Home > Los Angeles Style > Round Up >

Stepping out: Pasadena shopping guide

Old Town charm, beyond Colorado Blvd.

By Erin Magner, Special to Metromix

June 25, 2008

0 comments | Add Your Own

Email
Print View
Share
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Facebook
- Furl
- Google
- Reddit
- Mixx
- Mister Wong
- Yahoo Buzz
- Yahoo
Add to Favorites
Add to playlist

It's a bowl market.

If you ignore all ties to “The Graduate” and its plasticene visions of suburbia, Pasadena is actually a really charming place to escape the smog and gridlock of L.A. life. With its mountain views and outdoor cafés, the Old Town district is the main shopping hub, where decades-old family businesses hold their own against retail behemoths like Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. You won’t find anything particularly edgy or groundbreaking here, but in our opinion, that’s part of Pasadena’s old-fashioned appeal.

Clothes Heaven

111 E. Union St. - Pasadena

626-440-0929

One of the cardinal rules for secondhand shopping is to go where the money is—which makes Pasadena a prime destination. The 25-year-old Clothes Heaven is a resale clothing shop that deals exclusively in designer brands, filled with enough cut-price Manolos, Chloé bags and Pucci dresses to make Carrie Bradshaw weep for joy. The eagle-eyed shop assistants will help you unearth bargains like Prada and Armani suits for $300, Louis Vuitton monogram bags for less than $200, and Marc Jacobs blouses for under $100.

Gold Bug

22 E. Union St - Pasadena

626-744-9963

If Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Darwin decided to open a boutique together, it would probably look a lot like Gold Bug. Exotic insect specimens are mounted on the walls, a seashell-encrusted bust greets guests at the door, while spooky armies of cast concrete baby dolls by sculptor Leslie Ward guard the shelves. We love the shop’s selection of delicately macabre jewelry—a decapitated cameo pendant, a chain of bones bearing a pocket watch—and its darkly whimsical tableware selection, which boasts everything from coasters inlaid with spider webs to a set of “skull and femur bone” swizzle sticks.

Rose Bowl Flea Market

1001 Rose Bowl Dr. - Pasadena

626-577-3100

On the second Sunday of every month, devout vintage hunters flock to the Mecca that is the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Yes, it’s crowded and expensive and scene-y, but if you can lose yourself in the beautiful chaos of old cowboy boots,‘80s aviators and Formica tables, there’s no doubt you’ll emerge with a hard-won treasure or two—and will probably be first in line for the next month’s festivities.

Elisa B.

12 Douglas Alley - Pasadena

626-792-4746

Pasadena mainstay Elisa B. caters to the jet-set crowd—or, at least, those who want to dress the part. The small, yet painstakingly edited boutique is filled with cheerful beaded kaftans by Trina Turk, bohemian sundresses from Shoshanna, and airplane gear like Toms loafers and Michael Stars tees. Throw in a few Tocca travel candles and you’re primed for St. Barths (or Santa Monica).

Place Vendôme

48 Hugus Alley - Pasadena

626-577-7001

Modeled after the Parisian temple of luxury, Place Vendôme seeks to bring some of its je ne sais quoi to Pasadena. The shop is worth a visit for its design alone, with each jewelry brand—mostly French ones, along with owners Michael Merritt and Max Emsallem's own line—given its own ‘storefront’ along the walls. Swanky though it may be, you can still find a bargain, like a signature Dinh Van bracelet that costs less than a round of champagne at The Ritz.

The Soap Kitchen

43 N. Fair Oaks Ave. - Pasadena

626-396-9996

If you smell something tasty upon entering The Soap Kitchen, it’s probably not owner Dali Yu’s leftover lunch, but the aroma of soap being mixed and handmade in the kitchen. You might need to remind yourself that this menu isn’t for tasting, with flavors like ‘Lemongrass Ginger with Sesame Seeds’ and ‘Orange Clove and Cinnamon’ all featuring olive oil as the secret ingredient. Yu’s personalized, party favor-sized soaps also make a great alternative to stale mints at weddings and baby showers.

Onesipkim

110 W. Green St. - Pasadena

626-396-4926

Yes, we love the zen-like atmosphere of Onesipkim, as well as its vibrantly printed party dresses by Saja and Development and jeans from Anlo and Kasil. But what’s endearing us to this shop the most is its name: a nickname given to owner Kim Madolora after a particularly potent glass of chardonnay (you get the picture). Clearly, she’s a girl after our own hearts.

Old Focals

45 W. Green Street - Pasadena

626-793-7073

Old Focals is a veritable museum of modern eyewear history, culled from owner Russell Campbell’s 25 years of collecting. This treasure chest is filled with everything from the theatrical—neon yellow bug-eye sunglasses, pearl-and-gemstone encrusted librarian specs—to hipster-issue staples, like an impressive selection of rare ‘Malcolm X’ frames. Clients are encouraged to spend hours trying on and hanging out, and shockingly low prices mean you probably won’t walk away empty handed at the end.

Rising Sun & Co.

107 S. Fair Oaks Ave. - Pasadena

626-793-3479

Lest we forget its humble beginnings, Rising Sun is taking denim back to its work-wear roots. Each pair is handcrafted in the shop’s in-house workshop, sewn on a medley of antique machines “for authenticity.” Not that all of the luxury to which we’ve become accustomed is totally gone—the men’s line is made from selvedge denim, while ladies have their choice of fashion-forward fits, from crease-front stovepipes to pin-tucked Bermuda shorts.

Lather

17 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-396-9636

Although Lather may look sleek, its vast range of skincare products is as simple as can be—from its lack of artificial colors and fragrances to its bare-bones, mostly recyclable packaging. Each product is filled with essential oils, antioxidants and botanical extracts, all of which are surprisingly potent. After testing the Bamboo Lemongrass Foaming Body Scrub, our newly soft hands felt like they’d just been treated to an hour-long massage.

Therapy

316 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-568-9905

While Angelenos turn to their shrinks for comfort, those in Pasadena have their own kind of Therapy—faithful comfort clothing like James Perse tees, crisp white shirts by Theory, fail-safe 1921 jeans and Diane von Furstenberg party dresses. All of these can be found in Beth Burrell’s Colorado boutique, along with more daring pieces like lacy blouses by Joie and floaty frocks by Elizabeth and James.