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Cabinet of wonders
You already know that I have a thing for hidden, quiet spaces tucked away within large cities. So imagine my delight when Jessica turned me onto this place.
Bell’occhio has quickly become my favorite (and most regularly visited) haunt in San Francisco. It’s easy to miss—it’s just a few steps off of the main drag of Market Street, but the little lane upon which it’s situated is so quiet that it seems transplanted from a different era.
The feeling doubles as soon as you step foot inside the shop. The place is a living, breathing Kunstkammer, with all manner of beautiful odds and ends you never knew you so desperately needed.
My favorite part, though, is the overall presentation. All her inventory is kept in baskets, drawers and wooden cabinets, like a Victorian general store. Each price tag is hand-calligraphed in flowing script. And whenever you purchase something (and I just dare you to visit and not buy something!), your items are packed in vellum envelopes and muslin drawstring bags. Which just about makes me swoon.
The owner, Claudia Schwartz, was very kind to let me take a few photos and spread the word about the place. She opened Bell’occhio in 1988, but now that this sort of aesthetic is all the rage again, I’m sure she runs a huge risk of having her ideas lifted by copycats. Ever walk into an Anthropologie? I’m pretty sure they stole their whole schtick from her. So Claudia, thank you for allowing me to share your world.
Now, whenever I return to San Francisco, I have a separate Bell’occhio budget—as crazy as that sounds. It’s the one recommendation I can offer if you’re going to come here. Otherwise, this place will have you impulse-buying before you can say, “I’ll take three of those!”
oooooo, i hope to get to SF in february, and i’m starting my “list”! bell’occhio is at the top of the list!