Hasta La Ideas

We tour the LA distillery home to the world’s largest collection of organic spirits

Cocktail enthusiasts gave a collective cheer when word got out that GreenBar Collective—the LA-based brand known for its collection of top-notch organic licquors and sustainably-crafted spirits—was moving into bigger digs. With more space to accommodate its growing menu of infused vodkas, complex gins and spiced rums (the only exception…

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An exclusive look at the site’s new Los Angeles shop

Eight years after Angie Myung and Ted Vadakan of Poketo moved from San Francisco to LA, they’ve fulfilled their dream to open a store for their successful business. Located in the downtown Arts District, the newly opened 4,000-square-foot boutique stocks exclusive in-store-only goods in addition to Poketo’s usual range of stationery, home and design items, accessories and clothing. The space also houses its new headquarters as well as a gallery. Currently in a soft launch, the shop will celebrate its official inauguration on 19 July.

Rather than bring someone to help them with the interior design, Vadakan took on the task himself. He decided upon light-colored plywood as the theme, which was used in the display tables and walls. Customized individual braided rope lights created from red cloth hang from the ceiling, bringing a dash of color into the scheme.

When drawing up the design plans, the couple wanted the store to be constantly changing, in part because Myung and Vadakan plan to hold workshops with visiting artists and exhibits for the public beginning in August in the same space as the boutique. To that end, the furniture was conceived to be easily transportable. Tables either have hidden casters at the bottom of them or—because they’re mounted on sawhorses—can be simply picked up and moved. No walls divide the space between the art area and shop; instead, the flow from one to the next is purposely organic.

The result is a shop that’s minimalistic, modern and clean, with a touch of whimsy. Big windows lining the front, which they stripped of the dark tint that had been applied to them by the former space’s owner, allow lots of light to flood in, bringing warmth into what could otherwise seem visually cold because of its cavernous size. “It’s the actual realization of what you see online, on the website,” Myung says.

Items exclusive to the brick-and-mortar store that can’t be found on Poketo‘s website include cookbooks and design books (with an emphasis on those that have a strong link to LA), personal care and children’s items, some clothing pieces, plus local accessories designers. Customers will also be able to find rare products from Poketo’s archives, most of which are in limited quantity.

Poketo

820 E. 3rd St.

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Alex Prager explores drama and death through new eyes in her upcoming exhibition

Since exhibiting “Week-End“—her last solo show at NYC’s Yancey Richardson Gallery in 2010—photographer Alex Prager has been busy at work, but mostly with projects outside her own personal endeavors. Whether shooting the 1960s-inspired Missoni for Target campaign, villainous celebrities for the New York Times’ annual Hollywood issue, or lending her talents to Bottega Veneta’s “The Art of Collaboration” campaign last spring, Prager keeps her signature cinematic style at the forefront of her work while successfully bringing to life a new vision for each commercial and editorial assignment she takes on.

Prager’s work returns to gallery walls next month, in a new solo show called “Compulsion”. Simultaneously taking place in New York, London and Prager’s hometown of LA, the three-city exhibition will include an array of photos that reflect her interest in the emotion expressed solely through a person’s eyes, and the powerful foundation they provide for provoking mystery. The eyes show how the young photographer has evolved since “Week-End” without departing entirely from her penchant for heightened drama and voyeuristic compositions. In “Compulsion”, the eye close-ups also allude to the anonymous characters found within her tragic scenes, titled like newspaper reporting, such as “1:18pm, Silverlake Drive” or “11:45pm, Griffith Park”.

This strong interest in emotive eyes is perhaps inspired by the intense baby blues actress Bryce Dallas Howard worked for Prager’s camera in her short film “Despair“, several stills of which were exhibited at MoMA as part of their “New Photography 2010” group show. “Compulsion” will feature a new short film as well, one that also toys with the idea of death. “La Petite Mort”—a French phrase for orgasm—stars actress Judith Godrèche, who is, according to a description of the film, “experiencing the boundaries of her body and those of this world”.

A soft-spoken self-taught artist who fell into photography after a little soul-searching and a life-altering trip to the Getty Museum (where she came across the work of William Eggleston) just a decade ago, Prager has since become an exciting and integral part of contemporary art. Her latest series, combined with her commissioned projects, really showcases her growth within her chosen medium and her ability to constantly push herself in new directions.

