The Biggest Parade

Last month I went for a walk—a very famous walk—with a few friends. I’ve been writing about the Big Parade for years now, the annual, two-day, 40-mile, 110-staircase walk we do from downtown to the Hollywood sign. But this was no Big Parade.

I think this was the Biggest Parade.

As we filed through the streets of downtown, through Elysian Park tunnels, and up Silver Lake staircases (I only did day 1 and half of day 2 this year) I couldn’t believe my eyes. The line of walkers just kept going and going and going.

At some points we were 200 people strong.

Each year, the route is a little different, so I always get to see something new. But this year, we were in for a treat. I’d heard that a sidewalk ran the length of the 110 freeway, from Chinatown to Highland Park. But I’d never walked there before.

You’re basically walking in traffic, as cars going 70 miles an hour buzz by your head. It’s a little unnerving.

As far as I can tell, this stretch of the 110 used to be Figueroa Street, so all the sidewalks and lights are from before the freeway actually went in.

The fact that they kept this little passageway is so fascinating, so bizarre. As if someone would want to go for a relaxing stroll in four lanes of traffic. That said, with some improvements, it would make a great bike path.

Once you get to the northern edge of the path, you’re rewarded with incredible views of the LA River.

And you’re confronted with the many layers of our transit infrastructure.

Then, right in the middle of having your mind blown because you’ve just walked down a FREEWAY SIDEWALK, you see this…

Yeah, that’s a spiral staircase at the intersection of the 110 and 5 freeway. Had I ever seen that before? Um, no.

More Big Parade photos.

Unique SF's Analog Zone

Get ready SF! I asked my amazing friend Levi to bring his magical brand of relaxation and creativity to the first-ever UNIQUE SF. His company, The Digital Detox, holds tech-free retreats where individuals give up their smartphones and gadgets, unplug from technology, and get away from the stress of everyday life in exchange for a few days off the grid to recharge their mind, body and soul. Ummm, sounds amazing, right?! And is exactly why you should get excited about visiting the Analog Zone at UNIQUE SF...

First things first, you should know that the Analog Zone is a device free area; that means no cell phone/camera use inside the picket fence. Gasp! Come relax in the living room, let out your inner 3-year-old and write on the walls, kick your feet up, play some board games and sit back as their guest story teller take you on a roller-coaster ride of imagination. Get creative behind one of the many 1960’s typewriters and draft a letter, share an idea, and make a postcard for a friend or total stranger to pin up on their wall at home. Make sure to stop by and get your portrait drawn by one of the incredible analog artists as we create a giant mural of all the beautiful unique faces that pass by. Trust us, these portraits won’t be like anything you’ve ever had drawn of you before. Though don’t worry, they’re not going to keep your portraits forever; you’ll get it via snail mail in the coming weeks... just because we all know how much fun it is to get something in the mail.

And who says you have to forgo exercise for style. If you are looking to loosen up or need to stretch out before more shopping, The Digital Detox has you covered. They’ll be hosting 2 yoga classes a day and drop-in yoga work/playshops throughout the afternoon led by DJ and Lacey from the Hyde St. Wellness Cooperative and Zazen SF. Stoked to see you there! Just remember, no cell phones inside the cardboard picket fence :) Yoga Schedule 11:30am Morning Yoga Class 1:00pm-3:00pm 3:30pm Afternoon Yoga Class 4:30-6:00pm - Drop In Yoga Playshops: Perfect your downward dog, learn a new pose, get a 1:1 lesson or adjustment in your favorite position

Story Telling More or less, every hour, from 12:30-4:30 Live Portraits 11am-6pm

UNIQUE SF This Weekend!

UNIQUE SF is this weekend!!! Crazy right? Buy pre-sale tickets online to get a free UNIQUE pocket notebook - you can always purchase tickets for our events at the door. We donate 10% of ticket sales to our non-profit partner 826 Valencia, so you're helping community in multiple ways at UNIQUE SF!

Mama Mia! Spring Show Success

THANK YOU CALI! Last weekend's 4th Annual UNIQUE LA Spring Show was a huge success with over 16,000 shoppers coming to support our great designers/artists. Some of our favorite moments include watching 9-year-old Caine (of Caine's Arcade) take pictures with fans and see kids shout with glee as they played his cardboard games; seeing all the families/kids treating Mom to gifts and sweet treats; being a tad starstruck while meeting amazing musicians Tegan and Sara, and Paramore; and getting to see all the great products and designs from first-time vendors while finally meeting ones from Portland and NYC face-to-face.

