One stop I always try to make when I’m in the Bay is Heath Ceramics’ Sausalito factory store. I love the sound of the gravel as I drive into the parking lot, seeing the front red door of the store — the kind of red that’s modern and fresh but also warm and welcoming. Once inside, the space always feels so zen and makes me forget whatever swirling, harried thoughts I might have had on the drive up. I love looking through all the tiles at least a few times, and one of my favorite parts of the store are the shelves of “seconds” where I’ve found so many beautiful pieces. Pieces that have traveled many miles home with me to be a part of my home.
Case for Making
Another memorable stop in SF was Case for Making, a super thoughtful art supply store in the Outer Sunset. Their handmade watercolors were SO lovely. Colorful enamel mixing cups caught my eye as well as beautifully practical Toyo steel boxes (hard not to buy a dozen of these). Had a hard time deciding what to buy, but in the end decided on a couple of erasers for my daughter, and gummy candy including Swedish sour peach fish by BonBon, sour blueberry fish by Kolsvart and Hey Yum’s sour flowers. Loved all of them and side note: I could eat gummy candy all day. It’s one of my favorite things in life.
Black Bird Bookstore + Cafe
I finally got a chance to visit the remarkable Black Bird Bookstore + Cafe in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco last week. It has a beautifully modern space, a thoughtfully curated collection of books on its shelves, beautiful and tranquil gardens in the back and a lovely air of warmth and community all throughout. A space created with careful intention and love, Black Bird is no doubt the heartbeat of this neighborhood. On the way out, I took some of Loquat Bakery’s delicious salted chocolate babka to go at Black Bird’s cafe and walked down the street, whispers from the nearby ocean overhead. I breathed it all in and dreamt of the next time I’d be able to come here. If you’re in SF and you haven’t been to Black Bird, you absolutely need to stop by! To get a glimpse of this wonderful bookstore, click on the above image.