I’ve been to trendy LA’s Abbot Kinny before. It’s an area. It’s a street. It’s cushioned in between Santa Monica and Venice Beach, California and is part of the greater LA area.
Some says its in “Santa Monica” and others refer to its location as Venice – either way, it’s a separate area that is renowned for food, funky bistros, restaurants and trendy shops (trendy expensive shops I might add). Fell in love with a fabulous brown leather bag until I realized it was $1,100.
I first went there with a client many years ago and have been for food/coffee since then. Recently, I went there not knowing it was the first Friday of the month, which has significance because it means the street becomes alive and stays alive till midnight.
Shops are open until 10 pm, tons of food trucks line the streets and the 20 something year olds come out for a long night of hanging, eating and drinking. There’s also a few shops that show off their creative wares, from clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry to crafts, gifts and ART.
From the Altered Space Gallery and the Alternative Apparrel to the Bohemian Exchange to KoLu, Jack Spade, the Guild and Minnie T’s, Kiki Designs and the Vintage.
I discovered C.A.V.E Gallery, an art gallery which was open late and was showing off works from artists which included Anthony Clarkson, Cate Rangel, Chet Zar, Chrystal Chan, Craig “Skibs” Barker, David Cooley, Kelly Berg, Kevin Peterson, Tina Darling, Young Chun, Zach Johnson, Tom Haubrick, Jennifer Springman, Josh Hart, and others. It was an exhibition by Brooklyn Street art, presenting 39 New York stories through “street art” in collaboration with ThinkSpace.
A few variations of the types of art they had displayed below including the one in the upper left. (was one of my favorites).
Then there were these very cool boots which also came in black, in a funky, artsy clothing store called Principessa on 1323 Abbot Kinny.
In addition to more traditional jewelry, hats and fun LA-style clothing, they also had necklaces from Argentina and unique pieces with earth-rich stones. (same shop)
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
