Retail

If you’re the type who likes to look rugged and urban at the same time, General Quarters has you covered. Owner Blair Lucio channels his appreciation for Americana in this small shop that stocks heritage brands such as Red Wing Heritage, Filson and Tellason. Beyond the strong selection of beloved labels, the shop – which first opened in LA in 2010 – is a welcoming place. Quite often you’ll find that Lucio himself is on hand to greet shoppers.

Yuichi Munehiro’s Fukuoka-founded stationery shop in Downtown sits within The Row DTLA, six converted industrial units that play host space to a range of shops from fashion start-ups to a ceramics studio, an oyster bar and a bakery. Hightide is a veritable fantasia for stationery devotees: think covetable keyrings and card-holders alongside ring-binders, stamp sets and all manner of cards, notebooks, pens and pencils. Some of our favourite products are here, from natty pencil pouches and pleasing analogue label-makers to useful storage boxes and letter-openers. Many of the finer pieces are manufactured by Hightide’s Japan-made Penco brand. 

Born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong, Joel Chen has been dealing antiques for more than 40 years. His warehouse-sized gallery showcases mid-century modernist and contemporary furniture, plus a discerning mix from around the world, such as Portuguese cabinets, lesser-known works by Danish artist Ole Wanscher and Anglo-Indian colonial-style pieces. Chen’s engagement in the creative scene (collaborating with Eames for a nearly 300-piece collection and lending works to exhibitions) has earned him a golden reputation.

Japanese natives Keiko and Taku Shinomoto moved to LA in 2003 and shortly after opened a homeware shop. The husband-and-wife team then added a gallery space (now called Tortoise), connected through a small garden, to showcase ceramics and art by Japan-based artists. The pair pack the general store with hard-to-find kitchenware, stationery and grooming tools, including pig-hair brushes by Edoya and chestnut-hued leather pencil cases.

Located on one of Hollywood’s main thoroughfares, Skylight Books has been a staple in the area for a couple of decades. As well as selling a grand gamut of books, the store also organises around 250 events a year. Perhaps of most interest is the smaller Arts Annex shop, a couple of numbers down from the original player. The annex has an excellent range of art and design books, graphic novels, music and film tomes and a newsstand of independent magazines, both domestic and from further afield.