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    Properly Improper

    5.0 (1 review)

    Services - Properly Improper

    Gift shops

    Cards and stationery

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    2 years ago

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    Olive and Cork

    Olive and Cork

    (3 reviews)

    $$$

    Rancho Bernardo

    You will think you are in Provence or anywhere south of France after entering inside Olive & Cork…read more I always think San Diego has a passion for anything French and even in this adorable gift shop you can get your Eiffel tower fix: for $40 you get a metal tower that adorns your dusty corner and brings you a little bit of oh la la. If that is not enough, there are hundreds of other not chess charming useless (or not) items. Enthusiasts of having a salt an pepper shakers with the shape of a cute petit cochon and a mignon poulet...here is your place! You can find the cutest things for your kitchen or that someone nice enough to invite you to her/his place for dinner. Be a nice guest and get something from here! This spacious and luminous store has been occupying prime winery real estate for a few months now and is a nice addendum to the other gift shops. You can get also something of relatively local flavor, such a Ramona olive oil (expensive, but who does not want the extra virgin golden liquid in their table and help the local agriculture?). You can also taste some of the oils they have on sale, all made with local products. My favorite items of all today, other than the Eiffer tower (I just love them!) was a nice poutpourri of dry roses and other exotic flower and greenery with mini terracotta pots in the bag. I will come back to pick it up when I forget that paying $22 for that hurts my pocket! But smells so good and looks even better.

    Love the olive oil selection! Our favorites are the garlic and the jalapeno! Ive been shopping…read morethere for the last three years and anytime I go to Bernardo, well, I stop in. Beautiful little place for gifts for the family, and always make a point to visit when I am on the winery grounds. My experience with the staff has always been very professional, not necessarily warm, but I am okay with that, because, well, usually I am "buzzed shopping" straight from the winery! :D

    The Grand Tea Room - Mexican roasted corn soup

    The Grand Tea Room

    (452 reviews)

    $$$

    Going here has changed my view on High Tea. I live close to…read morehere, and walk Grand Avenue a lot, I pass by the Grand tea room, a lot and have never been. I can't say I had the interest in going, however that changed and my curiosity about what a High Tea was, and the crowds here at "Tea Time" left me wanting to try it out. This was not just Tea, this was a bounty of tea, they had so many different types and flavors of tea (40+) that you sort of want to try them all, while technically you can as the tea is unlimited, but trust me you won't as the two pots of tea you start with, is a lot of tea for two! Sure, in a larger group you can try a lot more, but it's still a lot of tea. The Grand Tea, High Tea option was what we went with, and you started with a soup, followed by a tiered selection of sandwiches, desserts and scones. I assumed that I would have a snack here and then get something else to actually eat but I was filled to the brim when I left here. This place was full to capacity when we went, but you did not feel encroached on, the owner Louisa, the servers, all amazing, welcoming and nice. I feel like I was a bit unprepared as everyone else was dressed up with little hats, and my wife and I had no little hats! Next time, I will 100% at least sport that little hat, and there will be a next time, absolutely great experience!

