California Stores and Shopping

Taking their name from the 18% chromium and 8% nickel that transform regular steel into stainless steel, the staff of 18|8 Fine Men's Salons master grooming services to transform their clients into chiseled gentlemen. A greeter waits at the salon entrance with a complimentary beverage for each client and guides him to his stylist's booth or to a private or semiprivate treatment area for facials, massage, and other grooming sessions. Stylists carefully cut and color the hair of their clients, finishing Executive cuts and styles with five-minute shoulder massages and Bay Rum hot towels.

Technicians groom hands with MANicures and faces with straight-edge blade shaves and hot lather eos moisturizing shave cream. Guests can relax during 20-minute therapeutic massages to finish their visit and ease any tension built up in hands and forearms by excessive whittling.

From stainless-steel founts mounted in teal-tiled walls, Razzle Dazzle Frozen Yogurt's eponymous treat flows into cups before being sprinkled with fun toppings. A menu of flavors that rotate weekly, such as cake batter, Hawaiian Delight sorbet, and dulce de leche, form creamy swirls as customers fill their cups with their preferred portion sizes. Bins of cookies, candies, and fresh fruits wait to be spooned onto frozen peaks, creating complete treats that can be enjoyed inside the shop, on patio seating, or in your getaway car.

When it comes to musical instruction, Musician's Depot's field of talent is deep. Practiced instructors, many of whom work as studio musicians and perform in their own bands, teach almost every instrument imaginable, from guitar and drums to flute, violin, and french horn. Kids and adults alike can stop in for a lesson, peruse the stock of instruments for sale, or rent an instrument month-to-month before they commit to full ownership.

The Meat House strives for community involvement and serves up a selection of organic, all-natural, grass-fed meats to calm carnivorous cravings. Meat options include freshly butchered beef, lamb from the American Midwest, Virginia-bred pork, and exotic meats such as buffalo, alligator, and ostrich—or as it's more commonly known, the megachicken. Customers can run up meatometers with marinated steak tips ($19.98 for 2 lb.), and poultrygeists can enjoy the clucking curse of lemon-and-pepper chicken breast ($13.98 for 2 lb.). The Meat House's premium proteins are dressed with signature marinades, using a process first conceptualized by a team of synchronized-swimming bovines. The Meat House also offers customers a variety of prepared foods.

For Books Inc., it's been a long road, and if you trace the lines back to its origins, it's California's oldest bookstore. After striking gold—literally—back in 1851, Anton Roman set up shop as a bookseller. Although the shop moved, was sold, burned down, changed hands again, and was rebuilt, the spirit remained intact, and today, multiple locations of the indie bookstore have sprouted up across The Golden State. Staff members keep the shelves lined with classic and contemporary tomes in all genres, and a myriad of book clubs help keep the love of literature alive.

FastFrame’s skilled framers customize borders for an array of wall-worthy pieces. Selecting from an extensive inventory of materials, they craft frames to showcase original artwork or to endow special photographs with a dignified display. Their carefully curated conservation materials prevent works of art from fading and prevent their subjects from sprouting a 5 o’clock shadow. But the framesmiths don't limit themselves to two dimensions—sports memorabilia, kids’ artwork, and other three-dimensional objects find artistic preservation within shadowboxes. They even transform flat-screen TVs into customized, framed works of art by installing a VisionArt feature, which transmits the still image of a painting, family portrait, or favorite infomercial onto idle screens.:m]]