Kathleen Whitaker Loves Baltic Crossroads' Exotic Textiles

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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.

LA-based artisan Kathleen Whitaker coaxes delicate, lace-like structures out of porcelain and makes earrings that look like pushpins. There's definitely an interplay between refined and raw in her work; once you're in on the fact that she's got a playful aesthetic, it's easy to see why she's so into Baltic Crossroads.

I find Baltic Crossroads great for textiles (needlepoint pillows with traditional Baltic patterns/geometric symbols), furniture (the owner makes incredible peg and groove benches from re-claimed wood), ceramics, brass, copper and (of course) amber jewelry, and some really outstanding art (original pen and ink drawings, watercolors and block prints). And it is always a pleasure to chat with the kind proprietor, Inguna. We recently chatted about the fun Lithuanian festival the first weekend in October in Los Feliz.

Story by Yale Breslin

· Kathleen Whitaker [Official Site]
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