http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/articles.sec-70-1-urban-scout.html My favorite thrift stores have never, ever been mentioned in this column. Now it’s time. Yes, it’s time.]]> Homesteading used to simply be a term for the pioneers who took on a piece of land, turned it around and made it produce goods of some sort—and, in return, earned a portion of ownership.]]> Why on earth would anyone who lives in San Diego go to Seaport Village?]]> I’ve been lamenting a few of the things that San Diego doesn’t have. I present you this list not to bitch, but rather to encourage the burgeoning entrepreneurs among you. ]]> Enter Therapie, a mini mobile clothing store. It’s the same model truck and RV as the one my in-laws drive from northern California to San Diego with their five dogs and endless sky-blue Samsonites to visit us. But Therapie smells a whole lot better.]]> My first thought was: Wait? I thought hipster parenting was totally two years ago? Isn’t chicken cooping the newest hipster thing?]]> The reason the Friars Road CVS is so engaging is primarily the beauty department, which encompasses more than one-third of the sizable store.]]> Because a truly lousy condom can ruin a perfectly lovely encounter.
]]> If ever there were a day to revive the lost art of the handwritten note, Feb. 14 is it. No eCards of love, please. Actual folded, creased-paper, handscribed with words of love (or lust, or like) in genuine ink are mandatory. Anything less than that is a bloody crime.]]> Near the tops of many lists, behind quitting smoking and ahead of drinking less, is the quest to learn something new. Here are some suggestions for where to find such instruction in San Diego.]]> If sequins are what you want, then sequins you should have. And no one does them more tastefully in town than Little Italy’s Vocabulary.]]> Here’s my short list of what not to buy this holiday season: whipped-creme-flavored vodka. And now here’s my list of brilliant gifts to buy this December:
]]> Think of this shopping journey as a giant board game. The “Go” square is on the popular intersection of 30th Street and University Avenue. Ready? Roll the dice and move three blocks east.shoppin]]> It seems just downright wrong that Thanksgiving is but a week away. So much stuff to nab, so little time. Let’s get started.]]> We’re going to begin the consumer odyssey by highlighting the handmade, by showcasing the small, championing the crafty. That’s right, it’s not just Holiday Season—it’s Craft Fair Season.]]> It’s that time of year again when everyone scrambles last-minute to find a makeshift costume because they’ve decided, What the hell, let’s dress up this year. So, where to go? I have ideas:]]> It’s a Westfield, the monolith that’s taken over malls on both coasts, yet it still feels a little like things haven’t changed much since Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Westfield clearly hasn’t put Plaza Bonita at the top of its priority list, and that’s precisely why it’s the only mall I go to.]]> Eric Hjeltness and his dad, Jerry, restore vintage European cars in Escondido, and on the side, Eric hand-crafts really beautiful panniers, aka bike bags.]]> Why not a column on museum stores? They’re full of well-designed, excitingly modern, cool objects—even some d’art.]]> Practically every big-box store has basic folders for 10 cents, so you may just have to brave the picked-over aisles for those sorts of plain ol’ paper products. But for everything else—backpacks, lunchboxes, pencil sharpeners shaped like animals or food—it’s better to seek out the smaller shops, or at least the less-traveled big stores.]]>