The Elite Eight: San Diego's Hidden Business Gems

Sometimes it’s difficult to escape the monotony of large-scale corporations like Walmart or Starbucks, but thousands of unique businesses line the streets of our favorite city, bringing entrepreneurship to San Diego. While San Diego is currently known for start-up businesses favoring craft beer and biotechnology, that’s not all our coastal city has to offer. From fashion boutiques to delicious restaurants, San Diego has enough low-key locations to keep you shopping for years. Enjoy the secret small business world of San Diego with these eight amazing establishments. 

Kapreeza

Looking for haute lingerie to make your man shiver with anticipation? Kapreeza offers sexy couture looks for the woman in love with her lingerie drawer. From garter belts to corsets, Kapreeza provides elegant garments made from premier materials and crafted the European way. Russian for "spoiled little girl," Kapreeza was originally a home business that began in 2005 until it became established in Little Italy by Renata Carlseen.

Many designs and brands that Kapreeza carries are difficult to find in the United States, and some are exclusively sold only in Kapreeza. Each collection that Kapreeza carries has been evaluated through wearing and washing to ensure that customers only receive a luxury experience. Kapreeza also offers bachelorette parties and bridal lingerie showers for their patrons with no additional booking fees. Whether you’re looking for a night of sexy shopping with your friends or to produce a spark in your love life, Kapreeza offers a first class feel for a tantalizing tease. 

Edelweiss Bakery

Named after the flower found high in the Alps, Edelweiss Bakery has been serving San Diego delicious desserts for well over thirty years. Another business that adores all things European, the owners of Edelweiss came to San Diego in 1981 and started this European bakery, which has served Hollywood celebrities, political figures and loyal Edelweiss customers. Filled with a myriad of mouthwatering European baked goods, Edelweiss is the place to get your fix for German chocolate cake, French and Italian cannoli and apple strudels. Edelweiss Bakery makes custom cakes for any occasion, including weddings! Customers can pick from numerous cake designs, or they can bring in sketches of their ideal sugary creation.

Looking for a complex castle or electric guitar cake to celebrate a birthday? Perhaps you want custom cupcakes for

a graduation or summer soiree. Edelweiss can provide a personalized sweet treat with your desired sugar- high in mind. All of the desserts are made fresh on the premises, so stop by and taste a bite of heaven! 

City Lights Collectibles

Who says you can’t celebrate Christmas year ‘round? Brush the holiday wonder from your eyes like freshly fallen snow and enjoy City Lights Collectibles. Shoppers are surrounded by towering Christmas trees decorated in an eclectic manner featuring collectible Christmas ornaments available in the seemingly endless store. Whether you love classic glass ornaments or embellished Disney characters, City Lights puts the holly jolly in Christmas decorations every day of the year.

If you’re saying "humbug" to the Christmas spirit, fret not! City Lights Collectibles offers decorations for almost every major holiday. Deck out your home in red, white and blue for Independence Day, display your romantic heart with Valentine’s Day frills and bring out your inner Jack Skellington with classic Halloween figurines. With clever and creative decorations available throughout the year, there’s no reason not to take advantage of City Lights Collectibles and their high-end finery.

Mary's Tack and Feed

It’s time to saddle up your trusted steed! Anyone of import in San Diego rides horses in their spare time, and any accomplished rider knows that Mary’s Tack and Feed is the crème de la crème of equestrian accoutrements. Starting in 1963, Mary’s Tack and Feed began serving riders and pet owners in Southern California with anything an English or Western rider may need, including tack, apparel and decorations for the house or barn. With high-end saddles, lunging equipment, bits and bridles, horse blankets and trailer accessories, riding in style has never been easier.

A one-stop shop for riding apparel, Mary’s Tack and Feed offers clothing for men, women and children, including boots, helmets and hats. Horses aren’t the only pets Mary’s Tack and Feed caters to, either. The local empire has a wide selection of both canine and feline toys and treats, as well as leashes, collars, bowls and beds. Animal lovers unite at this San Diego staple. 

Dinosaur Gallery

Dinosaurs roaming around the main drag of Del Mar? Impossible! Unless you count the bones lining the shelves of Dinosaur Gallery.This one-of-a-kind place is the collector’s dream, offering breathtaking gemstones, historic fossils and original designs by Christine Caponelli, who worked on some of the dinosaurs featured in Jurassic Park. And it wouldn’t be a Del Mar shop without highlighting the cool waves of the Pacific Ocean. Coral and other fossilized sea specimens are available at the Dinosaur Gallery.

The fossil collection carried at Dinosaur Gallery consists of not only local fossils but international ones as well. Not interested in fossils? No problem! This diverse store also offers an assortment of crystals and jewelry, including carved and polished pieces of amber and amethyst. Perfect for any history buff, reach back in time with the Dinosaur Gallery and touch some of Earth’s ancient history. 

Krisp Beverages + Natural Foods

Prepare to enjoy flavorful grass-fed beef, fresh seafood and savory organic produce. A mini-empire in the making,

Krisp Beverages + Natural Foods is a market with a beer superstore, locally-grown produce and artisanal meats and cheeses. With some of the best craft beers from all over the world at their disposal, Krisp is one local organic store giving Whole Foods a run for its money!

One new aspect of Krisp Beverages + Natural Foods is fresh-made pizza. According to co-owners Sid and Omar

Mikhail, Krisp uses only the finest flour all of the way from Italy in their dough. There’s no pre-packaged or frozen dough here; made fresh every day, each batch of dough rises for forty-eight hours to produce flawless flavor. Pair that with a natural craft beer made from organic ingredients in their Best Damn Beer Shop, and you have a perfect family night out! 

Indian Trails Gallery

Put on your ten-gallon cowboy hat and shine your spurs; the Indian Trails Gallery offers unique Western-inspired wares. This San Diego store is a sixth generation Ortega family-owned business located in Seaport Village. The store sells authentic Native American items— such as fine jewelry, pottery and leather goods—made by the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribes.

Gorgeous handmade jewelry makes this store really shine; the stones all come from quarries in the southwest region of the United States such as Turquoise Mine Number Eight, named so because it was only after it was sold to its eighth owner that any miners found gold, turquoise or copper. Featuring an extensive selection of Western belts, buckles, spurs, wallets and purses, Indian Trails Gallery provides distinctive finds with a deep cultural background that you won’t see anywhere else in town! 

Liberty Public Market

Though not a small business in and of itself, Liberty Public Market is comprised of a myriad of artisanal businesses. Open seven days a week, the Liberty Public Market offers beer, wine, fresh produce, prepared foods and fresh coffee. With delicious treats worth devouring, Liberty Public Market is a one-of-a-kind consortium for a Saturday shopping spree! Have some free time after work? Stop by Liberty Public Market’s happy hour from 3 pm–6 pm Monday through Friday, wherein all vendors offer discounts.

Want some guidance in this conglomeration of stand- out businesses? We’ve got you covered! Treat your sweet tooth with Crafted Baked Goods; their shelves are filled with everything from gooey fudge brownies to rich whiskey walnut caramel tarts. Enjoy handmade, artisan pasta in a variety of shapes and sizes with Pasta Design. For coffee purists looking for a cool café, The WestBean Coffee Roasters offers coffee made from upscale imported beans. No matter what you’re craving, Liberty Public Market is a daily dream come true for lovers of specialty food! 

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