On a recent trip to Atlanta we noticed that both art and design are more prevalent than ever. For more than a decade now Atlanta has seen tremendous growth and with that growth comes the demand for more luxury goods. This is especially evident the boutique shopping areas such a Virginia Highlands. Here we found Highland Gifts for Men. This boutique caters to “the man who has almost everything.” We especially liked the Colonel Littleton Collection, namely the No. 1 Grip Bag (above), available at Highland Gifts for $650. I must say that there is definitely more demand for gentleman, and gentlemen have needs too.

You can expect this to be huge. Japanese retailer MUJI, which has stores in many other parts of the world, makes its US debut this November. The store will be located in New York at 455 Broadway. A flagship in Midtown Manhattan is slated to open next year. MUJI products are minimal (in form and color), unbranded, and extremely inexpensive. Literally translated, Mujirushi Ryohin, MUJI’s original name, means “no brand quality goods”. To get an idea of their products you can visit the UK online store. The images shown are of MUJI stores in Tokyo. A limited number of MUJI products have been available domestically through the MoMA Store but the new store will offer over 2,000 items. Many of them come from the minds of design greats such as Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison and Enzo Mari.

MUJI represents a return to modernism’s roots in mass produced low cost goods. The website offers these seemingly ironic thoughts, “Because there is complexity in purity. Elegance in plainness. Intricacy in streamlining. Richness in reduction. Depth in minimalism. Surprise in uniformity. Innovation in re-use. Cool in the avoidance of cool. And there is true sophistication in simplicity.”

We’re going to let you in on a little LA secret here. If you want to see what the local talent is up to, there’s a small row of shops the rest of the world hasn’t quite caught on to yet Echo Park Blvd just north of Sunset.

Here you will find some amazing little places like Han Cholo. Half art gallery, half bling boutique for the retro hipster set here in Echo Park, Han Cholo brings the underground cool of music videos and fashion magazine to life before you ghetto fabulous little eyes.

Check out the art shows the 1st Saturday of every month and see some of the most amazing underground talent, as well as a fun party.

We must warn you about Wacko. You see we have this problem, we go into “just to take a look” at the amazing assortment of art books, toys, posters, and miscellaneous cool stuff and come out $200 dollars lighter. They have the most amazing collection of pop culture goods we believe we have ever seen. Wacko gets our award for best place in Los Angeles to buy a Secret Santa gift for your office Christmas party. Of course is you’re like us, you’ll buy one fun little gift for your co-worker and three limited edition $70 art books for yourself.
If you are feeling a bit more pricey however you can check out the La Luz De Jesus Gallery housed in the back. Here you can find original prints and paintings from some of the amazing artists who’ve shown here including, the Clayton Bros, Ed Templeton, Shepard Fairy, Geoff Mc Fetridge, Mark Ryden, and Ed Coop.