Sign of the Bear Kitchenware in Sonoma, CA, is in the historic Sonoma Plaza shopping district…read more Sign of the Bear kitchenware. Say that 10 times fast. Just as fun to say, it's fun to browse even if you're not a home chef. They have brand name, quality cookware, bakeware, and kitchen items. Gifts and gadgets. Basic items (inexpensive) to "what do I do with this" specialized items (pricier). All at reasonable, competitive pricing for the brands. Locally owned since 1972. Awesome! The place is not particularly large, but they have a knack for utilizing space without feeling cluttered. I stopped in recently because I happen to be in the area and heard they carry Smithy, American made cast iron cookware. In particular I was looking for the carbon steel line of Smithy which is supposedly lighter in weight than their cast iron line. The young sales associate helped me locate the Smithy display. He was aware of the brand and knew where it was exactly in the shop. Lovely, gorgeous pieces. Pricing was on par.After doing my weightlifting kitchen curl test with a 10 inch skillet, I concluded that it is less weighty but I'm too weak to handle even that carbon steel weight. However I am uncommonly lacking the normal upper body strength. So you most likely will not have the same issue as I.

This store is fantastic. This store would be my toy store dream. The variety of kitchen items is…read morewonderful. From the least expensive budgets to the more extravagant budgets you will find what you are looking for. The representatives were very helpful and pleasant.

If you're a homeware junkie like me, this is your haven!…read more Tucked away in SF's Japantown, SF76 is a beautifully curated store featuring all things homeware, kitchenware, and cutie knickknacks. Walking in, it reminded me of an elevated Muji, but with more intentionally sourced goodies from local artists and makers. I could truly spend hours here- the selection is amazing! I ended up with a handful of adorable chopstick rests to take home.

Selection: Nice unique mix of goods. Service: Above and…read morebeyond! I bought some pencils that look like Twizzler sticks and said they were gifts. The clerk made a custom long slim gift wrap for them with loop bow and store logo sticker! So pretty & perfect!!

Williams Sonoma in Sonoma, CA…read more This is the exact shop where it all started... the Williams-Sonoma legacy that is. Charles "Chuck" Williams settled in Sonoma in 1947 after serving in WW II. He bought a hardware store but converted it to a cookware shop in 1956 specializing in French cookware. He lived above the shop. Now that exact building is a retail shop with sprinkling of Mr Williams memorabilia. That was neat. So if shopping is not your thing, drop in to take in the history. Regarding the "museum", on the first floor is a beautiful wall display of Mr Williams personal collection of French copper cookware. The second floor has a wall filled with photos memorializing his life and other personal items. And first and foremost, this is a retail shop. Compact but organized. Merchandise gorgeously displayed. The first floor is where the kitchenware, cookware, glassware, kitchen gadgets, small kitchen appliances, food, and gift items are located along with the demo kitchen where they hold cooking classes and product demos. The second floor is a bedroom display with a small seating area with lounge chairs and a desk. If parallel street parking ain't your thing, they have a private parking lot behind the shop. The shop is near Sonoma Plaza, and some folks say it's a walkable distance. I'm not one of them. But you can determine that for yourself.

We walked by this store and noticed the sign that said this was the site of the original…read moreWilliams-Sonoma store. It was originally a small hardware store owned and operated by Chuck Williams. The original store was very small. The Williams family lived upstairs. The site is part store and museum. There are many historical pictures, and some areas were restored to their original setting. It is still a functioning Williams-Sonoma store but much smaller than most stores. It was interesting and worth a visit if close by and fans of Williams-Sonoma.

I stopped by this place for a small beautiful gift for a friend who's birthday had recently past…read more The lady there was friendly and helpful. Beautiful hand painted plates, authentic quality items. I would love to come back here whenever I get my own place! I got some gold hand painted plates and some cute nic nacs. She had blank cards too so I didn't have to stop somewhere else for a birthday card.

Maria's Customer Service, french fabric selections, vintage antiques and lighting is outstanding…read more Time and time again Deborah and Rita, the daughters of Maria, generously spend much of their unending time advising on just the right selection and and placement of items. The sisters work well together whether it's with home photos or drawings prepared by Rita on the spot. They have a vision that works within the paramaters of your likes, preferences, and comfort zones. Over the past several years, with their mentoring and guidance, I have learned how to coordinate Maria's french fabrics ~ table cloths, french chair pads, chandeliers into our existing decor. Deborah and Rita are very creative and have a very good spatial sense. An example of Deborah's design skill that is viewable in the shop or on-line, is when she folds a rectangular table cloth into thirds and turns it into a runner. Deborah then places a 2nd runner on top creating an illusion of great depth and interest with complimenting fabrics. The china collections of gien, staffordshire, spode, etc. pair up quite nicely with the french fabrics as well as the vintage silverplate trays, ice buckets, silverware, and crystal presentations located throughout the store. Drop in for a custom-made cup of coffee and enjoy the view and graciousness of Deborah and Rita.

