Saturday I drove down to visit with my daughters. After a nostalgic and satisfying breakfast at
Du-par's, we headed out to explore Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, California.
We found the boulevard to be quite stroll-able with plenty of hip & chic store fronts to catch our eyes.
Later in the afternoon, we were ready for a snack and decided to try
Lemonade. Not the drink, the cafeteria. It seems as if the Manhattan concept of hit and run lunch is alive and well on the Westside and apparently other LA locations as well.
The decor and merchandising are well executed.
The concept is a modern twist on comfort foods set up as a cafeteria . It's long on style but was short on comfort Saturday. There was a huge line, which attests to their popularity. But what really struck me was the visual presentation. I loved the use of enameled French style pots as servers. Down home but upscale at the same time.
They did a great job capturing that feeling of coming home to a big pot of braise or stew.
Now, IMHO, they just need to make the food tastier. But what do I know? The line was out the door and they are on their third location.
Next stop was an popular antique store called Bountiful. I love the way they arranged the cake stands and covers. I love this kind of merchandising. Layering different versions of the same item together makes a strong and interesting visual statement. This is an easy and well-used technique. Try it.