    Having been to this lovely tea room numerous times over the years, both for afternoon tea and…read moredinner theater, I am heartbroken to say that I had a terribly disappointing experience. My friends who were visiting from Japan drove two hours to experience a proper English-style tea room at my invitation. I was carrying a gift bag, and a thoughtful employee placed it at our table while I browsed the wonderful gift shop and waited for my guests to arrive. As I headed towards the powder room, I noticed that my bag had been placed at the head of the one long table usually reserved for large parties. There were already some customers seated at the opposite end of the table, strangers to me. Noticing many small unoccupied tables throughout the room, I asked the staff if it would be possible to sit at a table for three. A woman whom I know to be the daughter of the owner replied rather abruptly, "No. They're all taken." No hint of courtesy and no effort to accommodate my request. Then she turned away, as they were busy setting up tables for the next seating. I said nothing, but I knew it would have been such a simple matter for her to make the adjustments in order to meet my needs. I worked as a hostess in a fine restaurant many years ago. Of course the tables would soon be filled for the next seating, but there were so many open ones at the moment of my request. The Grand Tea Room does not designate specific tables in advance, as far as I know, except for a large party or a special event. I returned to the front to wait for my guests, and Louisa (the proprietress of the Grand Tea Room and a perfectly lovely lady in every way) began to make pleasant small talk. I told her how happy I was to be there again, but mentioned that I was a bit disappointed with the seating arrangements this time. She immediately assured me that it was no trouble whatsoever to seat us at one of the small empty tables. My friends arrived, and we were chatting happily as we approached our gorgeous little table, when the owner's daughter suddenly rushed up to us, voice raised aggressively for all to hear. My guests, our server, and the patrons at the nearby tables were shocked when she angrily confronted me and exclaimed, "I DO NOT APPRECIATE YOU GOING OVER MY HEAD! I already told you no! I'm the owner's daughter, and you shouldn't have gone above my head! I told you NO!" For a moment I was in disbelief that she would speak to me so ungraciously in front of my guests and the entire room. And her strong reaction was strangely disproportionate to the minor circumstances at hand. I quietly told her that she was being discourteous and unprofessional. She repeated herself with even greater venom in her tone of voice, scolding me harshly, hissing again, "Don't go over my head!" Truly, this tirade was over the top. What an awkward way to begin a social occasion with friends. The tea presentation was perfect, as always. Our server was excellent. The menu was superlative, tea was delicious, food was divine, fine bone English china was exquisite, and the table was beautifully appointed with lacy accents and fresh roses. The owner, Louisa, is very earnest in her desire to offer an elevated experience. She is consistently delightful and welcoming. She has designed a charming environment. How unfortunate that this employee created a situation which prevented us from relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere completely. Naturally, I later told the owner what had transpired. Let me hasten to add that she generously volunteered to comp our bill as a goodwill gesture. Thank you, Louisa. I appreciate your kind efforts to compensate for such a horrid experience. You're doing an outstanding job with the management of your business. Unfortunately, the offensive employee's verbal attack threatened to ruin our afternoon before we had even taken our seats, and the incident caused me embarrassment while discomfiting my friends. It is ironic that my guests for tea that day are the independent owners of a string of high-end, upscale, full service restaurants located overseas in what is widely regarded as one of the most polite and respectful societies in the world. In fact, the young lady in my party had *just* graduated from university with a degree in culinary arts. Suffice to say we were utterly bemused by this employee's hostile behavior and inexplicably rude outburst. I do recommend that you support this business for its many attributes, but I caution you about this particular staff member whose manners are coarse and who appears to be having trouble discerning the fundamental tenets of customer service, while struggling to regulate her emotions in a public setting. For such a proper and genteel environment, she certainly acted in an unladylike fashion. Hopefully, she'll strive to improve her interpersonal skills as is befitting of an otherwise pleasant establishment. Five stars for the tea room; zero stars for the employee's atrocious behavior.

    Art Cafe

    Art Cafe

    (4 reviews)

    This is a great addition to the mall and something fun to do if you're just walking around…read moreshopping. They do allow walk ins, but you can book a reservation as well. You walk in and the employee will give you a run down on the process. If you want to take your ceramic home the same day, you can use acrylic paint, if you don't mind waiting you can choose to glaze it and there is a $5 firing fee. We chose to do glaze and wait a 1-2 weeks and they texted us when it was ready. (Only took a week) In terms of inventory, they have cute Knick knack ceramics you can make or kitchenware like plates, bowls, coasters, etc. I also saw people painting canvases so you really do have a lot of options if you're looking for a fun craft day. Pro tip: do multiple layers if you're gonna do glaze. I'd recommend at least 3, but 4 or 5 if you have the time.

    Art Cafe is located next to Target. If inside Target, you would have to go to the 2nd floor and…read morethen walk a tad to the left. It is across from Victoria's Secret within the mall. There are no bathrooms and you would need to walk over to use Target's. Mckenna was working the cafe when we came in. She's only one person but quite knowledgeable about the two paints offered - acrylic and glaze. Acrylic paint can be taken home same day. They apply a clear coat finishing spray and it will dry same day but may take a few hours. Anything with this paint would not be safe to eat/drink on if you get a plate/cup. Glaze will need 3 layers and would be an additional week to 2. When you paint it, it will look a bit chalkier but with the glaze, will turn shiny. There is a $5 firing fee. I believe this is okay to eat or drink after they glaze it. You could first choose which piece you want to paint, could be a cup/plate/dish or a figure. Pricing fluctuates depending on inventory. Ceramic pieces prices range from $15.99 to $50.00. They also offer canvas painting which prices range from $15.00 to $23.00. It's perfect to just paint and let your creative side come out. We enjoyed our time here painting. We also saw a few others come in either for date time or family time. One family was clever in that they had several kids, so they had each kid paint a teacup. If you don't finish or want to come back another time, you can always leave your piece with them and return to continue painting. You will need to pay though so they have your number on file to contact you (if you are getting it glazed) and also for you to resume your painting piece there. My girlfriend who was visiting, enjoyed our time here as we caught up talking and chatting while painting our shells. She had to do hers acrylic as she had to fly back to NY the next day. We ended up staying close to closing hours, so Mckenna helped do a quick spray - put it in a box for it to dry (due to the fumes) and let her take a picture of the spray to give it another layer when she went back. I did mine with glaze and got a text message it was ready a week and two days that it was ready for pick up. Very satisfied with our visit here and may come again.

    Properly Improper - giftshops - Updated May 2026

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