Kingdom Boutique: Benevolent Dictator of San Diego Style

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I remember exactly where I was when I turned my back on fashion's masstige moment.

Sure, I had been swept up, along with everyone else, in the tangible movement of recognizable high-end clothing logos mixed in with disposable cutting-edge designs from Zara and H & M. But then I turned on the television and there it was: my super-cute shirt draped across the augmented chest of one of MTV's Real Worlders.

I realized then that it was the same shirt in millions of women's closets across North America, making us all cookie-cutter images in a mass marketing movement.

Suddenly I didn't care that Isaac Mizrahi was designing for Target or that Karl Lagerfeld did a collection for H & M; I wanted good quality, not easily recognizable clothing that I can wear in different ways over many seasons. We used to have terms for this - quality, innovation, one-of-a-kind - and I'm happy to say that those watchwords are (finally) making a comeback in the San Diego fashion scene.

If you're looking for some quality stand-out pieces, don't head to your nearest mall. Several smart San Diego boutiques are cropping up in various neighborhoods, including East Village, North Park, Little Italy, and Hillcrest. One of the most interesting and lifestyle-encompassing new shops is Kingdom Boutique in Hillcrest where owner Domenick Gallo has stocked his shelves with everything you need for self and home, many styles you won't find available anywhere else in San Diego.

When you first enter Kingdom you're struck by how homey and welcoming the boutique is - feelings that are reinforced when meeting Domenick, the man behind the counter. Domenick was a practicing lawyer for many years before switching passions and careers to open up this store of perfectly selected goods that you didn't know you needed. But none of that matters now, because he's come around the counter to greet you and introduce you to his shop (it seems like a small jewel box of a store, but browsing there can easily take hours).

As he starts to tell you the stories behind each of the items, it happens - you fall in love and desperately want Domenick to become your new best friend. Maybe it's his utter lack of pretension, or the fascinating details of how he came to sell gorgeous bags sewn by and benefiting survivors of the 2004 tsunami disaster. Or maybe you've just fallen in love with the bags and the store and are transferring those feelings onto the charming owner. Either way, you're smitten. And your closet will be sure to thank you.

Domenick sources unique treasures from across the United States and around the world for Kingdom. He searches for things that are well-made, often handcrafted, constructed from quality materials. Take for instance, the wallets from BillyKirk that are handmade by Amish leatherworkers in Pennsylvania. The handsome billfolds are simple, sturdy, and offer their owner a sense of appreciation that comes with owning a non-mass-produced object.

At Kingdom you can purchase jewelry, accessories, clothing, and products for your home; sample skin cream from Korres, a natural line of beauty products from Greece, or try on the fast-selling Pyrrha jewelry made from old wax seals. The delicious Dorothy Lee cashmere sweaters that have been ordered for fall are, like all the lines carried in the store, only available in a single size-range. This means those hard-to-find garments will not be available to you and all of your friends - you'll have to shop together and raid each other's closets in order to enjoy all of the chic pieces in this Kingdom.

While a mixture of men's and women's clothing, accessories, and products for the home may sound like a scattered theme for a store, it's actually a combination that works very well. If you find the frock or the board shorts or the sweater that you've been searching for at Kingdom, then you are exactly the sort of person who would be excited to find a Dunlin bag for purchase on a corner shelf, or the locally designed Tolani scarves draped nearby.

The items at Kingdom are beautifully made and also classics; they are meant to be treasured and used over the years. But while they are classic they are definitely not plain. The Kingdom customer has a distinct point of view that includes an appreciation for quality and design, as well as an inventiveness to make whatever is purchased uniquely his or her own.

As Domenick speaks to me of his inspiration regarding his boutique - how he wanted to offer products that are of good quality and beautifully unique, how he loves to travel and frequent shops and restaurants that offer something new and interesting to the community in which they situated - I begin to wonder what a café or bar owned by Domenick might look like. And I begin to hope that this Kingdom turns into an Empire.

For more San Diego shopping, discover San Diego boutiques here.