| I'm writing from inside a greenhouse at Creature's Plants & Coffee in Eagle Rock, where I'm surrounded by towering Monstera plants, Chinese evergreens and white amaryllis bulbs for the holidays. |
| Creature's, which we included in our guide to 101 great L.A. shops to find thoughtful holiday gifts, is part of a stretch of independent businesses on Eagle Rock Boulevard that will offer in-store specials today for Small Business Saturday. |
| The nursery and gift shop is more than just a retail space. It's a community hub, said owner Hope Creature in our Eagle Rock neighborhood guide, "bringing people together to explore, learn and connect." |
Local shop owners are optimistic despite sluggish sales |
| Many stores are facing tough times amid economic uncertainty, tariffs, local fires, ICE raids and the recent government shutdown. |
| "People are being cautious," said Sonya Gallardo, who owns Highlow Gift Shop in Torrance. "I waited a long time to place my orders due to all the tariff uncertainty. I waited until I couldn't wait anymore and I am seeing that with customers too." |
| During recent visits to Miracle Mile Toys & Gifts on La Brea Avenue, I was the only one in the store. "I'm happy for the street traffic from République," said owner Christina Mullin as she wrapped a gift for my niece in colorful German paper. "I'm hoping that the holidays are going to be the bump that we need." |
| Over at Marz on Mission Street in South Pasadena, owner Jasa Cocke was slightly more optimistic. "Business has been steady," she said. "We have really nice repeat customers. You can park close by, and I do pop-up events that keep things fun." |
| Despite sluggish sales since September, Jill Pearson of Hömage in Pasadena is confident that people will want to shop locally for the holidays. "It's hard to resist spreading joy," she said. |
The absolute delight of in-person shopping |
| Last December, after attending the winter market at Plant Material in Altadena, I saw how shopping in person can have a lasting effect on the community. At the time, local artists gathered on the nursery's grounds to share handcrafted ceramics, artisanal foods, jewelry and textiles. A month later, many of them were homeless after the Eaton fire swept through Altadena. |
| But the community showed up for them. |
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| High-end stores are fun, of course, and I love perusing designer goods at luxury department stores and local vintage stores. But I find it a lot more rewarding — and so much less stressful — to park, walk and shop my way through L.A. neighborhoods such as Mission Street in South Pasadena, Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village, Holly Street in Pasadena, York in Highland Park and Larchmont Boulevard in Larchmont Village than to find a parking spot at a jam-packed mall. |
| Over the past year, supporting small businesses has strengthened our community ties, especially after the devastating fires. Let's keep it going. For more tips on gift shops, gift-giving and community events happening this season, check out the L.A. Times Holiday Gift Guide. |
The week's biggest stories |
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| (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times) |
Crime and courts |
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Education |
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Climate and environment |
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What else is going on |
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Must reads |
| | | At 24, Ray Ushikubo gets the rare honor of playing the Playfair violin made by one of the greatest violin makers of all time, Guarneri 'del Gesù,' in 1741. | | | |
Other meaty reads |
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For your downtime |
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| Eric Wareheim for Sunday Funday. (Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Marcus Nilsson) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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L.A. Timeless |
| A selection of the very best reads from The Times' 143-year archive. |
| | | Nearly 70 years ago, Groucho Marx, Edward G. Robinson, Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock and Gene Autry helped make the Dodgers' first game in Los Angeles perhaps the most star-studded sports event of all time | | | |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
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