[Retail] poketo! DTLA arts district

Had lunch at Zip Fusion (seaweed soba salad… so pretty and so good) and finally had a chance to stop by the newly opened Poketo store :)

A while ago I told P: I think what I’d really like to do is have a little store where I sell cool items/small goods I gather from around the world, a source for everyday people to buy relatively affordable cool items for their spaces. Like a modern Cost Plus World Market.

A few weeks later, while still firmly planted in my white collar job, I discovered Poketo through a DTLA blog. The husband and wife team behind Poketo started out by selling inexpensive wallets printed with work from new artists (see top picture). They’ve now expanded to sell an assortment of curated gifts and gadgets. Already growing in popularity through their online store, they recently opened their first brick and mortar in the Arts District. Reading their story was pretty inspirational and very close to what I had told P. As I root for them from the sidelines, I can’t help but feel a little wistful! We’ll see if I ever get out of these golden bleachers.

The store is minimal and feels like it what it probably was: handmade by a few people. I liked browsing through all the items in person, basically gasping out a “cool!” or “cuute” every few seconds or so. I am especially liking that bird alarm clock… Anyway If DTLA can sustain this type of store, I will be very happy.

Visit their cool website at www.poketo.com
Visit their store at 820 E 3rd Street, 90013