Smack in the middle of Downtown LA’s growing Arts District, design store, Poketo, makes for one of our favorite gift shopping experiences in the city. Second only to a few world-class shops like The MoMA Store or Beverly’s Heath Ceramics, Poketo has the coolest variety of high-design, super-functional gifts we’ve ever had the pleasure to peruse. Over the years, Poketo’s functional designs have caught the attention of design-lovers everywhere, including brands like Nike, MTV and, most recently, a covet-able collaboration with shopping giant, Target.
Ted and Angie are the couple behind the brand and store, which they run from the gallery-like office space behind the shop. We asked Angie what she normally keeps on her desk each morning, although we know that half the store’s inventory of enviable Korean stationery, bags, baubles and jewelry are strewn across the workspace on any given day!
Read Angie’s notes, visit Poketo and stay tuned for more about their fun, local workshops!
Go-to work bag:
My Poketo backpack. A backpack is essential since we bike to work every day through downtown LA.
Favorite object on my desk:
Flowers and our wooden animal boxes.
Favorite morning of the week:
Fridays and any morning before one of our exciting workshops.
At 10:00 am I am usually...
Just getting to work. We work from about 10 – 6 running the shop.
My favorite current project is...
Planning all our future workshops for the next year. Recent workshops have included lighting designers, florists and – this weekend – an expert on making your own preserves.
My favorite stationery:
All of the planners & notebooks we sell. It’s too hard to decide between them. We carry mostly Korean designers and they’re all amazing.
There is always a glass of this on my desk:
Coffee or tea. I limit myself to one cup of coffee a day and then the rest is green tea.
My top distraction is:
The store. Our offices are right behind our retail space and it’s a nice distraction to pop out and watch people shop.
Favorite business gift to send:
Our new greeting cards – a handwritten note can go a long way.
Favorite lunch buddy:
Friends who come to visit me at work. We love Handsome Coffee and Wurstküche right on our block.
Necessary extravagance:
A nice sushi dinner out once in a while on a busy shop week.
Books always in my office:
Our office is covered in all the books that we carry in the store – from children’s books to cookbooks!
My go-to calendar:
Google calendar and our huge poster calendars in the office.
Snack on hand:
Nuts and Mast Brothers chocolate.
