Yesterday was a day of family cooperation. My husband needed to drive by and take pictures of various retail sites in the city for his job, on a day when there’s not so much traffic. So we promised the boys a yummy breakfast downtown … strawberries and cream pancakes, fresh squeezed pear juice, and crispy bacon … at a place that used to be a favorite of ours when we lived downtown. Then I drove around while my husband got out at various points to take pictures. It was a gloomy, dreary morning with sudden sporadic downpours.
Then I got to do a little “work” myself. I’ve been dying to get to what is being called the Grand Ave. Design District. So many unique interior design stores have taken up shop in the old storefronts and warehouses lining Grand Ave. both east and west of Damen that it has become a destination in and of itself.
So my three boys graciously allowed me to go in a store called The Painted Lady on Grand Ave. while they sat in the car with all of their various iPad, iTouch and Nintendo DS paraphernalia.
This is the kind of store that literally makes me swoon upon entering. There is just so much visual interest … things I haven’t seen before, so many one-of-a-kind pieces. It’s like ahhh … where do I begin? I’m kind of like a dog … I have to circle the place at least 3 times … sniffing things out and making sure I haven’t missed anything.
You know how there’s a lot of stores you go in, you see something you like, you pick it up to “casually” glance at the price tag, are quite startled by what you see and then you try to just as casually set the item back down?
Well this store is so NOT like that!
Quite the opposite actually. Every time I picked something up and saw the price I thought “Really?!? Wow. I like it even more!”
Besides all of the interesting accessories and furniture, I fell in love with much of their lighting.
Especially these vintage looking lights with what I like to call Thomas Edison lightbulbs.
They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Ok, now isn’t this one just adorable?
(I don’t know if I’ve ever called a lamp adorable before.)
What a great nautical lamp. I’d love it for my son’s room.
Anyway, I did purchase a few goodies for a client I’m currently working with. (If you are reading this and know who you are, you should be very, very happy!) But after the amount of time I spent in this one store, I didn’t want to push my luck, so unfortunately I didn’t make it to any of the other stores on Grand Ave.
This will definitely have to be a future day trip for me!
Maybe this is a place I can find a lamp for my living room. I'll have to drive to work someday and check out the shops. I love all of your ideas Amy! ~ Gayle
That looks like a store I would swoon over as well!