals probably make up the largest group of chocolate eating vegetarians. Would they mind eating bits of baby cow in their chocolate bars? Probably. Perhaps he is talking about the occasional vegetarian, the vegetarian for fashion. Would this group care? Probably not. Perhaps he was misquoted? I don't know. Click this link to read for yourself.

If anyone else is annoyed about this, here's Masterfoods email address: contact.uk@masterfoods.com

Teuscher -- Union Square

Giving a Teuscher chocolate to someone feels like a real gift, even if you can only buy one piece of chocolate. As would be expected from any handmade Swiss chocolate, they taste lovely. Chocolates are flown in from Zurich each week, and the ingredients taste fresh, and the fillings really taste like the name of the filling: champagne, orange, raspberry.... Chocolates, even individuals, come wrapped in lovely little packages of twisted paper made to look like whimsical creatures.



307 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.834.0850

Giant Robot - Haight Ashbury

Giant Robot is part gallery, part gift shop, and don't they have a magazine too? Toys, clothing, art, books, comics, this store is dedicated to Japanese pop art. If, like me, you love Tokidoki, this place is heaven. Of course, not everything is Japanese. Many books on street art, modern, fringe-type artists and architecture that meets the Japanese sensibility of the small perfect thing are sold here. The small, perfect thing is likely to be a tennis shoe, a clapped out kitchen in Hackney, a monster doll or an exquisite piece of art.

622 Shrader St
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.876.4773

Nida -- Hayes Valley

Nida is one of those places that, while small, the collection is finely edited. It may not have hundreds of clothes to sort through, like MACY's, but unlike MACY's nearly everything you touch is beautiful. Mid-range lines like Mark by Marc Jacobs share the rack with more exclusive labels Costume National, Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela. The labels are not the draw here, though. It's the individual pieces that have been chosen for each label. This is one of those rare stores that show equal care with both women's and men's lines.


544 Hayes St
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.552.4670

Chinatown - San Francisco

Speaking of Chinatown. This optician gets the prize for creative use of decorative fireworks and pig signs in a window display. The glasses are almost hidden by the New Years' display.

Chinatown
Grant St.
San Francisco

Chinatown - San Francisco

Chinatown is not all fake handbags and plastic tat, especially China Town San Francisco, which is one of the historic gateways for Chinese immigrants to America. It's got history; it's got dirt; it's got places for the adventurous to eat; but mostly, it's got shopping.

In the olden days, tea was a precious commodity carried in hard pressed blocks and often used as money. Tea was pressed into molds and carved into decorate tablets. You can still buy these in Chinatown. I don't know it they're edible, but they're beautifully decorative. They're a good conversation piece and make great houswarming gifts. Chinatown is also a place to buy pearls galore, but don't shop for jewelry unless you know the value of what you want, prices are fluid, depending on the customer.

It's also a great place to buy tea sets, strange small gifts and old world items such as ant chalk.

Grant Avenue and Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94101