You can't miss this shop at the holidays consistently offering the best ornaments and household…read moreitems for your own home or as a gift I have many ornaments from this shop. The staff is so nice and you always see someone you know. Their coffee table books linens etc are pricey but so well Made even as inspiration one must not miss

Beware, the Holiday items are final sale. No exchange, no return. This store would not exchange a…read more$26.95 Christmas Mushroom after one day. Poor customer service for the price.

There is no place like this place. It's such a beautiful store, filled with all sorts of absolutely…read moreexquisite things, nothing like typical Mexican import places. You feel like you're in a museum surrounded by artifacts, except the prices are so reasonable. Talavera Ceramics brings the real Mexico to us. And there's no one like Lilia, the amazingly knowledgeable gal who has run the place for 20 years. She and the store are truly Bay Area treasures!

We are so happy to have our wood burning oven finally completed. The tiles we chose were special…read moreorder, but work the wait. This oven has been used for years and we finally got our tiles done, long over due. There were so many options, it was hard to choose.

Be Home Decor is a socially responsible, fair trade, and equal opportunity wholesale vendor of…read morekitchen utensils and dining essentials. The items are designed locally in Berkeley and created sustainably by artisans in Vietnam, Thailand, India, Bolivia, Indonesia, and Tunisia. They also have a few American-made items. All of the items are minimalist, modern, and elegant. Since each piece is made by hand, none of them are identical. They are known to work with businesses that are family-owned, as well as cooperatives and those with ethical business practices. You can find them hosting booths at various home and cooking trade shows both in the U.S. and abroad. Although they're open standard business hours, they are also open by appointment for wholesale orders. They're located down the road from Pottery Merchant. They have a digital catalog of products (tinyurl.com/ycsk5c9b) and they also custom make wholesale products and include logos, too. If you only want one item for your home, a few of their products are available on the Lekker Home website. Types of Items They Sell: + Bar tools + Boards + Bowls + Cake Stands + Coasters + Cooking Tools + Cups and Mugs + Flatware + Frames + Kitchen Accessories + Knife Blocks + Pitchers, Creamers, and Carafes + Plates and Bowls + Spoons + Trays + Tumblers Materials They Use: + Acacia (sustainably harvested so the roots remain intact for re-growth) + Aluminum with Enamel (tableware) + Copper (stainless steel with copper finish) + Horn (hand-crafted from water buffalo that passed from natural causes) + Galvanized Iron (utensils) + Gold (stainless steel with gold finish) + Linen (60% linen + 40% cotton hand-woven and naturally hand-dyed) + Mango Wood (from sustainably harvested non-producing mango wood trees -- a new mango wood tree is planted in its place) + White and Gray Marble (cut and crafted in India) + Olive Wood (from non-producing olive trees -- a new olive tree is planted in its place) + Onyx (stainless steel with onyx finish) + Reclaimed Wood (from gathered forest deadwood or wood from old docks, piers, barns, and doors) + Recycled Glass (mouth blown from glass soda bottles) + Recycled Paper (shopping bags) + Seashell (spoons) + Serpentinite (70% rock + 30% clay hand-made in a kiln then smoked with leaves!) + Stoneware (hand-done by Vietnamese 3rd generation artisans in an environmentally friendly kiln) + Teak (sustainably harvested) + Wire and Cane (hand-woven baskets)

Nice local store with things to make your home look like wine country. I bought some bowls but…read morethey have something for every room.

This is a well, curated, store, with elegant household items not found everywhere.In addition there…read moreare really nice and and knowledgeable staff who remember who you are and always try to be helpful. Always something tempting!

I first learned about Jered's Pottery when I had dinner at Rich Table. I make pottery myself so I…read morehave a habit of checking the bottoms of tableware when I dine out. Jered's name was on the bottom of all the pieces and they were all great! I finally had a chance to go visit Jered's Pottery myself and picked up a few pieces to take home. I even got to say hi to Jered and tour his studio. They make all of their clay and glazes in house. I got to see some in progress pieces including parts of a cool hand built sculptural boxed wall art installation. Highly recommend visiting if you're looking for functional pieces for your home!

Great pottery in the neighborhood. They have a big collection and a variety of stuff you would…read morefind. Some of them get sold to bigger brands such as Restoration Hardware so the designs are quite familiar. You can buy those items here that were rejected by such big brands for really minute flaws that I hardly ever noticed. The finish is great in the products. We got a chance to take a look in to their crafting area and it was huge! They had so many unique items that I wanted to buy all of them. They also host team building activities or private sessions for folks interested in learning the art.