We recently decided we just had to have an OFFI magazine rack. After making several phone calls, a very nice customer service person at Design Public (who completely understood our need for instant gratification) tipped us off to Friend. And so we found ourselves in trendy Hayes Valley.
Although we hate Friends name (their card says Objects in Common), the ultra-hip boutique has something for everyone, every occasion, and every budget -- and they even have a gift registry.
A light, bright store located at the corner of Hayes and Gough streets, its jam-packed with housewares and furnishings from manufacturers such as Alessi, Fatboy, Herman Miller, Kartell, Toord Boontje, and Vitra. There are watches, calculators, Moleskine notebooks, Acme Made laptop and iPod cases.
Friend also features products from Bay Area-based companies -- dinnerware from Heath Ceramics, furnishings from OFFI, and lighting from Pablo. We even saw Katherine Walshs Ink Blot Plates (AT slinked them recently). And were not sure wed ever want a velvet beetle pillow, but its nice to know where we could find one if we needed to.
Friend itself is warm and inviting, and we were intrigued by the wood walls with small display niches. In fact, last year designer Yves Behar (fuseproject) was awarded a bronze medal from the IDSA for his store concept.
Some of Friends products are online, but the actual store has many more.
- Leslie!
(Friend has since closed.)
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i don't like the store's name either, but thankfully that's overshadowed by all the great stuff inside. i just checked out that velvet beetle pillow online and it is HOT. the store looks like it would be a great place to browse for ideas and gifts. good find, leslie!
I second the desire for that beetle pillow. Not sure why, but it is lust-worthy (imho).
And three cheers for Design Public giving you the reference... they really understand that by doing so, they are more apt to keep you as a customer than lose you.
I like the unique offerings at the store but I don't think it's the best use of Yves Behar's space. The flowing, continuous wood floor-to-wall surface just doesn't mesh with all the stuff that's crammed in the store. IMO it could all be more tastefully arranged - right now it seems a bit of a warehouse. That said, I really dig the textiles they have there, especially the pillows.
I recommend also visiting Scandinavian Details (http://www.scandinaviandetails.com/site/index.htm) just half a block away, past Absinthe Restaurant. It's the only place in SF that stocks the hilarious Pee&Poo toys and shirts (http://www.peeandpoo.com/eng/flasheng.asp) from Sweden!
I love Friend, they are linked off my blog since I think their products and showroom are whimsy and fun. I've been to their space, it's very nice. Your photos are lovely!!! Great job on this post Leslie! Goooo Leslie!
Holly
Ouch. There are some pretty steep mark-ups there. Very nice stuff, and I try to support my local shops as much as possible, but...I didn't pay nearly as much for my Ghost candleabra.
Nice store design. I especially like the contrast between the boxy wooden wall and the shiny, reflective circles suspended from the ceiling.
Looking at the pics here and and the merch listed online, it doesn't seem that the store has any exclusives that can't be found elsewhere. That said, the store has a great selection and is in a great location for its target buyer (probably providing one-stop shoppping for them). It's a shame that the sales floor and every single surface is cluttered with so much merch. I didn't notice the Yves Behar design of the space because of the clutter and seemingly haphazard arrangement of the merch. I probably wouldn't last more than 5 minutes in that space because of that... It feels like the sales floor needs a good editing.
Hmmmm... looks like I'll have to make the hike to Hayes Valley some time... Leslie has made a compelling case for some browsing.
The annoying store name is because there's apparently a city ordinance that if you're trendy and hip, you MUST have a one-word name for your restaurant or store. Eat at Chow, drink at Olive, shop at... It's a sort of minimalist streak to make up for the dot-boom trend for calling every business, from software start-ups to coffee shops, by a name with an animal and a color or other adjective (e.g. "Red Gorilla" and "Venture Frogs," both now dead parrots).
I'm in agreement with the name; reminds me of other establishments in various cities such as "Cafeteria" or "Grocery".
Will definitely venture to the store - sounds like there is a load of good things under one well designed roof.
Thanks Leslie - I'm looking forward to hearing about your next find. (Hey, that would have been a better name - "Find" - don't you think?)
very nice shop design