Feeling a Little Indie

Back in fall of 2010, when I lived on the northern side of Berkeley campus and made the occasional stroll over to Philz Coffee for a delicious Iced Mint Mojito coffee (yeah, you read that correctly), I picked up a glossy postcard-sized flyer advertising something called the Indie Mart. At the time, I honestly didn't care about the flyer's advertisement so much as the gorgeous design of the flyer itself--very bohemian/tribal with its bright orange tones, plethora of triangles, and skinny, compressed font-face. Everything about it just screamed, "Take me and put me on your wall NOW!"

So I did. And on my wall it has remained, though the wall and house changes from time to time. 

On Monday, during one of my many procrastination sessions, I happened to glance up at my wall, see the flyer, and proceed to look up the Indie Mart online. 

I was ecstatic to learn that the Indie Mart was indeed still an ongoing thing and was going to be held in the Mission District on Sunday (today!).

 Occupying a few blocks in the Mission, the Indie Mart features dozens of vendors selling gorgeous handmade jewelry, clothing, vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories, handmade stationary and greeting cards, plants, and artwork. The mart even features DIY tables where you pay to partake in a fun DIY craft (today's craft was terrarium-making). Not leaving you to fend for food after all that shopping and walking, food trucks provide delicious eats, while various bands keep the crowds entertained and energetic.  

 Seeing the mart for the first time was something out of a movie--getting off the bus, watching it pull away to reveal the glorious splendor of people and items dazzling behind it in all its glory. We didn't really know where to start...

 Walking from booth to booth, the four of us were constantly pointing out something fun and creative for the rest to see. These bottle lamps were no exception.

The mart was absolutely fit-to-bursting with jewelry. I was absolutely torn between these pyramid studs and a pair of coral rose earrings (coral, as usual, won as shown below). 

 As is to be expected, due to their handmade quality, many of the items were pricey. I loved these silk headbands from Bachman's Sparrow, which you can find here, going for $24.00.  But in my honest opinion, I recommend spending a little bit more and buying handmade. It supports local artists and promotes a small business mentality. Moreover, you end up with a one-of-a-kind, quality-made item like these scarves! (I'm pretty sure I'll be making this purchase sometime soon.)

 As many of you have probably already seen, painted/color-blocked wooded bangles are all the rage on Pinterest right now. I almost bought the set of three on the bottom right, but I think I may try to DIY them sometime in the future (so keep an eye out!).

 And then, of course, each vendor's presentation of their items was just as cute as the items themselves! Loved this cowboy boot-as-planter idea!

With it's barely-there entrance fee of $3.00, the Indie Mart was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I loved my experience, my purchases, and the company with whom I enjoyed it!

SO CHECK IT OUT! 

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Happy 75th to the Golden Gate Bridge

This Memorial Day weekend in celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th Anniversary, Birthday what-have-you, San Francisco was alive (or should I say more alive?) with festivities, tourists, and activity every way you turned--if you could physically turn at all. 

In a pretty festive mood ourselves, two friends and I jumped onto the BART (which was the most crowded I'd ever seen) and headed to the Mission. Originally, we headed over to see the Brazilian Festival which was definitely underway when we got there. The air was filled with the delicious smells of elotes, grilled bacon-covered hot dogs, and barbeque, and almost everyone was carrying either watermelon or mango on a stick. People were dressed in elaborate, colorful costumes and everyone was dancing. It was so festive! 

We wandered through and learning that the parade was over decided to explore the Mission.

I'd never been to the Mission before, at least this particular part of it, and I must say, "It has character." Funny thing, this statement now possesses much more meaning. Sophie and I laughed at this accurate title. Previously, we have only used it to describe things that are just downright terrible, unpleasant, not to our liking...you know, I'm sure you've used this before. But the Mission really DOES have character, the kind that leaves you wanting to explore its odd mixture of rough patches and lovely oases. It was absolutely fascinating to see the quality of the neighborhood change from impoverished and down-trodden to chic and gentrified (one of my new favorite words, and one that was used several times during the day) all within the trek of one or two blocks.

An example of such a transition: we walked past several liquor stores and then hit a really chic boutique that was having a sample sale... 

MY FIRST SAMPLE SALE...EVER! 

 The sale was absolutely invigorating. Upon my first, casual glance at the sales tags, my initial reaction was to duck out of the store unnoticed. But then, looking up, I noticed the color-coded sales chart with prices between $15-$35, a much improved price range from the $150.00-a-shirt tags that had me hyperventilating. In the end, the three of us all walked out with lovely brown paper bags filled with out even lovelier dresses and other items. I found an amazing black maxi dress that I am struggling not to wear t this very second. 

After the sale, we continued our walk down the Mission through the more chic apothecaries, ice cream shops, and iconic San Francisco townhouses before we decided to head over to Ghirardelli Square to eat and set up camp to watch the fireworks. 

Even though it is more tourist-y and the restaurants are overpriced, we decided on Lou's Fish Shack. We passed it, but we were drawn to the live music and the chatter from inside. We stuffed ourselves with calamari, clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls and crab salad sandwiches before heading over to the Buena Vista, a small tavern-like bar famous for their Irish Coffee.

 Apparently, the FIRST Irish Coffee to be made in America was made right here! (I really am becoming a sucker for history...) And it did not disappoint. It was incredibly creamy and smooth and had great flavor. BUT even better! We met three really awesome girls, two from UCSD (one of which is graduating in three weeks!) and one from France who is leaving the States in three days. It was really nice just to mingle with new people and hear their stories. 

Courtney, Sophie, and I with out new friend Nicole in tow, then headed to the grassy park next to Buena Vista (it had a perfect view of the bridge) and sat to enjoy the fireworks. It was a spectacular show, and I honestly don't know how they will compete with it in 25 years. In fact, the evening was so great, I don't know how the rest of summer will compete, but I guess I'll soon find out!

Here's to Summer and Exceeding Expectations!