We're excited to share that we raised thousands of dollars for our non-profit partner CicLAvia, who you should check out and go to their next ride on October 14th. Here are a handful of pictures from the show, you can browse them all and look for yourself on our Flickr page! If you'd like to download your Oh Snap Studios photos from the weekend, click here for Saturday and/or Sunday. We loved having I Spy DIY, Swellmayde and the Craft and Folk Art Museum on-hand to teach free craft projects to y'all all weekend. Thank you to all the great sponsors who help to create such a cool environment and handout freebies - it wouldn't be the same without you!

Our next shows? We've got our very first UNIQUE SF June 30 & July 1, and then we head to the Barker Hangar for our UNIQUE LA Summer Show. We hope to see you soon!

Free Spring Show Workshops...

Make Something Fab May 12 & 13

It's that time again... Our 4th Annual Spring Show is around the corner! As always we host free craft workshops all weekend long, so you can rest your feet for a few minutes and make something!

We're proud to announce our lineup of the country's top DIY bloggers - Jenni of I SPY DIY and Aimee of SWELLMAYDE.

Saturday May 12th - SWELLMAYDE: Make a wrap style or a hex-nut style bracelet with Aimee!

Sunday May 13th - I SPY DIY: Make feather earrings with Jenni!

We're tickled-pink to announce that the wonderful team from the Craft & Folk Art Museum will be showing you how to create beautiful tissue paper flowers. So grab a chair and join them anytime during the Spring Show, 11am-6pm both days. Craft on!

Spring Show 2012

SHOP FROM OVER 325 DESIGNERS & ARTISTS TO DISCOVER GREAT MADE-IN-AMERICA DESIGN... PLUS WE'RE FEATURING LA's OWN CAINE'S ARCADE - COME PLAY HIS RAD CARDBOARD GAMES & MEET CAINE AND HIS DAD (watch the video below if you don't know what we're talking about)!

When: May 12 & 13 (Saturday & Sunday)  //   11am - 6pm both days Where: The California Market Center (110 East Ninth Street, LA, CA 90079)

Cost: $10 at the door, buy online for extra perks (Kids 12 and under are free), 10% of all ticket sales go to the local non-profit organization CicLAvia.

Don't forget MOM this year... UNIQUE LA is the perfect place to find one-of-a-kind gifts, or better yet, bring the family and spend Mother's Day with us on Sunday!

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 Admission includes: • An exclusive UNIQUE LA tote featuring artwork by a local artist (to be announced)! • Unlimited re-entry for both days + our printed Vendor Directory • Free drinks from our friends at The Naked Grape Wine, BlackStar Beer, IZZE, Honest Tea, GT's Kombucha, Dry Soda, Activate water and more! • Free DIY workshops + crafts all weekend long • Free photo booth portraits and a print at the Oh Snap Studios Photo Booth • Our curated cafe area so you can grab a coffee or enjoy lunch, snacks or a sweet treat

The largest independent design show in the country, attendees get the rare chance to meet and shop directly from over 325 hand-selected designers and artists. The exciting two-day shopping event makes it easy for you to buy local and support LA's economy, discover great design and deals, join in community, and have a blast. The products at the show are proudly made right here in the USA so you're putting your dollars right back into our economy and local community! With fun for everyone plan to spend the day with us...

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Giving Back to Community

Fostering community and using the show as a vehicle to bring awareness to great local community groups is very important to us. UNIQUE  partners with a non-profit for every show and donates 10% of ticket sales to the organization. So far we’ve donated close to $30,000! This show's partner is the fantastic literacy organization 826LA! In the past we’ve partnered with Ed Begley Jr.’s’ GreenWish (which raises awareness and funds for nine local environmental groups including Friends of Los Angeles River, Surfrider Foundation and Algalita), Heal the Bay, Architecture for Humanity, 826LA, and Create Now. Thanks for helping to make this all happen!

