We happened by this collection of vendors while strolling down state st after dinner. We had a…read moregreat time chatting with vendors Lily and Dawn. I couldn't resist buying these Pom Pom earrings and this great little green bucket bag. I can't wait to use my new bucket bag for earth day this weekend!!

I think everyone who lives in Santa Barbara attended last year's Holiday Night Market inside the…read morevacant Paseo Nuevo Macy's. We all wanted to unite and help out the local businesses who were trying to make up for lost profits and wages after the natural disasters. Sadly enough, this year's Night Market was dishearteningly and abruptly cancelled in October by Paseo Nuevo leaving many artisans displaced, with hopes to find somewhere quick to sell their amazing art and goods this Holiday Season. Thanks to Santa Barbara Trading Post's Vashti Wilson who pulled strings and all her resources to throw 2019's Twilight Holiday Market. She is an Air Force mother who had experienced European markets and wanted to bring this to Santa Barbara. If you ask me, this year's market is BETTER THAN EVER! It temporarily transported me home to Chicago's Christkindlmarket--without the frigid temperatures and mandatory cider in German boot mugs! The Twilight Market is outdoors right on De La Guerra Plaza within a heated tent with Christmas lights decorating the surrounding plants and palm trees. Step inside to explore 40+ local vendors and artisans selling their creative creations. A few of my favorites were: Island View Outfitters (screen printing shirts and stickers), AZ Designz (leather goods), Horse & Carriage Co (custom string art), Hot Cherry (therapeutic cherry pit wraps and pillows), RoHo Goods (ethical Kenyan products), & Pura Luna Women's Apothecary (plant remedies and goods). Everyone was super friendly and enthusiastic, plus many more to see that I failed to mention. If you're hungry, enjoy some smoky barbecue from Kaptain's BBQ Shack... Side note: There's the option to order in advance by texting your order to 805-617-0825 including your first/last name and phone number. There is also fingerlicking popcorn from Hippy Pop Popcorn, caffeinated hot beverages from the Nitro Shack, and rotating beer and wine offerings that changes daily to support multiple breweries/wineries. Genius! During the evenings, they have bands perform to add to the ambiance and outdoor patio seating. Markets like this is what I truly love about our tiny beach town of Santa Barbara--everyone pulls together to help and support one another to make exciting things happen. I would love to see the city create a permanent shared space for all these artisans to have pop-up shop off State Street since there is so much talent. For now, feel free to ask for a business card or find them on Etsy and/or Instagram. The market is running daily for two weeks straight from December 6th-23rd Mondays-Saturdays 4 pm - 10 pm and Sundays 12 pm - 6 pm. Go support your local artisans and small businesses to make a difference this Holiday Season!

If you have a deep love for Coffee and LOVE VINTAGE ! This my dear friends is the biggest gem in…read moreBakersfield. A true hidden treasure to say the least . I fall in love every time I walk in this place, but most importantly " COFFEE FIRST " . This amazing independent business stands out as soon as you walk in. This is the coolest coffee stop in my own opinion, truly a hipster experience over all for me. - Try the spring menu ! These fun flavors have me hooked . I tried the Mango Sticky Rice and an Iced Cafe De Olla . *** STUDENT DISCOUNTS ***

My three favorite things combined: Coffee, books and shopping!…read more We come here often, mainly on Saturday mornings when my friends and I want to gab and chat, sip and sift thru each booth, or if I'm in the mood, I'll come and read while I drink a "so fetch" latte. Coffee is made with care. You can taste the skill these barista put into their craft. Location is bomb, coffee is bomb, baristas are bomb. Give them a try!

Who knew a pop-up dessert place could be this good???…read more Okay, call me a snob, but I believe a dessert location should have four walls and some little colored tables and chairs. My favorite pastry shops and ice cream parlors all fit this description. The idea of chocolate-drenched strawberries doesn't quite match the hustle and street noise you find next to a carnitas or falafel truck. So I drove by this brightly lit, cheerful, stand for almost a year before I decided I had to try it. In a war between my love of chocolate and my love of propriety, my snootiness could only hold out so long. And boy am I glad I caved! When I ordered a Dubai Chocolate Strawberry dessert, I got a big clear cup with layers of cut strawberries, warm chocolate syrup, pistachio syrup, and shredded crispy filo dough, which is like sweet shredded wheat. It all mixed together in a dessert that was TOTALLY DECADENT! They also sell gourmet Dubai Chocolate bars that have the same mix of chocolate, pistachio and filo (no strawberries). These days, I think about this place more than I should. Recently, they were absent from their corner next to Gelson's in Valley Village, and I was so worried they'd moved, I called the owner! He assured me it was only the rain keeping them away. I'll leave you with this thought. There's some amazing ice cream/gelato places around town, some terrific pastry shops, but there's only one Dubai Chocolate Strawberry stand that makes Dubai Chocolate-Covered Strawberries this good. Ya' gotta try it!

