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Los Angeles has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around LA that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.
Image via Yelp
Clover Chadwick is the owner of Dandelion Ranch, a floral design firm with an eco-friendly bent. She's worked on projects for everything from the Emmys to American Apparel but if there's one thing that Clover knows (man what a good name BTW), it's how to dig around and find the diamond in the rough. She turned us onto Freeway Building Materials, her favorite spot in Boyle Heights.
"Freeway Building Materials in Boyle Heights is my ultimate favorite secret shopping spot. I love nothing more than spending an afternoon here as it really gets my creative juices flowing. Sometimes when I'm stumped, I just go here and wander around until I come up with great ideas. This is a great place to find unusual relics to add to any design. There is an endless array of old items that will make you think 'outside the box' for a rustic, vintage or recycled event. They have everything from sinks to staircases, lamp posts, old doors, windows, reclaimed wood, fences, water pumps, wheel barrows, troughs....I could go on and on. Go yourself and see what you come up with (I can't believe I'm telling you this)."
· Freeway Building Materials [Official Site]
· Dandelion Ranch [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked LA]