Echo Park Avenue shopping

Shoppers explore Echo Park Avenue. “People who are attracted to Echo Park are looking for a little bit of magic,” said shoe designer Beatrice Valenzuela. “They want something exciting, not perfect or pristine.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Feb. 1, 2014 5 AM PT

The stretch of Echo Park Avenue north of Sunset Boulevard is known for its close proximity to Dodger Stadium, but lately it has seen an eclectic mix of stores and restaurants open. Take a walking tour of some of the neighborhood’s recent additions here ...

Interior of the Beatrice Valenzuela showroom. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Hand-formed ceramic bowls, cups and trays by Bay Area artist Eefje Theeuws for Materia Lumina are on sale at Beatrice Valenzuela. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Materia Lumina bowl and ceramic rattles ($30) by Eefje Theeuws are sold at Beatrice Valenzuela. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Stained-glass decoration by David Scheid is on display at the Beatrice Valenzuela showroom in Echo Park. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Dark brown pottery from Puebla mixes with Talavera pottery from Mexico and shoes designed by Beatrice Valenzuela. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Hand-made brass hooks by Ramsey Conder begin at $20 at Beatrice Valenzuela. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Whimsical ceramic candleholders from Chiapas, Mexico, ($45) are seen at Beatrice Valenzuela. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A hand-loom kit by Ella Borealis is $95 at Beatrice Valenzuela. The kit comes with three balls of yarn, a needle, loom and cloth bag carrier. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Paul Bergmann adds fresh produce to the bins inside the green grocer Cookbook. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A group of young patrons visit and relax outside Chango Coffee on Echo Park Avenue. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Echo Park Avenue street scene outside Tavin, a vintage clothing store. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Scott Barry is pictured inside Ouli, the retail space and gallery he runs with Brooke Intrachat. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Floor vases and a magazine rack are part of a line of furnishings by Scott Barry and Brooke Intrachat at Ouli. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Neriagi plates by Pasadena artist Sydney deJong are on display at Ouli. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

At Ouli, a magazine rack, adjustable pin slide table and lamp are part of a line of furnishings by store owners Scott Barry and Brooke Intrachat. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A colorful chair by Echo Park artist Peter Shire is on view at Ouli. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

At the new gallery Ouli, a Zolo lamp by Brendan Timmins shares space with contemporary cashmere and wool throws starting at $215 by Sorcha. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A pedestrian walks by a colorful series of stores, including the Neighborhood Salon and Yogala, along Echo Park Avenue. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Ava Shire, left, sells her father’s sculpture and ceramics in her Neighborhood Salon. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

An angel sculpture by Peter Shire hangs from the ceiling of the Neighborhood Salon in Echo Park. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Echo Park Pottery handmade ceramic mugs and bowls start at $15 at the Neighborhood Salon. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A devil sculpture and mugs by Peter Shire decorate the bathroom of the Neighborhood Salon. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Longtime Echo Park resident and artist Peter Shire with his wife, Donna Shire, right, and daughter Ava Shire in front of his studio behind the Neighborhood Salon. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Sculpture by Peter Shire lines the parking lot outside his Echo Park Avenue studio. The artist said he hosts sales once or twice a year at the studio. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Popular pastry chef and chocolatier Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections opened the tea house and bakery Valerie Echo Park in August. The retail space includes a large selection of chocolates, jams, teas and petit fours. Gordon said she hopes to expand her offerings soon and plans to launch full afternoon tea this spring. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Outside Otherwild, Peter Shire’s former studio and frame shop. “We loved that it was part of a real neighborhood and not simply within a commercial district,” said store owner Rachel Berks. “We loved the mix of houses and trees and families with other small businesses.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Interior of Otherwild Goods & Services, a retail store and graphic design studio. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Ram Fam Pottery hooch jugs ($95) and Eyeball mugs by Anna Sew Hoy ($25) at Otherwild. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Graphic hand-printed cotton pillowcases from Gravel and Gold are $38 each at Otherwild. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Hand-carved spoons, spreaders and chopping boards by George Kelly begin at $8 at Otherwild. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Hand-woven Topaz bath mats ($280) by Brooklyn-based Nightwood are available at Otherwild. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Graphic designers Rachel Berks, left, and Marisa Suarez-Orozco in their graphic design studio and retail boutique Otherwild. “We started out as friends and built the store as a community of friends,” Suarez-Orozco said. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Otherwild’s Rachel Berks holds large heavy canvas travel totes with sturdy leather handles from Gravel and Gold ($145). (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Fix Coffee is tucked into a quiet residential stretch along Echo Park Avenue. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)