Desert Girls Vintage: Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice

Friday, October 14, 2011

Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice

Abbot Kinney Blvd.

A couple of weekends ago, we went down to Venice for the day. We started off on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, an eclectic little street that has a cool mix of restaurants, shops, and even an art gallery or two. I have been to Venice several times, especially when I was a teenager, but it was always the stereotypical trip to Venice's Ocean Front Walk, with its long stretch of sidewalks, crazy street vendors, and its iconic muscle beach. I'm not saying that Abbot Kinney is an unknown little niche; far from it. I had never been before this though. It isn't too far from that long stretch of craziness that is Venice Beach , but it has a lot more relaxed vibe. After we had parked the car and passed a brightly painted food truck, I thought this place was going to be full of hipsters, but it wasn't. It was a little more granola than hipster, and it was fun, walking up and down the street, peeking into some amazingly curated shops, and stopping for lunch at a little coffee bar/sandwich shop, Abott's Habit, that has been around forever and with good reason: it was Delicious. With a capital D, mind you. I had the caprese sandwich and now I am getting hungry just writing about it.
Anyway, one of the shops we went into was this amazing antique store called Bountiful. When you first walk in, there is a huge glass display case that houses one of a kind necklaces made from found pieces. To the left are stacks and stacks, towers, really, of soft colored cake stands. As you go further in, through a doorway and past a little kitchen area, you start to get a feel for how big this place is, and how thoroughly jam packed with amazing finds. You go up staircases, over thresholds, through little doors, and on and on. Just when you think you've reached the end, no, there is another doorway. You have to sidestep and step over and around all of the amazing finds. You have to look up and down and everywhere so you don't miss anything. We had the added pleasure of hearing the caw of a bird that had perhaps nested somewhere in the attic region of the shop. That lone caw just added to the coolness of the place. This store is truly amazing, and if you ever find yourself in Venice, I recommend going over to Bountiful on Abbot Kinney and losing yourself for awhile.
After some window shopping and that yummy lunch, we headed down to the marina. The weather was perfect, so my little white dress, cropped jean jacket, and vintage Dior snakeskin belt ended up being the perfect outfit for our day trip to Venice.