There’s something for everyone at Alchemy Works, an Aladdin’s Cave of lifestyle and design treasures in Los Angeles’ arts district. Raan and Lindsay Parton’s self-designed concept store is stocked with goodies that start at a modest $10, but a suitcase stuffed with cash and handcuffed to a burly minder will be necessary for the centrepiece, an achingly beautiful and rare 1959 Fiat Abarth 750 Spider. A bank transfer might do it too, but would lack a certain cinematic flair.
The lovely lines of the Italian roadster’s Allemano coachwork, tailor made for sun-drenched coastline cruises, steals the show with effortless grace, a star performance worthy of Audrey Hepburn that sets off a storm of flashbulbs in the imagination. You could say I quite like it. Meanwhile, back in the real world, there are shelves fairly groaning with homewares, apothecary items and art, racks bursting with men’s and women’s clothing and accessories… you want it, Alchemy Works has got it in spades.
