On my way to work yesterday I noticed the above window at the big Banana Republic flagship store downtown, touting an assortment of holiday gifts from local San Francisco makers. It interested me greatly to note that they have joined the ranks of apparel stores adding gift items (most notably, for me, from a publishing point of view: paper products, though not yet books) to their assortment of stuff they sell. The local angle is also especially nice.
A few months ago I was in Madewell and they were ding something similar--with items from local artisans and also local boutiques such as General Store, Curiosity Shoppe, etc.
Of course, the grandaddy of this practice is Urban Outfitters, who for years have successfully carried everything from nicknacks to lamps to books to cameras alongside their clothing.
But more and more clothing stores seem to be getting in on the act these days, particularly around the holiday season. Another relatively recent entrant is American Eagle--no longer just a clothing store for teenagers in the mall, it has recently expended into all kinds of cool stuff, like the above.
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