Make-ing Good in South Park

South Park shop brings local designers together

Make Good in South Park

When it comes to shopping for gifts in San Diego, no place is more one-of-a-kind than the newly opened boutique, Make Good, located in South Park. Customers can take their pick from the works of over forty-five local San Diego artists offering all-handmade crafts—and don’t forget to check out the second-hand clothing rack, it’s got some of the best stuff around.        

Owner Sophia Hall had never owned a boutique, but she’s an artist and more importantly, a staunch supporter of local art. It all started when Hall was working at Scoop, the ice-cream store down the street. She met the owner of a dying video store. The owner couldn’t afford help in the store, so Hall and some of her friends moved into a small corner of the woman’s store, and sold some homemade jewelry and second-hand clothing. The video store owner knew it was only a matter of time before her business would close. She told the ladies she could no longer handle the lease. With great encouragement from the business owners on both sides of the store, Hall made a fast decision to take over the whole store and open Make Good—her own boutique for local artists to sell their goods.

Searching the Internet, and the Indy designer website ETSY, Hall’s process of deciding which artists to sell has evolved over the last six months. She says her customers want things to look handmade and imperfect, but mostly they want things to be made from recycled materials. “People who shop here vote with their dollars and are committed to supporting local people and the concept of sustainability,” Hall says.

Her bestsellers are the second-hand clothing. Hunting in Salvation Army and thrift stores around the city, Hall has a keen eye for what women want. She goes through a rack of clothing a day and nothing sells for more than thirty dollars. “Why should a factory make more and pollute more when we can use great clothes for just a little bit longer,” Hall says.

Get the Print Edition Get 12 issues of San Diego Magazine for just $18.00 a year! Subscribe Now »

Get the Digital Edition San Diego Magazine is now on the iPad! Get it Now »

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to San Diego Magazine »