A wave of cool is washing over Culver City as chic new stores and restaurants continue popping up all over this West L.A. neighborhood. Its newest resident, Midland shop is the uber stylish brain child of party planning duo, Bash, Please. Paige Appel and Kelly Harris have translated all their world-class event expertise and highly sought-after taste into a well-curated collection of general life goods we suddenly can’t live without.
Like all of L.A.’s best shopping experiences, the Midland shop itself is pure design inspiration, but the real magic is in the hand-picked details. With walls of stylish home goods, delicate hammered jewelry and the makings of a perfectly minimalist wardrobe, Midland oozes with the kind of artisan discoveries we can’t get enough of, and are so excited for as holiday gifting season approaches.
Can’t jet down to Culver City just yet? We asked Paige and Kelly to share a little bit about the brands we should be discovering now, including classic TCM fave, Noah Marion…
For leather goods...
Noah Marion Quality Goods | Noah is a true craftsman from Austin, Texas. He hand makes all his leather goods in his workshop to order. Nothing from a factory. We can’t get them in fast enough! He can make anything, proving so by making us a custom toilet-paper holder out of leather for our shop bathroom.
His dopp kits, dog collars and fold wallets are our personal favorites. His leather is all natural, hardy and nice to the touch. We plan on expanding his line for holiday with his new gift line.
For limited edition scents...
Saint Rita Parlor | Neal Bardon is dedicated to making small batch, high-quality goods. His eye glasses are limited edition, lifelong guaranteed quality.
When we went to visit his showroom in downtown L.A., we not only fell in love with the impeccable design of his eyewear but were introduced to his first run of unisex parfum, named after his grandmother and his own personal Saint, Rita. This scent has now become the heart and soul of our mission at Midland. It smells of tobacco, roses, whiskey, and water, just like his grandmother. We sold five bottles in the first week. You have to come in to smell for yourself. It is a limited run and each bottle is numbered by hand by Neal.
For native crafts...
Zuni Fetishes | Our love for the Native Americans and their craft is very apparent at Midland. We are particularly drawn to the work of the Zuni Pueblo, the Acoma Pueblo and the Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico. We have a love for the Southwest and have many found items from New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Texas in our shop. One thing you will discover in our shop is the work of Salvador Romero and his meticulous yet vulnerable stone fetishes. We sold the first Romero Zuni Owl in week two of opening to Ally Walsh who immediately was drawn to him. The Owl represents protection of the home. We currently have five stone fetishes in our shop that should be honored for their meaning and discovered by a spiritual pull.
For natural beauty...
Shiva Rose | We are still fascinated by the amount of local Angelenos that haven’t heard of Shiva Rose beauty. Her natural beauty products are sensual, vibrant, organic and smell divine. They make you literally glow with beauty.
Her rose face oil is our personal favorite followed by the Glow face balm and the rose tonic spritz. All handmade with “high vibrations,” Shiva’s products are pure and essential goodness. We use the testers quite a bit ourselves!
For incredible stoneware...
Lucy Michel ceramics | Meeting Lucy was one of those true fateful moments in life. Our dear friend Kate Brien mentioned her name to us, we looked her up and the next day we were all meeting on the sidewalk outside the shop sifting through her beautiful loop vases. Lucy is a local L.A. artist that is willing to take risks, collaborate and make quality pieces that feel good to have in your home. Her jewelry line is also exquisite with our personal favorites being the amazonite drop earrings. The weight of her pieces feel solid and lasting with no era to name them. Stylish but not trendy, she invokes an earthy but refined energy in her designs.
For eco-friendly toys:
A Summer Afternoon | Handmade, eco-friendly toys made in Colorado that really do entertain. Keeping a commitment to ethically made goods is important to us. We want our kid’s section to have quality, safe products that inspire imagination and a non-disposable life. The workbench from A Summer Afternoon is good for the two year old as well as the six year old. Their rattles can be passed on from year to year for new babies. When we found this company we were both drawn in by the beauty of the toys as well as the solid construction and heirloom quality. These toys are what we want our kids to play with, so we hope our customers will resonate with them as well.
For hand-dyed clothing...
Miranda Bennett |Miranda’s clothes are sophisticated yet wearable anywhere, any season, to any occasion. They are all hand-dyed with plant powders she extracts herself leaving each piece unique in color and texture. Acacia, indigo and heartwood are some of the plants she uses in her dyeing method. Beautiful and comfortable in one-size fits all, we discovered Miranda in Texas and have since sold many of her pieces upon opening. She is not carried anywhere else in Los Angeles and we have re-ordered three times in the last month. Her clothes feel good on the skin, respect the earth, and look brilliant on every body type. We are huge fans of this line.