Yes, I’m springing for coffee! Lets just say, I always enjoy my morning cup. Could be from Handsome Coffee if I’m at the studio, or Stories Books and Cafe if I’m walking Nori around the hood, or possibly Spring For Coffee if it’s a quick morning meet up with a friend. Spring For Coffee in Downtown is a great little spot, they serve Intelligentsia and Stumptown, the cafe has just enough room to order and then sit outside on the curbside tables. A tiny little place, but, perfect for the locals… and dogs!

The wide, bright, green Spring Street bike lane is always a plus too.

Nice to see former Chinatown gallery, The Box, move into the Arts District. Again, more proof that the Arts District of Downtown LA continues to become a destination spot for restaurants, bars, cafes, retail, and of course, art. I popped in and met proprietor, Mara McCarthy. Only a couple weeks old in this new location, The Box has a great music and performance exhibition with the Los Angeles Free Music Society.

The LAFMS has been around since 1973 and from what I gather is a rotating group of musicians that are more like sound and performance artists. When you walk into the space, you’ll find motion triggered sound sculptures, long tables of abandoned toys and junk that have been used as instruments, and walls of photographs and ephemera that documents the Los Angeles Free music Society’s long history.

The Box is planning on monthly exhibitions, and from the looks of this first show at this new space, they are aiming to push alternative forms of art and media. Learn more and check out their schedule here.

Proprietor of The Box, Mara McCarthy

Went to visit the awesome folks over at Woodsmithe. Simply put, they stitch together stories, people, and brands to create an experience. I’m talking about real, tangible experiences. They’ve worked with brands to build furniture and design spaces for the likes of Wurstkuche, Converse, Levi’s, Tom’s, and their latest project, the buildout and design of Handsome Coffee’s Flagship cafe. Their warehouse and studio is near the 4th Street bridge in Downtown Los Angeles, not far from the Poketo studio. Woodsmithe and proprietor Nathanel Balon have been in in the Arts District of Downtown LA for several years now. He is a huge supporter of the area, making sure the things he creates are often sourced, made, and connected with other craftsmen in our very own Los Angeles.

We popped in to say hello and chat with Nathanel and Creative Director, Nina Brav. We got to see first hand the incredible things they make and be in awe by their work studio/warehouse… it’s like a playground for makers. I’m the furthest from being good with my hands, but, I felt like anything was possible here. It was also nice to hear that Nina is a huge fan of Poketo, boasting at least 10 Poketo wallets in her collection!

We work hard here at the Poketo studio. But, what’s new? We always hustle to bring the best and brightest, having fun and experimenting simultaneously. Working from the ground up, that’s the way we do it and everyone (that’s you reading this) along for the ride is right there with us. When it’s crazy busy, our Downtown Los Angeles offers some respite which most of the time for us, involves food. Angie had a spontaneous craving for Starry Kitchen. The Poketo crew will not argue with that.

Starry Kitchen is the now the legit LA restaurant that once started out as an underground kitchen out of the apartment of owners Thi and Nguyen Tran. Hmmmmm, sounds very familiar. You’d have to be in the know to find out when Thi and Nguyen would do their underground dinners… but, now, countless hours of sweat equity, a love for food, and a voracious fan base that spread their dream word of mouth, Thi and Nguyen opened up their first restaurant back in 2009. Two years later, Starry Kitchen is now a well established restaurant, but, still full of surprises.

Nguyen and Thi rotate the menu weekly which is what keeps things interesting. You never really know what is on the menu until you arrive. They are always trying out new recipes and this keeps things interesting, experimental, and fun. One thing for sure is that it’s always delicious.

As a matter of fact, tomorrow, their special pho will be on the menu. This is something that is rarely on the menu. From talking to Nguyen, this is a broth that’s been brewing for hours and hours and hours… I forget, I think he mentioned a full day. I forget exactly, but, when you go, just look for the very energetic and awesome guy in the front… ask Nguyen anything, he is not shy and he’ll let you know exactly what’s up (he’s known to be so stoked on his customers and excited about the food that, well, he kicks holes in the wall). It’s true, Starry Kitchen is far from a hole in the wall, but, yes, there is a hole in the wall.