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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.
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Image via Yelp
Isaac Joseph is a native Angeleno who has been working in fashion for over 20 years. He's an expert on creating and implementing partnerships between the creative and corporate worlds and knows the city inside and out. When this Aquarian (happy belated birthday!) isn't practicing yoga, he heads to Aardvark Letterpress, an obscure shop that's been around since 1968.
"My favorite obscure shop in LA is Aardvark Letterpress. A family business since 1968, it's run by Brooks and Cary Ocon and is located next to the historic MacArthur Park. The brothers use an original Heidelberg press to design and produce the most luxurious printed materials and a long list of tastemakers rely on Brooks' creative expertise. His team handles anything from business cards and stationary to invitations for some of the most exclusive events around. Brooks is a genius who masterfully blends an old-school sensibility with an unerring eye and impeccable taste! They print everything for me—my parents 40th anniversary invitations, the Michael Jackson-inspired New Year's cards my friend China Chow designed, my purple letterpress business cards, too many invitations for clients and more than 10 years of note cards and personalized stationary."
· Aardvark Letterpress [Official Site]
· Isaac Joseph and Associates Consulting [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked LA]