laurelgrove avenue meet henry road
May 15, 2008
A couple weekends ago, between attending baby showers and launching WF, I was able to stop by a wonderful store opening in Studio CIty. It was the grand opening weekend of the store Henry Road, which carries the wares and textiles of the same name, by founder and creator, Paula Smail.
The shop is brightly lit and packed with hard to find unique items ranging from one of a kind antique tea cups and saucer turned candles to art work hung on the salon wall to decorative Chinese calligraphy brushes. I was happy to see the line of Alyssa Ettinger knit impressed ceramics. Last Fall, I had ordered some online through Etsy and had to pay quite a fee for the individual shipping costs for each item I ordered though they were shipped in one package. bummer. This line of delicate dishes and vases, are perfect for the person who thinks they have everything.
The store is like going to someone’s home that just loves decorating and knickknacks and is quite possibly a borderline packrat, and I mean that in the most endearing way. I, myself, fall into that category. The best part is that almost everything you see is for sale. Her bright textiles and patterns would warm up any decor style. They are reminiscent of the boldness of Marimekko, who currently have a tribute line at H & M.
The name of her line of goods and her shop comes from a street she lived on in South Africa. The nostalgia and sentimentality is felt in the contents of the store itself which is a delightful balance of modern items that do not feel alienating or cold.
It was nice to chat and get to know Paula. We talked about food and how she came to carry such books in her shop like, “My life in France”, Julia Child’s biography, which coincidentally I just finished reading. Though she doesn’t cook by reading recipes or cookbooks and finds cooking to be quite personal, her line of textiles definitely addresses the stylish foodie and kitchen enthusiast. We chatted about decor as well and for someone who also enjoys collecting and decorating it was nice to know that I was not alone in the difficulty of parting with inanimate objects.
The opening weekend was hosted by her friends at Cake Monkey, that supplied the tastiest little sweets. Their famous mini layered sponge cake came out of the desire to have more frosting to cake ratio that they felt was missing with the ever popular cupcake. The items were tiny but gave just the perfect punch of flavor and richness, like the sandwich cookie I tried. They don’t currently have a store location, but business is booming for them already. It’s probably a good thing I can’t just pop in and get one of those buttery sandwich cookies that I can’t get out of my head. Paula tried to pawn some off on us as she was ready to close up shop… I knew better and we politely refused.
Even though you won’t be in for sweet treats from Cake Monkey at Henry Road, you are definitely in for some great gifting for yourself or for a pal. There’s even a hitching post for your pup outside the front door. I know where I will be headed when looking for a unique gift for a special friend.
Truly a soulful shop in the heart of the valley.
Henry Road
3949 Laurelgrove Ave
Studio City, CA 91604
(South of Ventura, 2 blocks west of Laurel Canyon)
Tel : 818 762 8966
A couple weekends ago, between attending baby showers and launching WF, I was able to stop by a wonderful store opening in Studio CIty. It was the grand opening weekend of the store Henry Road, which carries the wares and textiles of the same name, by founder and creator, Paula Smail.
The shop is brightly lit and packed with hard to find unique items ranging from one of a kind antique tea cups and saucer turned candles to art work hung on the salon wall to decorative Chinese calligraphy brushes. I was happy to see the line of Alyssa Ettinger knit impressed ceramics. Last Fall, I had ordered some online through Etsy and had to pay quite a fee for the individual shipping costs for each item I ordered though they were shipped in one package. bummer. This line of delicate dishes and vases, are perfect for the person who thinks they have everything.
The store is like going to someone’s home that just loves decorating and knickknacks and is quite possibly a borderline packrat, and I mean that in the most endearing way. I, myself, fall into that category. The best part is that almost everything you see is for sale. Her bright textiles and patterns would warm up any decor style. They are reminiscent of the boldness of Marimekko, who currently have a tribute line at H & M.
The name of her line of goods and her shop comes from a street she lived on in South Africa. The nostalgia and sentimentality is felt in the contents of the store itself which is a delightful balance of modern items that do not feel alienating or cold.
It was nice to chat and get to know Paula. We talked about food and how she came to carry such books in her shop like, “My life in France”, Julia Child’s biography, which coincidentally I just finished reading. Though she doesn’t cook by reading recipes or cookbooks and finds cooking to be quite personal, her line of textiles definitely addresses the stylish foodie and kitchen enthusiast. We chatted about decor as well and for someone who also enjoys collecting and decorating it was nice to know that I was not alone in the difficulty of parting with inanimate objects.
The opening weekend was hosted by her friends at Cake Monkey, that supplied the tastiest little sweets. Their famous mini layered sponge cake came out of the desire to have more frosting to cake ratio that they felt was missing with the ever popular cupcake. The items were tiny but gave just the perfect punch of flavor and richness, like the sandwich cookie I tried. They don’t currently have a store location, but business is booming for them already. It’s probably a good thing I can’t just pop in and get one of those buttery sandwich cookies that I can’t get out of my head. Paula tried to pawn some off on us as she was ready to close up shop… I knew better and we politely refused.
Even though you won’t be in for sweet treats from Cake Monkey at Henry Road, you are definitely in for some great gifting for yourself or for a pal. There’s even a hitching post for your pup outside the front door. I know where I will be headed when looking for a unique gift for a special friend.
Truly a soulful shop in the heart of the valley.
Henry Road
3949 Laurelgrove Ave
Studio City, CA 91604
(South of Ventura, 2 blocks west of Laurel Canyon)
Tel : 818 762 8966
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