Shopping in Alum Rock

The Knitting Room stocks a colorful array of yarns as well as the needles and hooks you need to make creative tapestries and apparel. You’ll find products from such popular brands as Cascade, Ty-Dy-Socks, and Plymouth. The Knitting Room's owners, Mary Ann and Ed Barrall—both of them enthusiastic knitters and crocheters themselves—lead classes with other staff-members to get visitors knitting, purling, and crafting woolen knickers in no time.

Flying Lizard Boutique’s affordable handbags and accessories boast recycled and vegan materials fashioned into classic designs and edgy on-trend styles. Inside the store’s zen-like storefront, replete with a cheerful giant Buddha, customers find a cornucopia of handbags, including the Eden ($35), a classy overnight bag which capably stows clothes, makeup, and toiletries for a weekend getaway, and the petite Quilted Zip Around ($30), which tucks neatly into a larger handbag or stands alone to ferry chihuahua pencil-toppers to the graphite-smudge-removing groomer. Fashion-forward shoes including the Baily ($39) give their owners a long, comfortable wear with a shellacked mirror-like shine, and the collection of belts adds stylish dignity to the dubious act of holding pants aloft, while providing ample space for holstering daily essentials such as key chains, bubblegum tape, and grappling guns.

The young crew behind ONEHOPE Wine believes wine can do more than dance with flavor and stain frocks fashioned from fine white camel hair. Each bottle has been instilled with a rich taste and beauty to complement its selflessness. One ONEHOPE box yields one bottle each of California merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, zinfandel, sauvignon blanc, and an exclusive summer white (an $18.99 value per bottle). The 2008 merlot uses grapes grown in the Lodi and Paso Robles regions, where a cool Pacific fog maintains grape acidity, creating a full flavor that complements its black cherries, plums, and figs.

When she wasn't crafting beaded fans for First Nations ceremonies in British Columbia, Flying Lizard owner Vallora Sabourin was learning from her mother how to make things by hand. Vallora taught herself many techniques for making and designing jewelry—and often used her ornithological connections at the zoo to give her feather earrings the most exotic plumage.Flying Lizard opened in 1989, and its big-screen break came in 2003 with the film Gigli, which featured Jennifer Lopez wearing three of the shop's necklaces in every shot. Besides sweeping the Razzies, the movie catapulted Flying Lizard's adornments to the pages of InStyle magazine, and led to regular movie appearances that continue to this day. Despite having lived in two lighthouses, Vallora prefers the mountainside yurt that was her home and studio for 15 years, though the 130-acre yard was a pain to mow.

Young Yorkies inevitably become runaway runway models after wrapping their canine curves in boutique charm from Touleh. Prep a pug for fashion combat with a green camo jacket ($18), or give Lassie something to brag about besides her subterranean rescue skills with a happy-birthday-to-me dress ($54). Likewise, make every day a celebration with a City Girl pet carrier ($105). Edible accessories such as dog treats ($6–$12) and organic catnip leaf (starting at $3) are also available. Take your Groupon out for a walk around the boutique and give your pet a thrill comparable to chasing cars, tails, and ever-elusive fire hydrants.

We are a locally owned independent record store. We have tons of music and movies, and if we don't have it we can probably get it for you.