Shopping in Pasadena

A collector of fine wares from around the world, Adobe has gifts and rare items you’d be hard-pressed to find outside of Ancient Persia, the Holy Roman Empire, or Middle Earth. Nab a ceramic serving platter by well-known Mexican craftsermerator Gorky Gonzalez ($45), a box of hand-rolled Perin-Mowen votive candles ($30), a bar of herbal Italian soap ($10), or velveteen, eco-amorous bamboo towels ($37).

Kitchen appliances, ornate candelabras, and other charming home essentials fill the many shelves of Marigold Houseware’s cozy boutique and online store. Imperial tea glasses and flower-dappled teapots team up with blue-tinged glass fruit bowls and platters from Walther to curate refined tablescapes. Soft-grip garlic presses squeeze out cloves in silhouettes of Julia Child, and pots of stainless steel heat colorful sauces to paint on fine china plates. Marigold Houseware's Judaica collection presents an artful take on religious wares, pairing elegant menorahs with Seder plates, Kiddush cups, and other Jewish table trappings.

Whether browsing New York Speed’s online catalog or brick-and-mortar store, shoppers sift through an extensive selection of men’s and women’s apparel and accessories. The collection primarily features the urban-inspired fashions of G-Star and Diesel, though it also includes Affliction’s graphic tees and True Religion jeans. In addition to belts, buckles, and unique accessories such as body chains, shoppers can hunt through a large clearance section to pick up a few extra items and simultaneously satisfy their wallets’ goal of moving down a weight class at their boxing club.

More than 30 world-class designers have helped Em & Co fill its shelves, clothe its mannequins, and wiggle its way into various print and online publications. Among the dashing pickings here are pieces from Vivienne Westwood, JC de Castelbajac, Stella McCartney, and Missoni. Em & Co is dedicated to fashion as art—on the walls, artwork catches any eye that's not fixated on the gallery's apparel, accessories, and très chic eye charts. The space also hosts monthly exhibits and various events featuring local talent.

Hennessey + Ingalls's eclectic bookstore sells tomes covering visual arts, such as photography, as well as interior design, landscaping, fashion photography and architecture. The founding family still owns and manages its paper-based stock, ensuring that volumes remain well organized according to the length of authors’ moustaches. Originally founded in 1963 as a refuge for rare and out-of-print books, the massive store—the Santa Monica location spans 8,000 square feet—supplies vital reference materials for local architectural firms, museums, art galleries, and schools. Hennessey + Ingalls also runs a small publishing division, which produces and distributes six titles each year, most of which are reprints focusing on California's modernist architecture and postmodernist oil paintings of avocados. They also offer a large selection of journals and notebooks. Hennessey's bibliophiles also purchase good-condition used copies and rare editions from independent owners.

When Stephanie Elhayani answered a help-wanted sign at her neighborhood flower shop as a high-school sophomore, she hardly imagined that floral arrangements would become her life's work. Several years and scores of bouquets later, Stephanie’s Seed Floral Couture artfully nestles local and organic blossoms into unique vessels-—such as teacups, wooden boxes, and overturned tricorn hats—to celebrate weddings, parties, and other special events. Custom centerpieces and tablescapes situate objects such as coral and fruit amid lush bouquets of orchids, hydrangeas, dahlias, and chrysanthemums. The boutique also hosts a series of classes designed to equip novice florists with a wealth of firsthand botanical knowledge. Lessons cover the vast spectrum of seasonal blooms, review complimentary colors and species, and demonstrate how to fend off jealous honeybees in a relaxed classroom setting.