Claremont Village

Was in need of a tall narrow curio cabinet. I found myself scrolling through Facebook marketplace and whoola, there is exactly what I was looking for, and cheap, to boot. Of course there was a small little glitch, it was in La Verne, CA, approximately 1 hour north (on a good day without traffic) of Long Beach, CA. So this is why I found myself travelling from the beginning to the end of the 605 freeway on a dreery Monday morning. Even on a Monday, LA traffic reared its ugly head, mostly due to a long trail of street sweepers impeding the flow. I arrived in the sleepy town of La Verne and found myself in the middle of suburbia on a dull and overcast day. Lots of winding streets and some spectacular views of the snow capped mountains. Managed to acquire the cabinet and wedge it into the truck. Mission accomplished, but now I wanted to stretch my legs and grab a snack before the long drive home. Grabbed the handy dandy Google maps to see what there was of interest close-ish.

Close by was a cute little district near Claremont colleges – Claremont Village. It is a very walkable 10 block area with some interesting shops, cute cafes, a few bars and numerous restaraunts.

Claremont Village seems to encompass Cornel Ave and College Ave E/W and First-Fourth Street N/S. Drove around the streets to get a feel for the area and found street parking on First Street near Indian Hill Blvd. Here is a link to the map of the village: http://www.thevilclare.com/map.pdf

First store I visited was Gallery Soho. It is the Pomona Valley Art Association’s gallery. As a gallery goes, this one is more artist centric, with the artists managing and running the gallery. All 3 of the people working that day were artists with work displayed in the gallery. One with assemblage/sculptural work, the second one worked in various medium and was showing off her wonderful stained glass pieces, which was her newest work. The third was what looked like pen and ink intricate dotted portraits. All 3 were very talented and passionate about their work. Getting to chat and interact with the artists made it feel more like it was an opening every day. There was a vast array of styles, as well as mediums displayed, from painting to photogaphy, and assemblage to stained glass. It is a gallery where anyone will find something they can connect to and quite possibly the artist will be there to chat with and explain their inspiration and process. For more information or to keep up to date on PVAA’s happenings visit – https://pvaa.net/

I visited on a Monday and the mood was quite calm with the grey skies and limited crowds. I envision the weekends are loud and lively and quite energetic. Mondays unfortunately make for a bit lackluster afternoon, as many shops, as well as the museums and garden are closed. Of those that were open, found a good selection of unique shops, including boutiques, vintage and eclectic stores. The clothing boutiques are not my style (nor my size), but if you need to get outfitted for a music festival you will be happy to find some unique, hippyesque clothing. Nectar did impress me with there mission to help local kids in need by donating a percentage of sales to charity. More my style is the rather extensive, dark and moody comic book shop – A Shop Called Quest – and was able to pick up a few issues I have been waiting for. If you are needing a fun and clever gift, Claremont Village has you covered with bright, cheerful store called The Grove, filled with loads of fun, funny, and colorful collections of stickers, candles, notebooks, pillows, sweatshirts– too much to list! On the ecclectic side, Budhamouse Emporium is instilled with mystical vibes carrying a large selection statues, wall hangings, crystals, candles, incense (and burners) with friendly and calm staff.

There was curated vintage store -Vintage Odyssey, which at the moment had a sweet grandmother vibe, but not in a old fashioned way, but more nostalgic with pastel tones and cut glass/crystal items. Attached to this was a garden shop. I liked meandering through the gardens with brick, stone, wood and dirt paths working well together to give off an eccletic and bohemian ambience. Nice variety of plants and they will pot the plant for you- pick out a pot and a plant and in two shakes they will have put them together in a nice tidy package for you!

Wandered over to the Claremont packing house, as there was a review that stated Iron and Kin Coffee had the best chai tea they have ever had. Being a fan of chai, thought I would give it a try. I ordered with oat milk, and it did not dissapoint. Creamy, dark black tea filled with spices and heavy on the ginger, which made it stand out as a contender as possibly the best chai I have had in California. The packing house seemed deserted with the exceptions of Iron and Kin, which was quite full, a testimant to the quality and taste of their coffee and teas.
It was an overall chill, relaxing afternoon exploring the quaint Claremont Village. I will definitely be making a trip back- not on a Monday. Might possibly end up on a weekend jaunt to see the museums, gardens and shops that were closed. Sooooo stay tuned for Claremont Village part two in the not too distant future.