I finally worked out my technical difficulties and am now able to post pictures from my field trip to The Flower Child in Cleveland. There are two locations,one in Cleveland ( Lakewood) and one in Columbus (Short North). I have been to both and they are so much fun! It is the ultimate retro/thrift store shopping experience. Just do an online search and you can read more detailed reviews from people that have visited both locations.(Yelp had some reviews) I went with my friend Barb on Monday, Martin Luther King Day.The weather was cold, grey and dreary as any January day might be in Northeastern Ohio so the activities were perfect for the day.
Barb and I can be a bit Lucy and Ethelish when it comes to traveling together. We almost always get lost ( which we did twice that day even with GPS) and frankly have done some pretty stupid things. One time, we were presenting a make-it-take inservice to a group of educators and after packing up everything and going home in horrible traffic we got to her house and realized we left our luggage at the hotel. So, the next day her husband was kind enough to go back for it. So any time we head out you just never know when you will see us again or the the memories that will be created.
We started out at Ohio City to eat brunch at Bon Bons, a wonderful bakery café that recently won Cupcake Wars on the Food Channel. Barb's son is friends with the bakery manager. The food was delish as I had an omelet and yummy side salad.
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| Bon Bon is located right down the street form the West Side Market which you can see in the background of this picture. |
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| Champion Cupcakes! |
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| Trendy Bakery |
We then walked across the street to the World Famous West Side Market in Cleveland. I had never been there and I highly recommend you treat yourself sometime and go! It is like a farmers market on steroids with an ethnic twist. Any foreign cuisine imaginable can be found. The space is like a huge warehouse and you can tell immediately when you arrive that it is rich with history. Interesting vendors were everywhere. I saved the cupcake treat for that stop and it was worth every calorie!
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| The windows were huge -you can take a treat upstairs and sit and enjoy the view over looking the Market. |
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| I just had to capture a photo of the ceilings! |
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| They all make you drool!!!! |
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Italian Swagger!
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Next Stop was The Flower Child in Lakewood.( We did get lost but that allowed us to see some cute neighborhoods in Ohio City and some big older homes in Lakewood.)The store is located along a little row of shops and the staff was very friendly and readily gave me permission to take pictures for this blog. The store is crammed with stuff from the 50's,60's,70's with maybe a little 80's. The have jewelry,clothing,furniture,lamps,kistch,kitchen wares, pictures,and anything else you can ever imagine. The prices are heavier that thrift store costs but I have purchased things there such as jewelry and some kitchen items. It is interesting to read the reviews because Ohioans say it is a bit pricey and out-of state folks think the prices are fine.The downstairs is a maze of stuff. You can easily spend an hour in the store browsing around. Parking is right out front. There is a great little Italian Restaurant on the corner called Papa Nicks which is very tasty.
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| Right out front was this chippy beauty! |
Then you enter a museum of radical rooms!
Lighting Effects!!
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| Barbie Couch-Where's Ken? |
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| Bark cloth |
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| Groovy Curtains! |
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| Hipster! |
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| Never leave Home Without Your Hat! |
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Men's Retro Ties
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| Let's all do the Twist! |
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| The Perfect Housewife! |
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Chips and Salsa Anyone!!
And I Just Couldn't Leave Without Taking A Picture of one Of My Favorite Things!
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I hope you are inspired
to grab a friend and go on a field trip! It really chases the winter blues away.
Thanks for stopping by! Click Link!
Cathy