Spring 2012 Lookbook

Our Spring Show 2012 Preview Lookbook is ready! In order to show y'all some of the great things you can buy from local designers at the Spring Show, we went to Disneyland with our friends Matt and Kandy to shoot it. Great excuse to spend a day at the park right?! Our Spring Show is right around the corner, Saturday and Sunday May 12 & 13 - which is Mother's Day weekend. Come shop, treat your mom to something fab and spend the weekend with us... See you there!

Open publication - Free publishing - More accessories

Recycle with Isidore May 12/13

This LA Social Enterprise Helps Us Do Good! We are excited to partner with Isidore Electronics Recycling, a Downtown LA electronics recycler with a social mission. In a nutshell, Isidore uses the revenue generated by its recycling business to help formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives by providing workforce training and gainful employment, while also partnering with organizations that provide comprehensive social services. To quote the website, "That’s good for the economy, the environment, and for public safety. Win, Win, Win." We couldn't agree more!

We really believe in what they are doing and thought our Spring Show shoppers would also dig the company and their mission. Soooo we created 2 ways for UNIQUE LA shoppers to get involved and support the cool new company - visit them in the lobby at the Spring Show, May 12 & 13!

E-WASTE COLLECTION - Bring old electronics to UNIQUE and get a MNKR/Isidore button pack! Got Old Electronics? Want to dispose of them in a socially and ecologically responsible way? Bring them to the Spring Show, May 12 & 13, and drop them off before you shop (bring them to the Isidore table in the lobby)! Isidore Electronics Recycling will accept anything with a plug, along with printer cartridges. Note: It's always a good idea to wipe your data, but don't worry, if you miss a few things, Isidore will make sure that all machines are clean before they go on to meet the recycling gods.

iPHONE Glass/Touch Screen REPAIR A special for UNIQUE LA Shoppers - Isidore Electronics Recycling is offering iPhone glass/touch screen replacement, completed while you shop. Repairs will take under an hour, and prices vary from $30 - $70, depending on the phone and repair type. These prices are for UNIQUE LA Shoppers only - anywhere else you're gonna pay twice as much! And don't worry, if we can't fit you in during the show, or you have another type of smartphone that needs some love, we'll work with you out of our Downtown LA location to get the repairs that you need as quickly we can. Come see us in the lobby to schedule your repair!

March 10: This is Your Library

Save the date! On March 10th I will be sharing the stage with a famous actor, a former NBA star and a best-selling author. Nah, not intimidating at all eh?! Nerves aside, I am really excited and honored to have been chosen to be featured with such an amazing caliber of talent. It's all part of the fifth This is Your Library, the Library Foundation's series of late-night talk show style events that occur after-hours at the historic Central Library, right here in downtown LA!

Being a part of this special night holds a lot of meaning to me because I'm a huge fan and supporter of the DTLA library... I grew up in LA and so visited the library a lot as a kid. I remember how special it felt to check-out books, and how "grown-up" it felt to bring them back and put them in the return bin. One of my all-time favorite childhood memories is watching puppet shows at the library with my little sister - we'd bring picnic dinners (or if we were really lucky we'd get "take out", fried Pioneer Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy) and find a spot on the floor for an evening of fun. As I grew older and discovered the Sweet Valley High series, I'd check out as many as I could at a time and would devour them cover-to-cover in days. Now as an adult I visit the library for inspiration and research. And whenever I need a place that is air conditioned in the summer, I head straight to my local library!

The thing about libraries is that they are one of the few places left that are free and open for all. Libraries don't discriminate, their doors are open for all who wish to come in and open their minds (or simply take a break at a desk in a quiet atmosphere). The This Is Your Library event is one of many that the Library Foundation of Los Angeles puts on to support and enrich the capabilities, resources, and services of the Los Angeles Public Library. Please come join me for this night of fun... Which also includes drinks and live bands! I hope to see you there...

Sweet Times at 'Local Love'

We want to thank everyone for coming out to our 1st annual Local Love event, which we held February 11 & 12. It was pretty amazing to see so many people sharing their love for LA while getting gifts for their loved ones - we even spotted a few crushes shopping, including Ty Burrell from Modern Family, Fiona Gubelmann (We heart Wilfred!) and John Boyd from 24. We'll definitely do a Local Love Event every February from now on! Remember to keep your UNIQUE key tag (shown above) on your keychain to get discounts and exclusive event invites in the future - you are part of the Local Love club!

