Wanderlust on 6th & 7th

6th and 7th street between Pacific Ave, and Center Street is a hub for the San Pedro Community. Here is where you can find anything like a hair salons that share the street with a thrift shop, and an art studio. Bars and restaurants are also lining the streets, but that is for another post. This post is going to focus on the shops on the streets that sell uncommon, and nostalgic goods.  

For the most part 6th street is focused on the restaurant scene, but once you walk past the food haven you will stumble upon a nifty hole-in-the-wall bookstore, and historic movie theater.

Williams Book Store
Update: This amazing little bookstore, LA's oldest in fact, has closed. A moment of silence for this sad information. 

Williams Book Store is located at 443 W. 6th Street, San Pedro, Calif. It houses anything from comic books to marine information texts. This book store was first established in 1909, and is now run by Anne and Jerry Gusha. It is an amazing place because you can learn about the town, buy bestsellers, or catch up on your favorite superheroes all while keeping your money in a small community, and avoiding Barnes & Noble. 

Comic book section in Williams Book Store

 The Warner Grand

The Warner Grand is a historical landmark in San Pedro. According to it's website it is the only one, of three,  Art Deco theaters designed in the 20s' still in tact.  This theater is located at 478 W 6th St, Los Angeles, Calif. Today residents and tourist alike can see movies, and local, or traveling theater productions.

Man playing piano outside the Warner Grand.

When walking down 7th street you will find many shops, but mostly you will find art studios. Most buildings on this street simply put the number studio it is on the outside. But if you look hard enough you will find two pretty awesome shops that define the words Man Cave and Geekcited.  

Mantiques

Mantiques is the newest edition to the 7th street scene. Opened in early Feb. this antique shop caters to a specific group of people. Inside you can find vintage pinball machines, antique toys, and taxidermy deer heads. Mantiques is located at 359 W. 7th Street, San Pedro, Calif.

 Nathan Guarrasi, of Mantiques, and a San Pedro resident said, "San Pedro always seems to stay pretty simple, and a lot of people are into classics, which is why we opened this spot in the first place."

Inside Mantiques

The Grand Emporium

The Grand Emporium originally started out as a gift shop that sold cards, and various types of nick knacks, but today it is a geeks dream land. Whether you are a music geek, a book geek, a movie geek, or a soda geek you are sure to find something in this shop that will interest you.

Chocolate covered maple smoked bacon soda

    Chuck Klaus, Consultant and Curator of The Grand Emporium said, "San Pedro is one of the few places, in the L.A. area, that hasn't had the money to tear itself down, so there's still wonderful fragments of the past here. It's is always intriguingly on the cusp of getting better, it's a bit of a tease, but it's nice."