Venice, Calif., has always been known for its bohemian, free-spirit counterculture. The Doors and the Dogtown Skateboard phenomenon were both born here. Today’s Venice, however, maintains its eclectic bohemian and artistic nature with a more urbane sophisticated sensibility.
The little beach town outside of Los Angeles is full of charming walkway streets, cozy cafes, and some boutique gems.
Abbot Kinney has become the main Venice strip for galleries, upscale restaurants, trendy cafes and shops, and funky old thrift stores, emerging from the once rough neighborhood that it was only a few years ago.
Barbara Phillips opened her shop, Minnie T’s, eight years ago—the first high-end apparel store on the strip—despite the warning of friends that this would never work. “I had no idea that it would turn into ‘the Street,’” she says.
“Abbot Kinney is evolving; every day there seems to be a new store,” Phillips acknowledges. “They are really well-done, beautiful—I’m impressed.”
On a shelf as you walk into the store are exquisite handmade sandals, created from remarkably textured leather by LA’s Cydwoq. The urban, modern chic boutique is filled predominantly with earthy-toned apparel and sculptured wood and leather shoes.
Describing her store as simply, “what appeals to me,” the petite silver-haired style powerhouse with a broad smile considers Minnie T’s as an extension of her own closet. Phillips stocks her store with unique pieces without compromise, quite a contrast to the days when she was a buyer for other people.
