6) A favorite place to pop into for unique gifts and small
décor items and one of kind treasures is the Fashion Institute Of Design, better known as the FIDM Museum
Store. The FIDM Museum store is located on campus in
the South-Park area of Downtown Los Angeles. Another great shopping tip at FIDM is the Scholarship Store.
Here merchandise from over 400 manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers are donated, typically in the form
of clothing, accessories, fabric, cosmetics, and home
furnishings. You can get amazing items (and fabrics) at
below wholesale pricing. We also love that the proceeds
from store sales generate scholarships for current students.
A big thank you to Cathi and Mary Alice for sharing their
thoughts on buying locally. This list is only the tip of the
iceberg. There are hundreds of other amazing businesses around the city. Los Angeles is filled with creative business owners that have built quality businesses, which support the design trade. As the ladies at
CM In The City shared with us, you can find everything
you want within the Los Angeles area. Los Angeles has
everything from top artists - to expertly crafted furnishings - to handmade décor items: And let’s not forget that
there’s a world of repurposed furnishings and curated
antiques - it is all here. Happy Shopping.
7) When you think of Made In Los Angeles, a bookstore
might not be the first that comes to mind. Let’s face it,
books can be produced all around the world. However
once a book is made, if it is not recycled, it ends up in a
landfill somewhere. Additionally, older books make fantastic design elements. You can display the books as
they are, or cover them in paper. We have recently done
installations where we covered used books in grass cloth
and brightly colored paper. We also did one with maps
and even a set of books covered with brown craft paper.
They really bring interest to a bookshelf or wall unit.
Downtown Los Angeles has one of our favorite bookstores, The Last Bookstore on Spring Street. It is a
vibrant store jam packed with books and more.
8 and 9) Staying on the topic of books - for antique and
classic used books Caravan Bookstore on Grand is
great. Also most times you will find the very knowledgeable owner, Leonard Bernstein (no relation) in the store.
Another great book related store is the L.A. Public library
Store with a surprising name, The Library Store.
The Library Store sells many book related items, including journals, reading logs and note cards. While most
are not Made In Los Angeles we like it for the Los Angeles public library items they recycle in the store such as
card catalog files, and books written by L.A. writers or
about Los Angeles.
10 – Cisco Home is a home furnishings Mecca for anyone looking to add some design elements to their home
or loft, or to do a complete redesign; especially if sustainability is at the top of your mind.
Cisco Pinedo owns this green focused company and
you can see he sets the tone for the company’s values.
A quick look at the Cisco Home website and you can
see their commitment to design, community and the environment. Their showrooms are filled with furniture that
has been designed or re-imagined by some of LA’s top
crafts persons.
CM DESIGNS
Cathi Marcoly
(323) 942 9920
Mary Alice Slattery
(323) 942 9921
www.cm-designs.com