TAKE US TO EASY STREET

COSTA MESA

At 19th and Indie

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Just a 10-minute drive out of the shadow of South Coast Plaza, an eclectic enclave of boutiques is cropping up in Costa Mesa’s southwest area. You won’t find palm tree-lined streets dotted with organic juice bars or posh cupcake cafes. This is a landscape of strip malls and industrial parkways -- not the most obvious setting for these amazing boutiques, which elevate shopping to a creative experience full of one-of-a-kind finds.

Stylist Christina Smith opened Goat, nestled on a corner near the bustle of Newport Boulevard, one year ago. The sleek, modern space houses an array of denim and contemporary lines that read like a who’s who of hip international street style. Acne, Jovovich-Hawk, Society for Rational Dress and Alice Ritter pieces are hung on the perimeters of the store, while Rebecca Minkoff bags and Sciapo boots are under the spotlight on a walnut shelf. There are plenty of great gift finds here, including a burgundy patent chain wallet from Shih ($85), bangles with canary diamond chips from Brett Rubico ($400 for stainless steel; $560 for gold) and this season’s must-have connected scarves ($150), which cowl just perfectly, the first pieces Smith created under the Goat label.

Goat, 186 E. 16th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 645-1111.

Evocal is part boutique, part performance space. Hand-painted trucker hats, T-shirts and Converse sneakers are created by the same graffiti artists and designers who perform spoken word and break-dancing during the store’s weekly events, which means this is the place to get a gift for that guy who has everything. Artists can even customize an item for a one-of-a kind present.

Evocal, 814 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 642-4548.

Visiting Patina is like walking into a house full of old treasures. You could spend hours here, winding from room to room to see all the fun merchandise from Frye, Free People, Rory Becca and Local Celebrity. My favorite discovery? A stash of vintage boyfriend bracelets ($48) from the 1950s that make a particularly great gift if you can match the name to a friend’s special guy.

Patina, 178 Wells Place, Costa Mesa, (949) 548-1930.

The airy, industrial Generic Youth is filled with owner Jeff Yokoyama’s popular line of surf-style clothing. The fleece hoodies ($60) and graphic T-shirts are super soft and most styles are unisex, making them great buys for anyone who loves a plush, worn-in sweat shirt with a touch of nostalgic 1980s flair. Yokoyama has invited a different brand to move into half of his store space for 30 days at a time, which guarantees that there’s always something new. This month it’s Atwater, a men’s surf/street brand of logo tees, button-down shirts and amazing, custom airbrushed board shorts.

Generic Youth, 1609 Pomona Ave., Costa Mesa, (949) 650-5511.