And the winners are... Thanks to everyone who stopped by the UNIQUE booth to enter the JetBlue contest... Congrats to Lucie P. and Jason S. who each won a round-trip flight to the destination of their choice in America!

Oh Snap! Did you stop by the photo booth? You can get your electronic pics here. To see more of our official UNIQUE photos you can visit our Flickr page.

UNIQUE Jewelry Line

It's Here... Our UNIQUE Jewelry! I am super-super-super excited to announce that I have started to design a line of housewares, jewelry and clothing. Yipee! I used to design a lot, especially as an interior designer on TV, so have missed that creative aspect since starting UNIQUE LA three years ago. But now that my "baby" is growing up and I am surrounded by great people who help me nurture it, I can start to design again. #SoFab

This special sneak preview pic doesn't do the line justice but will hopefully get you excited to stop by the UNIQUE LA booth this weekend to check the full line out. Special thanks to our great friend Jen at Plastique* who made my designs right here in LA!

Our Local Love Event Map

Things are about to get sweeeeet around here! We can't wait to see everyone at our 1st Annual Local Love Event this weekend, Feb 11 & 12. We've got a treat for those who like to plan ahead... It's the handy-dandyMap & Vendor Directory(click to download and print)!

Use this to plot your route so you don't miss your favorite designers and artists. Oh, and make sure to note the Cafe area and Gourmet Edible food vendors who will keep your belly filled with delicious local-made treats. :)

DIY Valentine Matchboxes

Make a "hot" Valentine this Weekend at the Local Love Event! Shoppers at our 1st Annual Local Love Event this weekend will love the free DIY project... Sit down with the cool craft-leaders DIYFO (Do It Yourself. For Others.) and learn to make a Matchbox Valentine. Or make a few! The DIY Craft Area is always free at UNIQUE LA and runs all hours of the event, 11am - 5pm, so no sign-up is required.

"Come on baby light my fire..."

The Local Love Event

We're so excited for our First Annual Local Love event hitting town next weekend (Feb 11th and 12th). We created this new event because we love the idea of shopping for Valentine's gifts from local designers/artists, thus sharing the love within the city! We don't want to spill-the-beans but the Oh Snap Studios live photo booth is going to be really amazing, and admission comes with a UNIQUE (as in individually numbered) keychain which will get you special access to events and deals later! Yeah baby...

Check out the participants and get all the details here.

Volunteer!

You know how you always say you're going to volunteer for something? We're here to help with that! Sign up to volunteer at our shows and we guarantee it'll be the most fun job ever. You'll get to see how America's largest independent design show operates from the inside. Oh, and you'll also get a tote with goodies + 5 wristbands for friends and family + free parking and lunch! Sign up and we'll contact you prior to our shows to check your availability.

[contact-form-7 id="2485" title="Volunteer"]

Monthly Movie Nights Begin in Feb

If you love great films and LA, this is the perfect movie series for you! Once a month we'll be showing a movie at The Echoplex that takes place in-and-around the City of Angels.Sisters Sonja Rasula (the founder of UNIQUE) and Hilda Rasula (a film editor who most recently worked on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) have teamed-up to curate an amazing, and quite diverse, selection of films. This will no doubt become one of your favorite things to do... And because we believe that popcorn and movies go hand-in-hand, we'll have free popcorn at each show!

- Tickets are $10 pre-sale online only (Please note there are limited quantities. Don't miss out, buy yours now!) - Join us for dinner, a movie and drinks! There will be cocktail/beer specials all night, pizza from Two Boots, and sweet treats from local vendors available for sale. - Doors open at 7pm / Movies start at 8pm

The Debut Movie is... FEBRUARY 27: Chinatown (1974) Buy tickets now! A neo-noir classic set in Los Angeles in 1937, with a sinister plot about crime, adultery, and...wait for it...the DWP! It won Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for 10 other Oscars. Locations include Echo Park Lake, Catalina Island, a South Pasadena mansion, and one of our fav bars The Prince in Koreatown (standing in as the old A-List Hollywood hangout, The Brown Derby). This Jack Nicholson classic is a must-see whether you've watched it before or not. They just don't make them like this anymore...

Click to see the full schedule of movies!