SHOP TILL YOU DROP

Although some zealous real estate agents might will the areas around Vermont, Virgil, Melrose and Fountain avenues to meld with Los Feliz or Silver Lake, East Hollywood has always had its own identity. Los Angeles City College, once an early campus of UCLA, is an anchor of this vibrant, diverse residential community with its multiple commercial districts and variety of architectural styles, from Arts and Crafts to Midcentury Modern. The Melrose and Heliotrope node in the shadow of the 101 Freeway is known informally as Hel-Mel and the bicycle district, thanks to the staunch presence of Orange 20 Bikes. The Faculty, on Heliotrope, is a good place for the shopping-weary to rest and have a snack. Meanwhile, the evolution of landmarks such as Jensen’s Melrose Theatre, currently home to the Ukrainian Culture Center, ref lects complex demographic changes. The district includes Thai Town and Little Armenia. To this cultural richness and aesthetic variety, more stores lately are contributing their design savvy.

ERIC BERG has an eye for California and Spanish antiques and design styles at his Early California Antiques on Melrose Avenue.

Photog raphs by Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times CLAD HOME displays Rosa Beltran’s interior designs. She recently moved the store to the Melrose site from Silver Lake.

AT MOTLEY on Fountain Avenue, a Drew Wood painting, “Sea Fire,” is among the items sold by jack-of-all-trades Joshua Keys.

ORANGE 20 BIKES on Melrose Avenue is one of the reasons the area is sometimes called the bicycle district.

CATEYE SPECTACLES and Hutch Vintage share a block on Heliotrope Drive for the fashion forward and retro alike.

THE FACULTY offers a place to stop for a drink or a snack while shopping in the area sometimes called Hel-Mel.