Acacia, Valencia Street
When I met Lily Chau -- owner of new home furnishings shop Acacia, lawyer-turned-entrepreneur-and-dream-follower -- I knew this was a sign from the Universe. A sign that someday, I could pursue my passions. That I could take risks. That I could trod off the beaten path of lawyerly duty somewhere down the line, and indulge my creative desires. Or, that I just needed to know about a really great home furnishings shop, and try not to spend all of my money there. That could have also been what The Universe was trying to tell me. It's hard to interpret silent air sometimes, you know?
Either way, I am completely infatuated with this perfectly curated shop.
Lily has paired up with the folks at Heliotrope to provide not only great things for your apartment, but also your bod. Their line of skincare using organic, locally-supplied (ya heard!) ingredients provides the perfect sophisticated accent to a shop full of colorful, well-crafted pieces. The two brands work really well together in the space and it's really refreshing to see artisans coming together like this!
I popped in just before departing for my Montréal adventure (which you will all hear about next week), so it took a bit of reminding from my friend Rachel (a lawyer and fellow small business-er) to save my money and not buy one of these adorable bear-turned-travel-pillows. That's not to say I won't go back on that someday... I have several trips coming up, and sometimes mama needs a bear neck pillow.
Most of what I loved best about this shop is the arrangement of these beautifully chosen products - you can tell everything has a place, but it's not so stark as to make you feel uncomfortable looking around and touching things. On the other hand, it's not so cluttered as to make you feel like an archaeologist wading through generations of goods.
I think Acacia has just the right balance - enough to offer variety without overwhelming the customer. This is harder to achieve than you'd think!
You know I was impressed when they had my favorite water bottles! I'm so happy to be seeing these bottles take off in so many stores - I bought one the other day for my mom at our local Marin café!
(Ok, I asked Big T to buy it for mom. I didn't have my wallet.)
These Pantone coffee makers and mugs were another thing that immediately caught my eye. Such a great mix of modern style and warm, homey goods here! See e.g.: all of those blankets above.
Sadly, time (and money - or lack thereof) dictated that Rachel and I bid adieu to Lily and Acacia... but I'll be back. Don't you worry, I'll be back! Someday when I can take one of those bears home with me. And maybe a necklace. And a bright wool blanket. And some stationery...
All jokes aside, this is the perfect place to come to spruce up an apartment, or try Heliotrope's great skincare line, or pick up a small goodie or two for a friend's birthday. I am a big fan of Acacia and I hope it stays in the neighborhood for a good, long time!
Details:
Acacia (and Heliotrope) 415 Valencia Street (near 15th) San Francisco, CA acaciasf.com