I was first turned onto West Elm by my metrosexual boyfriend at the time. For his birthday, I got his friends to chip in on “a coffee table he had his heart set on.” His friends have been razzing him about that ever since. Sorry, dude.

But I’ve been getting West Elm catalogs since then and the only things that stopped me from purchasing beds, bookshelves, etc. online (besides my bank account) were the shipping charges, the worry that the item would get damaged and my inability to check out the merchandise firsthand. Well, to my delight and dismay, West Elm opened its first store in Los Angeles last week! That’s right, Moroccan headboard, you are mine.

Now, I can see, feel, sniff (mmm, leather) the merchandise to my heart’s content.

And just in time for the holidays, this new store is situated right off the 3rd Street Promenade. Here, you can buy elegant but affordable gifts for your friends. For your favorite host/hostess, there’s the platinum-banded barware ($16-$29). Lovely! Or they even have a diffuser and sticks ($24) that beautifully scent up a place.

AND, if you visit the Santa Monica store now, you can enter a sweepstakes to win a $2,000 West Elm gift certificate (no purchase required). This contest ends on December 18.

West Elm
1433 4th Street
Santa Monica, California 90401
(310) 576-7270