Do It. Echo Park Shop Hop.

I love my block in Echo Park. On my walk home from the bus (so super convenient), I pass everything I need to survive. There are dollar-stores, markets, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, thrift stores, hipster-run small businesses, pizza (Chicago and New York style), live music venues, and, above all else, a few great book stores. Well, 826 LA's Echo Park Time Travel Mart (the local outpost of Dave Egger's nationwide literacy centers) isn't so much a book store as it is a completely-awesome-in-every-way store. But you get the idea.

Now, if you lived here, you'd already be home. But if you don't, you can experience it all at the 1st Annual Echo Park Shop Hop being held next Saturday, December 12th. After the Echo Park Parade at noon, local businesses are encouraging y'all to stick around and shop with the promise of discounts, caroling female doo wop groups, and what seems like super-fun holiday block-party chaos.

I'll remind you about it this week and even try to feature some of the holiday must-haves only available on my little corner of Sunset (like these wallets at 826LA). Yes!

Oh, and if you do live here? Make sure to add the Facebook page to support.

--Heather Robertson

Photo Credit: Flickr