photo by: Nelli
photo by: Nelli
Unlike Nelli I'm not much of a coffee connoisseur, but it was super good + the staff were really nice.
photo by: Nelli
After we got our caffeine fix we headed to a different spot in Oak Park to scout some potential art exhibition locations. We stumbled upon a few possible locations in the area, including a bookshop + this awesome new "pop up shop" called Display California.
photo by: Nelli
It was filled with beautifully crafted items all made from CA artists. There was jewelery, clothes, homemade jams + kinds of other goodies including handmade sculptures which were made by a local graffiti artist (they were one of my favorite things in the shop).
photo by: Noonie
Gourds turned into art.
Gourds turned into art.
Not only were the items beautifully made but the displays were so unique + ornate.
photo by: Nelli
I really loved this store + the concept behind it being a pop up shop. The guy running the place was super nice + gave us the 4-1-1 on the company + the items displayed. He told us the shop is going to turn into a "pop up wedding chapel" next for the upcoming holiday (Valentines Day). Anyways it was a totally awesome find + it definitely made my list of potential art exhibit locations. If you're not from the Sacramento area but wanna check out more info/see some of the things they sell at this particular shop here's their website.
Right across the street from Display California is a well known coffee shop by the name of Old Soul @ 40 Acres. We weren't ready for another caffeine fix just yet, but decided to stop in to see if there was any art exhibition space, which there was. Coincidentally we caught a glimpse of the mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, who was at the shop enjoying some coffee + talking with customers. Random but cool.
photo by: Noonie
Street art on J St.
Street art on J St.
After we checked out this particular area in Oak Park we decided to hit up the K st. area. Last year they started to revamp the area + since Nelli + I hadn't been to the area since the revamp began we had to check it out. K st. was definitely a lot cleaner than what it used to be, but there's still work to be done.
photo by: Nelli
We stopped by quite a few shops in the area + found a couple of more potential art exhibit locations, including this new shop called Vampire Penguin which serves up fancy snow cone like concoctions. The dessert looked super good + so did the art they had on exhibit for that matter.
photo by: Noonie
Andy's Candy Shop
I've never seen chocolate look so artsy or glittery for that matter.
Andy's Candy Shop
I've never seen chocolate look so artsy or glittery for that matter.
After strolling K st. + the surrounding area we headed to Midtown to see what was going down. We stopped by a few more shops + even a gallery (the Kennedy Gallery) where we spoke with a few local artists who were super friendly + helpful. I hadn't been to a gallery in a minute so it was nice to see some local work + experience the gallery's offerings. I even got some inspiration for possible future pieces + got the 4-1-1 on how to submit my work for exhibition which was cool.
photo by: Noonie
Garbage can art
Garbage can art
We ended our journey the way we started it, at a coffee shop (lol). This time we stopped by Old Soul (their DT location) for some hot tea. There was some beautiful artwork up by the ever talented American Gypsy Apparel. I highly suggest you check out their work...it's amazing!!
What an awesome time we had hanging out + checking out Downtown's offerings! It's funny because the day unintentionally turned into a day of Nelli showing me a thing or two about how to network with people when approaching them about displaying my work in their business. It was such a good learning experience for me! Thank ya Nelli for the awesome day! Love ya friend!
Until next time...Cheers!!!
<3 Nelli + Noonie
"Looking for inspiration can be dangerous, but it is always worth it"
photo by: Noonie
