The Blog

Pigment in San Diego is the kind of shop that encourages you to cozy up and stay for a couple of hours. The entranceway feels much like a living room, with a couch piled with pillows, coffee table stacked with design and food books and shelves nearby filled with even more reading material.

Chad Anglin and Amy Paul, the husband and wife duo behind the shop, originally imagined it would be more of a gallery space to showcase Amy’s art. Her work was soon sold side by side with works and products from their local designer friends. The shop has since evolved to carry really anything—greeting cards (including some from Sable and Snow), hanging glass orbs with air plants, jewelry, books, eco-friendly bags and glass water bottles.

Store manager Carissa told us, “if it strikes our fancy, you very might well see it in our shop, even if it’s totally different than what we already have. We don’t like to get stuck on one thing or idea if we don’t have to.”

The “plant lab” area of the shop allows you to build your own planter or terrarium. Remember making colored sand art as a kid? It’s sort of like that! You can choose a brightly colored sand or glittering rocks to use as the base, any shape container and plant. This interactive element of the shop has been a huge hit with customers (including our team).

The shop sometimes feels like an oddity in San Diego because it’s more of a “concept” shop. They can’t really pinpoint exactly what they are, but they mesh well with the North Park neighborhood. Aloha Sunday is just a few blocks away, and a couple of nearby vintage shops draw an eclectic crowd. After a day at the shop, they can visit URBN nearby for pizza and cocktails, and Seven Grand bar for a nightcap.

The shop was a great addition to the Common Good Market this past weekend! Plus, we were able to borrow a few succulents for the day to spice up our display.

Carissa is wearing the Ainsworth in Walnut Tortoise.

Photos by Collin Hughes

Tags: class trip, Collin Hughes, Profile, shopping