It is always fun to try new pop-up food stands, and pop-up dessert stands are a special treat…read more I just tried Strawberry, the pop-up Dubai chocolate strawberry cup stand under the Gelson's sign, on the corner of Laurel and Riverside in Valley Village. My hubby and I were helped by Jasmine, who was welcoming, sweet, and very friendly. She gave us Dubai chocolate samples, and then little sample cups of the Dubai chocolate strawberry cup topped with baked Filo dough for crunch. We wound up sharing the large Dubai chocolate strawberry cup for $18. The strawberries were plump and sweet and fresh. The pistachio cream was rich and delicious. The chocolate was melty, and as we ate, hardened into a nice little shell. The shreds of baked Filo dough gave it a very nice crunch. It was really fun having a parking lot picnic! You couldn't ask for a friendlier or nicer employee than Jasmine. She really sold it! This isn't something you eat every day because it's extremely rich, filling, and admittedly, quite expensive. But I could see myself getting a hankering and going back again one night when I'm in the mood for a sweet Dubai chocolate strawberry cup.

What an incredible place! They do popups of different franchises and so far they've had a…read moreSquare-Enix one 3 times in just the last two years! We visit every time they come back and they also had a SEGA one recently. This is located on the ground floor by Anime Jungle. Hard to miss especially since they advertise the hell out of it everywhere and there's a huge banner for it. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy, Nier, Kingdom Hearts, or even Dragon Quest, this popup is a must visit! Some of the items are released early compared to what you see online so this would be the place to get some exclusive merch! Love this place and always a fun visit. IG: @ammysalamii

Great pop up shop/event space for Little Tokyo! Make sure to follow their Instagram page as that is…read morewhere they announce their events and pop up shop collaborations. They've done some high-end, prize-figure, and kawaii collectible pop up shops with some nice collectible bags and other goods, as well as always having cute displays and photo opportunities. They've hosted pop-up maid cafe's with real food being served such as the Oinky Doink Maid cafe themed and collaborated with the Akiba Maid War anime, as well as with local maid cafes, such as Dreamland Maid cafe. The venue is also used for live events, giving a fun and underground feel if you're into indie idols and the such (or if you've seen it in anime or manga). They've hosted live events for local idols/groups and even V-tubers, along with meet and greets or buppan (when you can purchase merchandise and cheki) afterwards! During these events sometimes there's a costume/cosplay contest and open karaoke too. Great small event to have fun at. The workers here are always super friendly too. Perfect event space for weeb-related activities when there isn't a con going on!

I have been participating in events, conventions and markets for over 20 years. Marie is attentive,…read morecaring and puts her heart and soul into these events so that the brands are comfortable, have fun and enjoy the experience of selling and networking. You can tell an event firm that cares about their clients by the way they promote and keep the conversation going to empower and educate small business people.

From the owner: 818 pop up shop is a family fun organized event to help support all the small business vendors…read morearound San Fernando valley. The experience to shop small and circulate funds back into our community.

The Beauty of Joseon is holding their first pop-up ever in Los Angeles called 'Rice Wonderland' on…read moreMelrose Avenue. Be prepared, as lines can be long. I went on Saturday and waited over an hour. What's special is that you can sign up for the event and get 20% off all products, which is rare for the Korean cosmetics line because they usually don't go on sale. For this special event, they have a limited edition line of tinted sunscreens that come in various shades, so you can color-match your skin with the various samples. It was hard for me to find the right one initially, but I went with the Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen MP200, which has a pink undertone. You'll notice the second letter of the item will have a 'P' or 'N'; 'P' stands for pink, and 'N' stands for Neutral. The pink undertone works better for me. So once you get in the store, you'll be given a program/booklet. You'll want to write your name and the last four digits of your phone number, and in the program, it'll have the products, and you can list the quantity of each product you want. You give your booklet to the team members, and they'll call you when they're ready. The event has a rice bar with rice treats and a photo booth. The space is small, but you can chat with the representatives to learn more about the various products. Their most popular product is the TikTok viral sunscreen, but due to FDA regulations, the Korean version can't be sold in the States. So Beauty of Joseon had to pivot and create a new sunscreen, so check it. It was pretty good, but overall, it was a cool event!

I love skincare and when I heard there was a Beauty of Joseon pop up in LA I had to come! This pop…read moreup event exceeded my expectations. The place was well decorated and they offered yummy free Korean treats such as unlimited pink sikhye, peppero, and Yakgwa. I loved how they had all their skincare products out for you to sample with workers that gave you a full on review on the products. They also had a fun Photo Booth where you got a picture and free skincare samples after! We bought two serums there and got 20% off on top by attending the pop up. Great event for learning new products and sampling in order to be better educated to buy!

Magdelena (Maria) couldn't have pleased me any more!! Not only was she an EXPERT when it came to my…read morehair care, she was humble, courteous and comfortable! She was such a perfectionist when it came to the hair, you can tell she really LOVES doing hair and if the outcome wasn't what you expected or you think you might have changed your mind about trimming it up or changing it a bit, DONT WORRY, just speak up and let her KNOW what you think (like I did) and she will make the perfect adjustments (like she did with me). I hope you never disappear Maria because I wont go to anyone else but YOU! Thank you for making my hair experience a good one! Roberta

Stopped in because I was in Taft to take care of some business. What a beautiful salon. Nice…read morespacious, clean and well laid out. I was surprised when I walked in that is was such a big upscale looking salon for such a small town. I came on a day that only one person was working so I could not attest to how it ran when it was full of clients and hairdressers, but it is a very nice salon and looks as though it would be the kind of place to get the whole salon experience. Nice job Bangs and Tangles.