Park Life

For a dose of culture, head to Park Life in the Inner Richmond. The goal of this gallery-cum-retail space is to feature today’s most engaging contemporary art. Located in a 1,400-square-foot former furniture store, Park Life showcases 10 exhibits per year. After perusing the artwork, make your way to the retail side, which sells international art and design items, including prints, jewelry, and housewares. Park Life also collaborates with artists to release new items ranging from books and zines to T-shirts and skate decks. And if you can’t make it to the shop, Park Life’s online store features many of their products.

If you love museum gift shops, street art and clever product design, you’ll be charmed and overwhelmed by the selection of art, books, housewares and knickknacks at Park Life. An indie mart of sorts, Park Life is a carefully-curated retail and gallery space situated on a booming stretch of Clement Street in the Inner Richmond. A long table showcases the art and design books du jour, where you’ll find the likes of Yoshitomo Nara, Marcel Dzama and Ryan McGinley, while a parallel display presents T-shirts emblazoned with everything from an artful ampersand to a sea otter holding a Rubik’s cube. The limited edition framed prints, jewelry and stationery always revive my creative aspirations, and items like minimalist clocks, experimental magazines and conversation pieces such as David Shrigley’s salt and pepper shakers (labeled “Cocaine” and “Heroin”) beckon for permanent homes. Like nearby Green Apple Books, Park Life carries its share of San Francisco-inflected merchandise, from California-shaped pendants to Tucker Nichols’ spare drawings of fog and city landmarks. Whether seeking gifts or an atypical souvenir, you’ll find something to covet at this neighborhood hub of art and inspiration.

I had no idea I wanted a gummy bear-shaped LED keychain until I spotted one on a shelf in Park Life. Same goes for the world’s smallest colored pencils, a collection of drawings by David Mamet, and “The Apocalypse Issue” of Lucky Peach Magazine. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even know these things existed until I stumbled upon them in this combination art gallery/curiosity shop. Whether you actually need an obscure fashion tome or dinosaur-emblazoned t-shirt is beside the point. The selection of eyebrow-raising housewares (here’s looking at you, Mr. Pee Lamp), stationery, clothing and reading material on display in this neighborhood mainstay is sure to pique your interest and expand your imagination.