Shopping � According to a 2003 survey, shopping is the No. 1 reason visitors come to Downtown Santa Monica. This is more than the ordinary shopping district.

The area is quintessential California � open-air and pedestrian-friendly, with ample parking (a rarity in Los Angeles) � and boasts a location only two blocks from the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to the sunny atmosphere, the force that drives shoppers back piquing their �I have to have it� sensibilities is the exclusive merchandise. So what�s so special about Banana Republic and Adidas? Yes, the name brands are recognizable, but the two Third Street Promenade locations are corporate flagship stores. To a shopper, flagship = extensive selection available at no other location.

And for Downtown, it�s not just product mix that�s exclusive. The Levi�s Store, Rip Curl Surf Center, lululemon athletica and Lush Handmade Cosmetics are stores that are in Santa Monica and nowhere else in Los Angeles. In fact, the flagship Santa Monica lululemon is the Canadian yoga-inspired athletic apparel manufacturer�s first foray into the U.S. market.

Downtown is not just a shopper�s paradise; it�s a retailer�s paradise as well. Starbucks recently launched its first combination Hear Music / Starbucks concept where a customer can order a latt� and have a personalized CD burned from a choice of thousands of music titles in minutes. Around the corner from Third Street Promenade are more one-of-a-kind outposts, including Midnight Special Bookstore, a social and cultural bookstore that�s been selling books and presenting ideas by hosting hundreds of speakers for 30 years; Taos Indian Trading Company, which offers turquoise, silver and Native American jewelry and arts; and Table Manners, dealing in unique pottery for kitchen and dining.

Health & Holistics � Santa Monica continuously works towards being a �green� and sustainable city. It created a first-in-world facility that now collects 95 percent of water runoff that previously had been a long-term source of pollution for the Santa Monica Bay. The city is looking towards creating more open space and green housing, among many other efforts. Going hand-in-hand with this approach is the healthy lifestyle that�s associated with beach town living and Southern California. With this has come a variety of businesses to help residents and visitors feel good, look healthy and stay fit. Downtown Santa Monica has several workout facilities (Easton�s Gym overlooking the Promenade and Equinox, coming to Downtown later this year) and spas to help bring balance to busy lives. The Akasha Center, Aqua Day Spa, Burke Williams, Healing Bodywork, Ocean Oasis Medical Day Spa and The Massage Company offer a range of services from the Turkish body scrub, stone Abhyanga massage, oxygen or estrogen facials and parafango treatment to hydrotherapy and yoga therapy, as well as an integrated medical approach to life drawing on Western, Chinese and herbal medicine.

There also are numerous shopping and dining choices to match the healthy lifestyle with a variety of homeopathic products and healthy eating options. In its elegant food preparations, Juliano�s restaurant has brought national attention to the benefits of the �raw� eating lifestyle, and Real Food Daily has a ten-year success story of serving organic vegan foods in Santa Monica. Brookstone offers massage and personal care items to make for happier, healthier and more relaxed people, such as the Pure-Ion� UV Air Purifier, which helps keep germs at bay and operates energy efficiently 24/7, and the fun F�m� pillows made with thousands of cushiony microbeads to help reduce stress.

Arts & Design � Santa Monica has become a hub for high-end design studios. Even if a $10,000 bathtub doesn�t fit the construction budget, it�s fun for visitors to peruse a showroom such as Boffi. The high-level of fit and finish achieved by Italy�s most prestigious kitchen manufacturer is evident throughout their Fourth Street space. With a 70-year legacy as a kitchen manufacturer, Boffi delivers a clean, contemporary, sleek and minimalist style to its clients.

A manufacturer of office and residential furniture since 1950, Vitra brings the work of famed U.S. designers, Charles and Ray Eames, to its Fifth Street location, along with its philosophy that rooms and interior design have a decisive influence on people�s motivation, performance and health.

Other resources for design in Downtown Santa Monica are Design Within Reach, Dolce Dormire, Knoll and Shelter, as well as Mission Tile, which specializes in decorative and handcrafted tile work. More of some of the best in inspiration � that fits on the coffee table � comes in volumes at Hennessey + Ingalls Art + Architecture Books just around the corner from the Third Street Promenade on Wilshire Blvd. in a 10,000 square-foot space. Founded in 1963, Hennessey + Ingalls has grown to become the country�s most complete bookstore, specializing in books on art, architecture, design, fashion and photography. As well, Arcana at 1229 Third Street Promenade deals in rare and out-of-print books on 20th century art, architecture, design and photography and has an inventory of more than 100,000 books.

Many galleries also make their home in Santa Monica. Among them are the 30-year-old Adamm�s Stained Glass and Gallery, with its selection of American art glass, stained and leaded glass windows at 1426 Fourth Street, and Vintage Animation, which handles collector-level animation cels. Other galleries include Art Gallery 319, Hamilton Galleries, Ming Mai Gallery and Terrence Rogers Fine Art.

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Media Contact: Maria Fotopoulos +1 310-393-8355 mfotopoulos@baysidedistrict.org