As I mentioned in my “Anniversaries” post last Monday, my husband had a golf tournament last Sunday, so we decided to turn it into a mini-get-away by staying up in the Irvine area for the whole weekend. Saturday was spent being lazy, sleeping in, lounging by the pool and having a late dinner. On Sunday while Deon played in the golf tournament at the Oak Creek Golf Club, Dominic and I went shopping and then spent the rest of the time at Boomers (a mini-golf amusement park) in the Costa Mesa area close by.
Rather than hit up South Coast Plaza, one of my favorite malls, I decided to shop on a smaller scale at a place called The LAB nearby. It has been quite a long time since I had been to The LAB, and I was happy to know that it was still there and just as quirky as I remember it. This is what Space 15 Twenty reminded me of when I went shopping in LA last June (original post here). The CAMP, which is right across the street from The LAB is also similar.
The LAB, also known as “The Anti-Mall”, stands for “Little American Business” and caters to more indie stores (the only “big” chain store would be Urban Outfitters). The set up and design appeals to the visual artist in me: great use of alternative spaces for boutiques and lots of visual eye-candy in the form of random sculptures throughout the area. Even Dominic enjoyed looking and interacting with all of the art and chose to sport a funky pair of sunnies he found a store called popKiller (he asked me to buy them because they were green).
My favorite store there was an awesome jewelry boutique called The Shangri-La. I chatted with the owner, Karen Hsiang and will feature her boutique on this Friday’s post. When I get back from London, I’m going back to The LAB with some friends to spend a little more time in the shops and to try out the restaurants. Happy shopping!
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