“Compulsion” opens 5 April and runs through 19 May 2012 at Yancey Richardson Gallery (NYC), then follows with openings at M+B (LA) and Michael Hoppen Contemporary (London).

Intelligentsia gathers growers from all over the world in Los Angeles

As the movement to recognize coffee as a serious foodstuff continues to grow, expert farmers from around the world are sharing production methods as a way of increasing quality and as a chance to experiment with new ways of cultivating beans. Intelligentsia, one of the leading artisanal coffee purveyors, is helping to foster these relationships with their Extraordinary Coffee Workshop (ECW), which we recently got to experience in L.A.

The three-day event brought together Intelligentsia growers, producers, co-op managers and top baristas for lectures, discussions, demonstrations and, at one point, a roasting competition. Participants were introduced to Cropster, a system used to support, track and manage farm information, before finishing off the weekend with a six-course dinner with coffee pairings.

What began as a meeting of industry people from Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, transformed into a virtual United Nations of the specialty coffee industry at the ECW, much like the past two ECW workshops in El Salvador and Colombia. According to Geoff Watts, Intelligentsia’s VP and green coffee buyer, “Farmers from Honduras met with growers from Kenya at the ECW in El Salvador. They took what they learned about their approach to processing coffee back to Honduras, did some experiments trying to replicate the Kenyan process. The results were spectacular. They put that coffee into the Specialty Coffee Association annual Coffee of the Year competition and got third place.”

VP of strategy Kyle Glanville notes, “These guys have become fast friends. After this they go and visit each other and they check out each other’s farms. Our quality has definitely gotten better as we’ve grown. I think a huge part of that is that the producers are not content to just follow tradition, they are actually talking to each other and troubleshooting and improving.”

Experimental farmer Camilo Merizalde hosted the first ECW at his farm in Popayan, Columbia. One of Intelligentsia’s most important direct trade relationships, the workshop prompted Merizalde to visit the farms of the attendees, from Brazil to Bolivia and beyond. Glanville explains, “He went to Ethiopia and then other places, like Yemen, on a fact-finding mission, to compile the world’s best practices, to find out about new varietals, and he has really dramatically changed his farm over the last few years as a result. He’s gone from being a high-quality producer who tries to get a lot of volume to deciding that his farm is going to be a super farm.”

The L.A. workshop this year gave the growers a chance to experience roasting, cupping, and coffee making at the Intelligentsia cafes in Venice, Pasadena, and Silver Lake. National roasting manager Gabriel Boscana points out, “This is the first time for most of the growers to see what we do in the café. For a lot of them they now understand how seriously we prepare their coffee. We showcase it every day in a little cup. For them to see how much love we put into it is meaningful. For us it was humbling. It puts pressure on us to make their coffee taste good all the time.”

“A weekend like this helps make this world a little bit smaller,” says Devin Pedde, the educator at the Silver Lake Intelligentsia coffee bar. “We are meeting people who produce the coffee we have been drinking for years. For the producers to be able to get together to talk about their shared struggles of cultivating the land and pruning the trees helps them share tips and tricks. Basically we all want to drink really good coffee and we want to make sure the people who grow good coffee are compensated for it. Everyone learning to improve is really the goal of this workshop.”

Sarah Kluth, green coffee manager and buyer, reiterated the effectiveness of such a gathering. “We can not overestimate the power of collaboration and that exchange of ideas. A lot of these producers live in mountainous areas, high altitudes, in countries that have poor infrastructures. They don’t have massive paved roads to their houses. You think about that in terms of neighbors and in terms of ideas or communication. They can be isolated within their countries, even with a tradition of how to grow coffee. To get in the same room with all of these other growers and to get them to exchange ideas is incredibly powerful.”

In addition to coffee-making the growers were treated to a road trip to Saarloos and Sons Vineyard, north of Santa Barbara, to explore the kinship between coffee farms and vineyards. Roaster Sam Sabori sums it up: “I was talking about coffee with one of them and he said, ‘Oh I am the producer.’ I told him that I learned so much from his coffee. I can ask the farmers about the dilemmas they face when processing the coffee then I can tie that to my roast and then to the cup and have a taste. It really comes full circle.”

