This place is so amazing, unique, and eclectic!! When I visited, the person work was so friendly…read moreand she introduced me to an artist who was there, working on her fun gallery exhibit! We also checked out the major selection of zones and multi-media and purchased some beautiful risograph prints! They also explained the risograph process very thoroughly and I'll definitely be signing up for one of their many creative workshops in the near future!! Go and check it out ....Highly recommended if you're looking for something different

We stumbled on this shop on a Saturday night walking around North Park. Burn All Books is actually…read morea print shop that sells some of the work artists have printed. They specialize in Risograph prints which predate laser printers and give their work a unique look and feel. There's lots of work from local artists (SD and TJ), so definitely worth a stop. Prices were also reasonable for original works. What a nice surprise find!

Open air market is a large store with many different vendors scattered throughout. There are…read moretables, shelves, racks, and booths all dedicated to various small businesses. It's very similar to the concept of SeaHive! It gives farmers market and street fair, almost. Walking through Ive noticed there are quite a few drop shippers, AI art, and temu products. I love the concept of this place but I wish they were more picky about who gets the booths. It's a shame because there are some amazing crafters and vintage shops in here.

Open Market is a new shop in Mission Valley mall just past the Target mall entrance. It has tons of…read morebooths for independent sellers. I'm drawn to places like this because I love the variety of different items and creative gift ideas. I was on my way to the post office when some of the items in the window display caught my eye. I was drawn to the fun sock display and bought a pair as a gift. I also came across a cute pink matcha mug that I had to pick up for my cousin. I walked around a bit and saw several clothing booths, though none that interested me too much. They had some locally made candy and a handmade lip balm booth. I would have preferred more handmade items, as this shop showcased a lot of booths that were clearly not homemade, as many were branded items. Also, there were several empty booths that day. Perhaps they will be filled soon. All in all, I enjoyed my trip to Open Market, but it's not my favorite market of these types.

No visit to San Diego is complete without a stop to Old Town. This is one of our favorite places to…read morevisit to get a little reminder on the history of the town's establishment as well as some souvenirs, too! The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that attract tourists from all over. If you're more into the history than the gimmicky stuff, head off the main street where you can walk through some of the old buildings and see how life used to be when it was a simpler time. I think most people stick to the one street, but don't realize that there is much more when you walk off the beaten path. There are a few small museums that are staffed with folks who would be more than happy to answer your questions and give you a lesson while you're there. Parking is available, but like everywhere else it can be hard to come by. Our trick is to do the Old Town Trolley Tour which takes you to many stops throughout the city. It gets you out and about, but skips the headache of the parking challenge. Plus, you'll learn some cool things.

Having lived just steps from Old Town Scottsdale for many years I noticed a few striking…read moredifferences between OTSD and OT Scottsdale, but I promise to stay focused on OTSD. San Diegos Old Town is a place I once passed through but never lingered that is until last week. Parking was easy and free, look for lot C. after the long drive finding a restroom was priority, they are close to lot C just past the trolly depot inside a shop and up on the 3rd floor. Stairs are scenic and there is a nice elevator. OT is comprised of a town square park and 1 main street; all are lined with shops and restaurants that make meandering interesting and enjoyable. I feel a visit to this area can be done in a half day if desired or over the course of 2 to 3 hours with lunch or dinner included. It is probably a better spot for the kids during the day and date nights after dark. No visit to Old Town is complete without having some Mexican food and there are certainly plenty of options. Expect Americanized menus and some real authentic surprises but I recommend finding a place that is making homemade tortillas and fresh squeezed margaritas. I honestly couldn't decide which old town I liked better Scottsdale, Temecula or San Diego, they all had unique charms but when in this area a stop and stroll is a no-brainer, and plan to have lunch or dinner here too.

