Downtown/Chinatown isn't just for art, entertainment and dining any more. There's no question that the Cultural District has become a bigger draw with the addition of First Friday Gallery Walks and trendy new bars and eateries such as Grand Cafe, Bar 35 and Green Door.

Now it's becoming a fashionable place to shop. There are three more recently opened reasons to go shopping in the downtown area: two shops featuring unusual gifts, interior accents and accessories, and one hip new boutique for women.

Each address offers a fresh new personal perspective to Honolulu's retail scene and bears the distinctive stamp of its owners.

IN TO

Phone: 536-2211

Alan Carrel and Glenn Stewart knew what kind of shop they wanted to open before they had any idea what city they might choose to open it in. They wanted to offer an eclectic mix of gifts and accessories for the home and body that were not offered anywhere else in the city.

After a great deal of thought and travel, they chose Honolulu. A serendipitous series of circumstances brought them to Chinatown. "It all just fell into place very nicely," Stewart said as Carrel unpacked boxes of unusual contemporary lamps.

The shop is a retail round-the-world experience. There are bowls, beads and bangles from BatShop and ZenZulu in Durban, South Africa, as well as Turkish rugs, Polish glassware, Argentine silverware and soaps from the south of France.

In addition to cool and unusual lamps, chairs, patchwork pillows and bar stools, the store carries a fashion-forward line of bags and sandals called Matt & Nat from Montreal, priced under $100.

Interior designers and home seamstresses alike have long bemoaned the lack of unusual textiles in Honolulu. In To is the exclusive representative of five textile lines: Malabar Fabrics of Britain, Raoul Textiles of Santa Barbara, Calif., Creation Baumann of Switzerland, Kathryn Ireland of Santa Monica, Calif., and Alaxi Fabrics of Salt Lake City.

A great place for gifts, whether for a wedding, birthday or hostess, prices here range from $5 to $500.

And if you're a dog lover, Jett, a gentle poi-dog combo of Lab and chow, mellows out the mood.

DETAILS GALLERY

1142 Bethel St.

Phone: 546-8000

Just a few blocks away, on Bethel Street, mauka of the Hawai'i Theatre, is Details Gallery. Owned by wife and husband Melissa Vincenty and Jamie Mather, the shop began as a venue for Hanalei Bay Designs, a line of Island-designed rugs hand-woven by Tibetan refugees in Nepal.

Vincenty, formerly an attorney and now a new mother, and Mather, who has a background in anthropology, developed friendships with several families of rug makers in Nepal. At the time, they had no idea that the relationships would one day blossom into a business.

In addition to the rugs, the gallery has become a showcase for other artists, including jewelry designer Erin Callen, photographer Emily Catey and painter Isis Godfrey-Byrne. Other artists will rotate through the gallery, showing their works and giving workshops.

Details offers a plethora of Asian gift items, including enamel boxes from Kashmir, ceramic candle holders that look like ti leaves, brightly painted bamboo handbags, Thai silk and organza pillows, whimsical wire sculptures and tooled leather wallets. Unusual vintage-inspired furnishings in op-art prints add pizzazz to the loft-like interior.

It's easy to find an unusual hostess or wedding gift for under $20 in this collection that is clearly the vision of one well-traveled couple.

CRAZY BEAUTIFUL

Phone: 536-8729

On the other side of downtown, in Restaurant Row, is Crazy Beautiful, a fashion-forward women's boutique. Owners (and cousins) Tran Nguyen and Vincent Carpenter offer clothing and accessories from local design firm Fighting Eel as well as Scott Jeans, Under, Black Pearl, 6 Degrees, Javier, flipfloptrunkshow, Rubber Duckie Productions, Kukuly and Amici Accessories.

Nguyen has a varied background, having worked as a teacher, flight attendant, hospitality employee and retailer. One thing has never changed: "I've always been a shopper, and I think lots of girls are. They like to buy things to go out, and they like to look fashionable but don't want to spend too much."

Among the shop's best-sellers after just a few weeks in business are Fighting Eel's designs, as well as gauchos, tube tops, and matching earrings and necklaces from other designers.

When she opened Crazy Beautiful, the look was mainly Boho chic. Now Nguyen said she's already onto a new trend: color blocking.

Quick change is what customers can expect at Crazy Beautiful. Nguyen plans to track major trends, carry them for a short time and move on to the next thing. A goal, she said, is to enable her customers to get a head-to-toe look for about $100 — and that includes accessories.

Reach Paula Rath at prath@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5464.