Don't Blink You Might Miss the Shopping Gem of Temescal Alley
Elise Proulx for Oakland Magazine
Lot 49 This home-furnishings shop combines sleek style with a sense of humor and whimsy. Owner Perry Lucina says he didn’t want the store to feature only midcentury modern, “so I just do what I like!” What he likes includes whimsical city prints by London-based artist Julie Marabelle ($150); vintage box cameras ($25 and up); and a rotating cast of ’50s-era vintage furniture, along with some consignments, such as—spied during a recent trip to the shop—a reclaimed wood coffee table ($650) with a solid feel but the straight lines that Lucina adores. And Lucina is in on the joke: An avian-adorned canvas tote bag in the store has a sign straight out of the humor show Portlandia reading, “Put a bird on it!”
Lot 49 This home-furnishings shop combines sleek style with a sense of humor and whimsy. Owner Perry Lucina says he didn’t want the store to feature only midcentury modern, “so I just do what I like!” What he likes includes whimsical city prints by London-based artist Julie Marabelle ($150); vintage box cameras ($25 and up); and a rotating cast of ’50s-era vintage furniture, along with some consignments, such as—spied during a recent trip to the shop—a reclaimed wood coffee table ($650) with a solid feel but the straight lines that Lucina adores. And Lucina is in on the joke: An avian-adorned canvas tote bag in the store has a sign straight out of the humor show Portlandia reading, “Put a bird on it!”
An Oakland Neighborhood Branches Out

Louise Rafkin, New York Times
The corridor of Telegraph Avenue in Oakland known as the Temescal District used to be the go-to for an unlikely trio: Ethiopian food, paint and stamps. But since the late 1990s, an influx of young families and hipsters fleeing San Francisco’s unaffordable real estate prices has transformed the vibe from utility to upscale. Crowds wait curbside for tables at top restaurants, while couples of all stripes snack on organic sorbet. Along a string of ’20s alleyways, garages and stables were recently converted by a developer into charming shops offering mid-century furniture, indie fashions and specialty foods. Many are now under renovation by a cohort of young proprietors.
One of the first to anchor the alleyway, Lot 49 is a well-curated, reasonably priced store with ’50s- and ’60s-style furniture, and vintage-inspired art and gifts, like pillows with a paint-by-numbers theme from $65.
Credit: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
The corridor of Telegraph Avenue in Oakland known as the Temescal District used to be the go-to for an unlikely trio: Ethiopian food, paint and stamps. But since the late 1990s, an influx of young families and hipsters fleeing San Francisco’s unaffordable real estate prices has transformed the vibe from utility to upscale. Crowds wait curbside for tables at top restaurants, while couples of all stripes snack on organic sorbet. Along a string of ’20s alleyways, garages and stables were recently converted by a developer into charming shops offering mid-century furniture, indie fashions and specialty foods. Many are now under renovation by a cohort of young proprietors.
One of the first to anchor the alleyway, Lot 49 is a well-curated, reasonably priced store with ’50s- and ’60s-style furniture, and vintage-inspired art and gifts, like pillows with a paint-by-numbers theme from $65.
Credit: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
Oakland's hip and vibrant Temescal Alley takes off
Kimberly Chun for San Francisco Chronicle
April 2012
Lot 49: "My prices are not San Francisco prices," says chatty owner Perry Lucina of his collection of estate-sale, thrift and salvage treasures. "People ask, 'Why is it so cheap? Why is it so cheap?' " The answer? "I like to keep things fresh." A veteran of Temescal Alley of two years, Lucina opened the home and design space in the former architect's office space as a pop-up - and as a way to thin his personal collection of midcentury modern chairs - but he was persuaded to stay thanks to the welcome he has received from Oaklanders determined to shop locally. Some San Franciscans are even catching on, lured by the down-to-earth prices. Ogle the pristine '60s-era Googie-friendly lamps, "The Ice Storm"-style array of colored glassware and the handsome dark-wood mini-bar that could easily slip into Don Draper's bachelor pad.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Oakland-s-hip-and-vibrant-Temescal-Alley-takes-off-3463058.php#ixzz2KCMjVwoe
April 2012
Lot 49: "My prices are not San Francisco prices," says chatty owner Perry Lucina of his collection of estate-sale, thrift and salvage treasures. "People ask, 'Why is it so cheap? Why is it so cheap?' " The answer? "I like to keep things fresh." A veteran of Temescal Alley of two years, Lucina opened the home and design space in the former architect's office space as a pop-up - and as a way to thin his personal collection of midcentury modern chairs - but he was persuaded to stay thanks to the welcome he has received from Oaklanders determined to shop locally. Some San Franciscans are even catching on, lured by the down-to-earth prices. Ogle the pristine '60s-era Googie-friendly lamps, "The Ice Storm"-style array of colored glassware and the handsome dark-wood mini-bar that could easily slip into Don Draper's bachelor pad.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Oakland-s-hip-and-vibrant-Temescal-Alley-takes-off-3463058.php#ixzz2KCMjVwoe
'Upcycled' cast-offs thrive in
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