Tag Archives: Wild West Walkabout

Weekend in Pictures: Shopping in South Park

South Park Shopping Collage 1

This post is really part two of last week’s South Park Wild West Walkbout post.  In addition to the good eats, great atmosphere and even better company, CC (Pink Candles at Ridgemont High), her daughter TC, and my son Dominic allowed me to indulge in a little retail therapy while in South Park.  I mentioned all of the places in this post when I went with CC and Darlene to Eclipse Chocolate Bar & Bistro a couple of weeks ago, but I just watched longingly as CC did most of the shopping (original post here).  This time, I broke a bit of my Lenten service and bought a couple of lovely little things to satiate this aching I’ve had all month-long.  Geez, I just made shopping sound a bit sultry, didn’t I?

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South Park Shopping Collage 2

Our first stop was Bad Madge & Company, curator of lovely vintage things.  I first heard of the production company prior to the actual shop when I covered Shimmer’s VIP event earlier this year (post here).  In my previous visit, I spied the purse in the picture below (which is a close up of one of the collage pictures above).  I had hoped that it would still be there when we returned a couple of weeks ago, and not only was it still there, but it was on sale for half off!  If those boots in that picture above on the left were in my size, I would have bought those, too.  I found a fantastic wool coat for only $10.  Alas, it was just too big and would probably cost a fortune to alter, so back it went.  But Dominic found a little treasure box of plastic figurines and picked a little pilot to bring home.

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Next we sauntered over to Make Good where we spotted some very cool jewelry pieces made from bicycle parts and notebooks made from 33 LP record sleeves.  Because my camera had a bit of a hiccup, not pictured were some equally awesome bookmarks also made from record sleeves.  CC is going back to purchase ones that were made from the Synchronicity album by The Police.  I thought about a DIY using some album covers, I just don’t have the heart to do it on any of my album covers.  I think I would pass out first!

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My last purchase of the evening was made at Junc Life & Style, which was that awesome little Retro 7 studded fedora pictured below.  Oh, that hat is going to get much wear in the next few months (I’ve already worn it in an outfit in my next post).  I literally drooled over it the last time we were in there and hoped and prayed it would be available.  CC made sure to bring it to my attention that it was still there.  When I turned to see it, I made a beeline for it and made sure I snapped that baby up!  What’s not to love?  The combination of mixed media materials like straw and cloth make it wearable all year, and the studs have my style written all over it, but so does the store itself.  I wish I had known about this store before because I would definitely have bought Dominic that Johnny Cash onesie.

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South Park Shopping Collage 4

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Next on our retail rendezvous was Graffitti Beach.  I absolutely loved the all of the visuals in the store.  The crochet-covered bike, faucets with glass droplet wall fixtures, cassette and album photos on canvas, the faux deejay set end table and old school camera and joy stick made my head literally dizzy from uber-coolness.  I think I looked more at the fantastic wall art, furniture and jewelry (some were made from drum cymbals, in one of the pictures below) more than I did the actual clothing.  That begs a return trip at the very least, doesn’t it?  I remember some t-shirts and ties that looked like circuit boards, and that reminded me that I need to take my hubby back out there because we do have to go back to Graffiti Beach, as well as Crow Thief (handcrafted menswear).

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Our final stop was at The Grove at Juniper & 30th, which is directly next door to The Daily Scoop.  Call it laziness, but I think it was because evening had fallen and we were full of delicious ice cream that I didn’t get a chance to snap any pictures while we were outside or inside The Grove.  But it’s a wonderful hodge-podge of arts, crafts, books, clothing and accessories.  As you know, I’m still obsessed about bird print items, and I found a rack full it.  I finally bought a bag from The Cambridge Satchel Company recently from Bloomingdale’s in patent leather navy (which is now sold out), so I’m already looking at things to go with it.  That list includes a cute little navy bird print shirt from The Grove, so I think that definitely solidifies the fact that I will be making a trip back.  Oh South Park, you have bewitched me with your retail goodness!

Weekend in Pictures: South Park Wild West Walkabout

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Wild West Walkabout Collage 1

This past weekend, I met up with CC (I formerly referred to her as Pink Candles) from the blog Pink Candles at Ridgemont High and we took our kids to do the South Park Wild West Walkabout.  Because there was so much to cover, I thought I’d break up the post into two parts, and this post will focus mainly on the atmosphere and food.

What’s a Walkabout?

It’s a fun-filled evening festival to introduce you to the shops and cafes of South Park.

From Kalima to Beech Streets, you’ll find shops open late, entertainment, specials, and surprises.  Browse, explore, shop, and celebrate the independent spirit of our neighborhood.

– From the Wild West Walkbout flier, www.SouthParkScene.com

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Charm in the Heart of the City

Nestled between North Park and Golden Hill, South Park is a historic enclave with a welcoming variety of independently-owned gift and clothing boutiques, markets and cafes, taverns and restaurants, art galleries and salons.  Enjoy our special events and unhurried visits to our warm and friendly neighborhood.

– From the Wild West Walkbout flier, www.SouthParkScene.com

South Park reminds me of an area like Shoreditch in London, very artsy and quite eclectic. I would love to go back down there to take more pictures and maybe even do some outfit posts because there’s just so much visual candy out there. I’m glad that we started early because as the night went on, it got more and more crowded. Not only was there a lot to take in visually, music filled the air around every corner. Being bloggers, CC and I were snapping pictures left and right. Had I known that I would be taking as many pictures as I did, I would have charged my camera. Sadly, it died as we got to some very interesting art (which consisted of mutilated dolls and BBQ skewers).

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Although there were dozens of places to eat by way of cafes, restaurants and food trucks, we opted for convenience (and a place to sit).  We decided on a San Diego staple, Sombrero Mexican Food.  If you like Blink 182, this local chain is one in the same in the lyrics from the song Josie:  “She brings me mexican food from Sombrero just because” (I’ve read that fans still drop off letters and gifts at the Poway location).  CC and her daughter had fish and chicken tacos and a combo plate, while I had my favorite rolled tacos.  Dominic had been asking for french fries since we left the house, so we were lucky that they had it on their menu.  Afterwards, we treated ourselves to fantastic ice cream at The Daily Scoop.  CC explained that their ice cream comes locally from Niederfrank’s, who makes ice cream handmade from their location in National City.  The reason I took a picture of the awning is because she also said that it was the former location of M-Theory Music, which can still be seen underneath.  In that last collage picture, you can see my delicious waffle cone filled with two scoops: Butterscotch Marble and Blueberry Cheesecake. Yum!

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CC’s daughter was so awesome and did her best to keep Dominic occupied during the evening.  He was a bit grumpy because we woke him up just at the beginning of his nap right when we arrived.  The only way we could really get him to enjoy himself more was to tell him that he could get his face painted at cute children’s store called So Childish, where they had many of the kid’s activities.  Dominic got his face done up like his favorite superhero, Spider-Man.  As a plus, every child got a free cowboy hat in line with the Wild West theme.

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We ended the night with a couple of items for the road: a key lime cheesecake for CC’s hubby and a cafe latte carmelato for moi (made with Illy coffee) from Cafe Madeleine.  The quaint corner location and French inspired signs reminded me of the little cafes I saw around Paris last summer.  The coffee made for a nice handwarmer for the ride home.  Dominic and I had a great time with CC and her daughter at the Wild West Walkabout.  Part two of our South Park adventure will be about the shops we ventured into and some of my cool finds.  Hope you had a great weekend!