Serving San Diego’s Premier Urban Communities for 20 Years sdnorthparknews.com
Vol. 20 No. 10 October 2012
P O H S E G A N T O D N N I O L V M O R F TED lp It
IMPOR
mes o lc e W k r a P North
He The Girl Can’t
BY COLETTE MAUZERALLE
North Park has just received a welcome London transplant in the form of award-winning vintage clothing shop The Girl Can’t Help It. Once located near the famed Picadilly Circus in London, the shop’s owners — who answer to the nicknames “Sparkle Moore” and “Cad Van Swankster” — uprooted the boutique’s inventory earlier this year to ship everything to their new location nearly 5,500 miles away, in the center of North Park. Once a sign shop, the cozy building that now houses The Girl Can’t Help It underwent a full renovation in order to become suitable as a store selling clothing and collectibles. Both owners moved from London to San Diego in April 2011, and spent nearly a year seeking the perfect location before deciding to renovate this space in North Park. Having considered Hillcrest at one point during their search, Sparkle and Cad ultimately went the way of this community’s eastern neighbor, disliking the gentrification of Hillcrest, claiming it had already been “chain-stored out.” On Feb. 29, they closed their London shop to ready the inventory for its trip to San Diego. This closure came as a disappointment for London fans of The Girl Can’t Help It, including recognizable names like Rosita Missoni, supermodel Kate Moss and actresses Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightley and Eva Green. Well-known fashion houses also frequented the London shop, often to find inspiration for upcoming seasonal lines. Sparkle recalls a particular time when fashion house Prada bought nearly all of her vintage, hand-painted skirts from past eras (priced between $100 and $300) and soon after released a line of its own hand-painted skirts that mirrored those purchased from The Girl Can’t Colette Mauzeralle models a 1950s outfit from The Girl Can’t Help It boutique. Help It. The new North Park location offers an array of mid-20th century period clothing for both women and men, and focuses on carrying pieces still in mint condition. Women can browse dresses, skirts, blouses, shoes, hats and purses, and will also find authentic vintage swimsuits and bedazzled showgirl outfits from eras past. Of special note are the hand-beaded gowns displayed toward the back wall, serving as instant reminders of old Hollywood, which The Girl Can’t Help It is Cad Van Swankster and Sparkle Moore.
SEE VINTAGE, Page 10
North Park Farmers Market The sights, smells and sounds of the farm BY DELLE WILLETT
Almost everyone who travels to under-developed countries will tell you the most interesting experience they have is exploring the street markets, with their intriguing mix of colorful local people and equally colorful array of local food and handcrafts. And now, with the advent of farmers’ markets all over San Diego County, adventurous shoppers can have an international shopping experience without even packing their suitcase. And, although local sellers make the rounds of San Diego’s community farmers’ markets, each market in each community has its own style and charLyudmila Zotova pours a GreenFix organic acter. For instance: the North Park Farmsmoothie sample. ers’ Market — it not only reflects the unique character of North Park, it contributes to it. Even Forbes magazine mentions the market in its description of North Park as one of “America’s Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods.” The original North Park Farmers Market started almost 10 years ago, took a hiatus for a while, restarted in 2008, and then revamped under new management in early 2010. At that time, the market was averaging around 30 vendors each week. Today, it averages 45 to 50 on a weekly basis. Madeline Landsberg sells braided necklaces.
SEE MARKET, Page 12
NORTH PARK SCENE Forbes Discovers North Park “Culturally diverse North Park is home to Craftsman cottages, cafes and diners, coffee shops, several microbreweries, boutiques, and the North Park Farmers Market. The North Park Theater and the Ray Street Arts District are also bastions of creativity in the area.” So says Forbes magazine in its report on “America’s Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods.” North Park is listed No. 13 out of 21 areas listed. SEE SCENE, Page 5