Urchin Boutique in Downtown San Diego

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On the campus of their children's private elementary school in San Diego, two stylish mothers admired each other from afar. Now, the duo owns Urchin Boutique, one of the hottest little clothing stores in Downtown San Diego.

"We both admired each other from afar at our children's school," says Araceli Santos de Bieber, co-owner of Urchin Boutique, of her partner Kathryn Davey. "When we finally met, we knew we wanted to do something artistic together."

The result: a high-end San Diego clothing boutique with an artistic touch, specializing in urban chic styles (sans "mom jeans", of course) for women and men who dare to be fashionably edgy.

Araceli, mother of two, and Kathryn, mother of three, both came from crafty backgrounds; Araceli is a jewelry maker and Kathryn is a painter. Urchin Boutique reflects their creativity through the aesthetics of its interior design as well as its apparel.

As soon as you walk into the narrow space of Urchin Boutique, the owners' accomplishments will amaze you. Industrial meets artistic in their historic Gaslamp shop. One wall is old brick, while a red leather couch sits against another on a white fur rug. The walls are lined with striking cast-iron pieces by artist Fernando Apodaca, who recently designed the body art pieces for a Pearl Jam video. One of Kathryn's own paintings hangs in the boutique's bathroom. Light fixtures dangle from the ceiling like full moons lined up in a row. Several linen dresses in blue, olive and gray are affixed behind the register.

Araceli's husband Gavin created the boutique's jewelry case with two window panes from an antique store. The upscale jewelry sold at Urchin is designed by Araceli and jewelry designer Melissa Joy Manning. Much of it reflects nature, particularly the ocean, including gold-dipped sharks' teeth and unique, natural stones such as watermelon tourmaline.

Urchin Boutique's clothes, however, reflect urban life. Kathryn hails from Dublin, Ireland, while Araceli is from the Bay area, and both women felt San Diego needed a more edgy style beyond flip-flops and tank tops.

"Coming from San Francisco, all my girlfriends and I are always striving to look unique," Araceli says. "I'm always influenced by fashion magazines, but I add my own twist. I like to dress up but it's kind of messy. It's pretty but comfortable."

Araceli and Kathryn seek out designers who are driven by aesthetics, so dresses or shirts from Urchin Boutique can become the art piece of one's closet. The boutique sells brands such as Antik Batik, Diabless, Andrea S., Nanushka and Twinkle. Key items include wrap dresses, vests, lacy shirts, high-waist trouser jeans and low-waist boot-cut jeans by California Born.

Urchin's signature styles range from bohemian hippie to urban chic, even offering a taste of the French Revolution with ruffled tops and dresses similar to those seen on the biggest runways this year. Now that fall is finally here, Urchin will be bringing in styles such as chunky-knit sweaters, velvet fabrics, knit trousers and jewel tones such as burgundy, red and gold.

Urchin also has a selection of clothing for men including sweaters by Kill City and hats by Christy's of London.

Clothing prices at Urchin Boutique range from a silky dress with a heart print for $435 down to fedora-inspired hats for $26, with the average item costing around $150. The jewelry is priced as high as $800 (for an agate slice necklace).

"We get what is on the high end of fashion, but they're still pieces you can put in your wardrobe for seasons and years to come," Kathryn says.