At the end of the ECW weekend Charles Muriuki from Kenya—a country Watts calls “the gold standard” for coffee—reflected on his first trip to the United States. At the end of a six-course meal at Intelligentsia Pasadena pairing dishes with coffees, he burst into a Swahili song from his childhood, “Kwaheri” or “Goodbye my friends goodbye.” As Muriuki proceeded to lead the group in a sing-a-long, it quickly became apparent that at this business meeting of the major players in the world-wide specialty coffee market, the participants have become much more than colleagues—they have developed a deep bond based on their shared commitment to coffee. “When you get the sense that there are 50 of us here from 15 different countries and we are all working towards the same thing, it creates a sense of family,” said Watts. “It creates a sense that people can advance a lot quicker in solidarity with each other.”

Seven new spots to shop in Hollywood’s up-and-coming retail district

From Japanese selvage denim to modern bohemian tunics, La Brea is quickly becoming one of the most creative shopping destinations in Los Angeles. The neighborhood redevelopment project has helped inspire several new stores to open their doors on the extra-large boulevard, revitalizing the blocks between Beverly Boulevard and 2nd Street. Now with Feal Mor, Don Ville shoes, Black Scale, General Quarters and the brand new Post 42, this retail capital of well-put-together stores is filled with independent designs, vintage finds and handmade accessories.

In an area where And Still, Undefeated, Stussy and Union sit side by side near the wacky giant Hollywood signs, and the kitschy pop culture collections of Nick Metropolis are on the same street as American Rag and phenomenal art exhibits at Merry Karnowsky Gallery, we found seven new favorites.

Self Edge

Self Edge is the go-to outfitter for the best selvage denim including Real Japan Blues, Iron Heart and Strike Gold, as well as plaid shirts and jackets. Current stock at the Los Angeles store includes hand dyed Kawatako belts, wallets and bags.

Next up they are launching a line called Stevenson Overall Company made in Japan. It’s an updated classic American style so, according to owner Kiya Babzani, “You don’t look like a railroad worker.”

Don Ville Shoes

With a brand-new retail space connected to a full-service shoe workshop, the cobblers at Don Ville craft bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear footwear onsite.

Peek into the workroom to see projects in various states of development and lust after the perfect leather for bespoke loafers; drool-worthy examples include turquoise patent oxfords and pearl grey ankle boots.

Black Scale

Founded by Mega and Alfred de Tagle, urban art collective Black Scale fills their minimalist space with graphic black-and-white t-shirts, apparel and accessories with pops of red, along with skulls, pyramids and crucifixes.

Added into the mix, look for grey jackets, vests with multiple layers of fabric and long charcoal sweaters with metal buttons, sleek black high-tops and collaborative projects.

Feal Mor

As a collector of military uniforms, owner JP Plunier designs striped military-inspired sweaters and stocks his store with wetsuits from Amsterdam, as well as short-sleeved button-down oxfords made from super-fine Japanese cotton.

Accessories new and vintage line the shop, which also houses surfboards, bicycles, turntables and other treasures. Based on the French ’56 Jump Jacket, look for the noir black or cognac tan Feal Mor Battle Jacket in the La Brea store and online.

What Goes Around Comes Around

A wonder emporium of classic glamour and style, What Goes Around Comes Around peddles vintage Chanel, Levi’s LVC, The West is Dead, custom Converse high-tops, vintage Louis Vuitton luggage and vintage eyewear. Their own WGACA Collection of ’60s-inspired pieces feature retro prints, embroidered details and fur outerwear.

Stylist Paige Yingst has the back room set up with special merchandise and is ready to help customers find the perfect look for any special occasion.

General Quarters

General Quarters owner Blair Lucio fills his men’s lifestyle store with Americana heritage styles that focus on casual California-inspired designs. Inside you’ll find plaid shirts, soft tees and relaxed denim sitting beside pocket knives, motorcycles, and vintage American bandanas.

Lucio’s favorite lines include Gant Rugger, Life After Denim, Kelty Pack, Pail Car Denim, Groceries and CXXVi. New finds include bracelets made from World War II-era camo parachute para-cord with a old good luck fishing lure recast in bronze.

Post 42

Matt Winter erected two Quonset huts in a parking lot at the corner of 1st and La Brea and quietly opened up shop at Post 42. Officially opening in mid-September, reclaimed furniture and objects, along with new and vintage apparel and accessories, will sell from inside the World War II structures.

See more images from the shops in the gallery below.