High Octane Vibes
The spread of civilisation may be likened to a fire; first, a feeble spark, next a flickering flame, then a mighty blaze, ever increasing in speed and power.
Nikola Tesla
I’m a student of these things and I’ve yet to find a higher octane collection of vibes than what exists underneath the Welcome to Silverlake sign in LA’s Sunset Junction.
Gareth Kantner created this compact collection of shops and restaurants at the corner of W. Sunset Boulevard and Sanborn Avenue and opened Cafe Stella and later, Bar Stella. He combined these jewel boxes with an Intelligentsia Coffee shop, a specialty cheese shop, a florist, a private event space, and La Pharmacie du Vin, a wine bar with civilized bites including Salad Lyonnaise and Croque Monsieur.
No other real estate developers have a dad that was a member of Jefferson Airplane. Maybe Gareth was genetically predisposed to vibe creation.
Hand-painted signs abound:
The spaces are both casual and exotic.
Bohemian and refined.
Rattan bistro chairs, a fountain, and ferns.
Strung lights and a canvas awning covering a breezeway.
It feels both lived-in and exquisite.
This handful of shop spaces, totaling less than 10,000 square feet, ignited a transformation of the entire neighborhood.
Paris-meets-Tokyo fashion house Maison Kitsuné opened nearby - a result of Mr. Kantner’s work, whether they would admit or not.
Erehwon, the spectacularly priced grocer, is also a result of the spark created by Mr. Kantner.
More evidence of the growing blaze: ”Bungalow” homes by SuperLA.
Apartments stunning in both their finishes and rental rates.
The mighty blaze has now led to everything that is good and right with civilization - the opening of Deus Ex Machina - a shop dedicated to two of my favorite things: vinyl records and dirt bikes.
It’s only fitting that the high octane vibes created down the street have years later culminated with a temple for two stroke internal combustion engines.
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