It's an art gallery, but also a venue that can be rented out for a space to do several events. I…read morewent after hours for a indie film thingy, I would say it was very unorganized, they said door opening at 6 PM, but they let people wait in line to get photographer took pictures for marketing purposes. The catering company also there to serve people food, but then they made people buy their own stuffs and put all the free food away for themselves, we never heard of the food again. Show started at 7:30 PM, they just made people hanging out in the lobby, only a certain amount, the rest still have to wait outside in the cold, no food were served what so ever, the catering company put out the food, then the organizer boxed them and promised it will be ready for everyone after the show. Then the problem with seatings, they really don't know how to seat people, so they randomly picked people and put them to whatever seats available, then everyone else had to stand in the back the entire time. Finally the technical issue, sound and video went out of sync, camera and microphone didn't work half of the time. I understand this is low budget indie blah blah blah, but you really wasted everyone time, and you didn't get your act together. You should have done sound check and rehearsed. By the time they couldn't figure out how to fix the problem, they just let the rest of the show went on, then apologized. There was no free food, and if you wanted to buy food, the catering truck also gone. Really Bread & Salt, you need to allow more quality events to be in your venue. Please!

Over the past few years I've been to a few events and exhibits here ranging from an all women's…read moremotorcycle show with custom bikes, a band, and vendors (super rad event), to block printing work shops (cool too), and "haunted house"/art shows (meh). That said I gotta give the artists, staff, and organization of most of these events a "could be better"/2 stars as they are frequently rude -- one made a mean comment about me being a man, the art exhibits are often not very well curated, and overall the "experiences" and entrance/logistics are often very unclear, clunky, prone to oversights, and unorganized. I see from other reviews (Gary's) that this is not an infrequent occurrence. Still, I think this space is great, and depending on who organizes the event, it can be fun, but it's totally hit or miss.

Came for some postcards & left with the coolest concert outfit. This guy must have really liked me…read morebecause he let me try it on in the back, helped me with the zipper & gave me a huge, I mean HUGE discount. Wow. Who would have thunk it. I mean I spent $12 Thanks a lot, I mean Wow what great customer service I got from this souvenir store. I love San Diego Gaslamp district. It's the best! Outfit pic coming later

Chanced upon this marketplace concept hosted by Por Vida in the empty lot next to it after making a…read morerandom decision to travel deeper into the barrio instead of hopping on the freeway right away. It's a monthly event where local vendors come out to sell their hand-crafted items. Browse through jewelry, clothing, soaps, pinatas, and other vintage and re-purposed items. They even had a tarot card reader! Travel outside the lot and you'll also encounter a ton of street vendors. Get your tacos and tamals! Por vida is advertised to serve champurrado, Mexican hot chocolate in the thick form, but the tamal guy at his cart (called Tamales Pepe) served a pretty damn good version too. His chicken mole tamales at $3 each were also muy deliciosos! Such a festive & fun event! We went for their Christmas rendition called "Noche Buena" so there were lots of lights, Christmas trees, and garland everywhere. Be sure to following them on Facebook to learn about their next event. Careful with parking though; cars park in the center, turn section of the street, so travel down this road SLOWLY. Support local, support small businesses... always!

We walked into this place while we had some coffee next door at Por Vida. It's good to see some…read morecool crafty flea markets popping up around town. I've been a vendor in the past and always showcased our products at these type of markets in SF or LA due to the lack of them here. You've got everything from refurbished woodworks to handcrafted leather goods (notebooks, wallets, etc). Plenty of things to choose from for everyone. It seems like a fairly new spot so I'm sure more and more local artists and vendors will be showing up and making this a regular spot for the hipsters to be at.

Such a cool and unique store! The outside has total Beetlejuice vibes and the inside is full of…read moreunique art, pins, earrings, bags, stickers, prints - so much cool stuff! The painting on display are all from different artists with a wide variety of style and a range in pricing that makes art accessible to anyone!

What a lovely little gem! All the pottery here is so impressive! You can really tell all the…read moreartists care deeply about their Work. It was also lovely to talk to one of the potters who worked there. They were kind enough to spend about an hour talking with me and my friend about various things, and it felt like we had a community while visiting San Diego for a day. Will definitely drop by again if I'm in the area.

A little gem in the Balboa Park Spanish Village. You will find local artists' potteries. I love the…read morevariety of styles and items. Prices are fair, some unique/large pieces can be expensive but worth it. Great place to visit over and over again as they never have the same thing in the store.