Blackburn + Sweetzer Has Moved

I moved Blackburn + Sweetzer once before since launching in March, 2007—it was August of that same year, I moved my domain from its humble Blogspot beginnings to this self-hosted Wordpress BlackburnAndSweetzer.com address. I’m packing up once again to roomier territory with the launch of Mondette.com, now live! You’ll now find Blackburn + Sweetzer (http://mondette.com/blackburnandsweetzer/) on Mondette, as well as the addition of Rosewood + Martel, which expands the blog’s hyper-local coverage. While B+S encompasses West 3rd Street to Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard to La Brea Avenue, R+M covers Beverly to Santa Monica Boulevards, Fairfax Avenue to Larchmont Boulevard.

In this new and improved incarnation, you’ll find new editorial features (Portraits, Fashion, Trends, Inspirations), as well as a user-friendly Sales Calendar. You can also choose to subscribe via RSS feed, either to the entire site, just to B+S, or just to R+M. Or sign up to receive the daily Mondette Newsletter, launching soon, which will include the latest from B+S and R+M. All of this is the result of teaming up with colleagues Lilliam Rivera and Christina von Messling to bring you Mondette. Your City. Your Little World.

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Clockwise from top left pictured above: Kingsbury, Sugar Lilie, and Marcelita L’Art et Le Thé get into the Valentine’s spirit

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
WHO: West 3rd Street Boutiques, Restaurants, and more!
WHAT: Valentine’s sales, treats, and $500-plus in raffles at this pre-V-Day shopping fest, courtesy of partners WTSBA and Citysearch; if you’re driving, say “heart” to the valet for free parking; look for Kiss My Bundt “love message” heart cookies; two 60-minute massages at Healing Hands for $99, Trina Turk raffles, (while supplies last) teddy bears with $100-plus purchase at Petro Zillia, hair and nail package deal via EM & Co and Paint Shop, and much more
WHERE: West 3rd Street, between Fairfax Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard, 12pm-6pm

Related Posts:
More sales

Wasn’t sure what this place was going to be called, but new signage reveals the incoming skin care spot in the strip mall at West 3rd and Sweetzer will be Relax Zone One. Interesting choice. Is it “one” because there might be a Relax Zone “two”? Are they the number one place to relax? Not sure.

Related Posts:
Beauty—Healing Therapy & Skin Care Opening at 3rd and Sweetzer Strip Mall

I spotted the “for lease” sign at 410 North La Cienega back in April, 2008 when there were racks of Love Amour’s boutique merch still lining the walls. I’m not exactly sure when photographic art center Art & Artifact took the space, but it couldn’t have been too long ago.

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Colleague Christina von Messling is in NYC covering fashion week, and just sent over this photo taken outside the Alexander McQueen boutique, which is closed until Saturday after the news of the designer’s death. A row of sweet roses line the shuttered storefront.

• Cathy Horyn on The Loss of Alexander McQueen / NYT
• Alexander McQueen, Designer, Is Dead at 40 / NYT
• British fashion icon Alexander McQueen commits suicide days after death of his beloved mother / Daily Mail
• Alexander McQueen’s Final Tweets Reveal a Dark Side / The Cut
• Twitter Reactions to McQueen’s Death / Heard on the Runway
• Lady Gaga Was Alexander McQueen’s ‘Unofficial Muse,’ that ‘Bad Romance’ video / Heard on the Runway
• At McQueen on Melrose Ave, silence. / The Spiel
• McQueen boutique is shuttered in NYC / Racked

Custom floral and botanical design studio Krislyn has closed its retail store, but is sticking close, opening a new studio accessible through the back entrance of the same building at 8216 West 3rd Street. Per the signage, it just opened Monday and is by appointment Monday-Thursday 10am-5pm, with open studio hours on Fridays 10am-5pm.

Related Posts:
Shops—Krislyn Closing Retail Location, Opening Studio
Qs+As—Krislyn’s Striking, Beguiling Botanicals

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
WHO: Pleasure Doing Business
WHAT: Sample sale, featuring selections of bandage skirts (recent and past seasons) starting at $10
WHERE: 2042 Bay Street, Downtown, 9am-6pm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12—SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
WHO: Anya Hindmarch
WHAT: Pop-up Tattoo Parlour Anya Ink, featuring temporary body art alongside Valentine’s-worthy merch
WHERE: 118 South Robertson Boulevard, 310-271-9707, 10am-6pm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12—SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
WHO: Three Dots
WHAT: Slashed wholesale prices on women’s and men’s merch (tees, cashmere sweaters, jackets, dresses, pants, skirts and more); cash only
WHERE: 7340 Lampson Avenue, Garden Grove, 714-799-6333, 9am-5pm

Related Posts:
More sales

Master barber Woody Lovell may not have hit his February 1 deadline to debut the Barbershop Club at the Farmers Market, but work is in progress at the space next to Starbucks, which is being built out to accommodate the new but shave haven. Between this and The Proper opening just down the street, there’s a sharp increase in attention to male grooming in the neighborhood. Check another view after the jump.

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Looks to be an Italian furniture showroom coming to 8783 Beverly Boulevard at Robertson and next to The Beverly Robertson building, which houses Coffee Bean and Jersi Salon. Brands include Baxter, Bontempi and Moroso. The big picture after the jump.

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• Chili Addiction on La Cienega soft opens today! / Eater LA; previously
• Wow, 1,000 City Hall layoffs / LAist
• Radio star: The Sartorialist will be on KCRW today at 2:30pm / The Spiel
• Christian Audigier Ed Hardy-s up a Marc Jacobs bag, gets sued / The Cut
• Amazing rainbows yesterday all over the city caught through a beautiful lens / The Hundreds
• Emily Blunt on Devil Wears Prada: “I was definitely encouraged to lose weight—not because I was overweight but because I was playing a character who was edge-of-ill thin.” Check these gorgeously nude photos (that would be a hue I’m talking about) / LAT Mag; pictured right
• Leave it to the PYTs of Japan, ‘Doll Hair’ is having its moment / Refinery 29
• You smell happy / Ecouterre

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Steakhouse chain The Capital Grille is just getting started on construction at the northwest corner of the Beverly Center at 8614 Beverly Boulevard (where Hard Rock Cafe used to be), the first signs of which we saw back in August. I snapped a sliver of work in progress after the jump. Has anyone eaten at a Capital Grille on the East Coast? Is it a big ol’ chain of the Cheesecake Factory variety?

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