The Artsy Merchants of Venice

(California, that is).

To get the full affect of arriving in bohemian Venice, take the magical three mile walk or bike ride along the beach from the Santa Monica pier. You can rent bikes there. Choose the ones with the most comfy looking seats. The terrain is flat so the ride will only take about twenty minutes.

When you get to Venice and mosey inward a few blocks to a street called Abbot Kinney. There’s elegant modern nondescript storefronts next door to crusty houses built 80 years ago, the kind with porches and a swing in the front. And there’s restaurants with customers sitting ear to ear and there’s no sign of the name of the place.

Not a box store you’ve heard of on the street. The Jin Patisserie has an entryway that had an irresistible sensitivity to light.. The website is worth a visit if you can’t physically go there.

I liked the presentation of these two roses.

Inside one of the fashionably retro bungalows you’ll find a charming portable fireplace, the kind you can move from one room to another. The shop owner said it was from Home Depot. I was mesmerized.