Pure Boutique

I am truly sad that Pure Boutique has closed. I purchased a lot of fun and unique clothes here over the years. Why is everything that I love closing???

I went into Pure Boutique to purchase a dress for my daughter, which she had previously tried on. The woman behind the counter did not even acknowledge me, even though I was the only customer in the store. She was engaged on phone. When I inquired about the dress in question, it had a 20% off sign above it. The woman replied that the only ones she was marking off at 20% were the large sizes, because she could not unload them, but all other sizes were full price. No tea, no shade, but this woman was such a bitch– and so offensive to me, I will never go back into the shop or recommend the store and it’s products ever again.

Stopped in because the window display showed some cute styles. We were the only people in the store and the person working never said hello, never acknowledged us nor did she ask if we needed help. I saw a dress that I liked but we left just to turn around and walked back in I wanted to try it on and probably buy it. Again she never spoke to us, never asked how I liked the dress or anything. I would have bought the dress if the woman behind the counter had even acknowledged we were there, probably would have bought a purse and other things but the rudeness of the worker was enough to make me walk out. Customer service is very lost on San Diego!

Do I shop at Pure? Yes. Am I a guy? Yes. Do I think it’s too expensive? Hell yes. But when I’m not on an H&M budget, I do like to shop local and/​or independent, and they have really cool t-​shirts, button ups, and denim.
But in their favor, they DO carry an interesting mix of styles for men — all extremely «trendy». You wanna look good at a bar in Feb of 2012? Pure will set you up.
Be warned, by Feb 2013 that shirt will be TIRED and OVER.
Unless it’s that t-​shirt of the whale smoking a cigarette. I love that shirt.
They have WAY more stuff for women though — all super cute. My pal Hannah thought so anyway.

«Am I high-​maintenance? Of course I am – look at me.»
–Alexis, The Real Housewives of Orange County
Yes, I probably deserve to be shot for starting a review with a Real Housewives quote, but it seems appropriate when talking about Pure.
Pure sells gorgeous threads for the high-​maintenance boys and girls among us. All kids of threads — dresses for the girls, button-​downs for the boys, and accessories for both. Lots of high-​end and trendy labels here. The store is pretty small and boutique-​y, but the selection is surprisingly thorough. In keeping with the Orange County theme, the aura of the store is very Laguna Beach (and I consider that to be a good thing).
The service here is always spot-​on. Every time I’ve walked in, I’ve been offered help, but never pressured or rushed.
Despite all this goodness… I never seem to buy anything here. It’s just really expensive. Almost everything is sold at full retail, and these brands are budget-​busters. There’s a small sale rack in the back, but it’s consistently filled with the dregs of the store’s clothing selection. (In other words, it’s mainly size-​XXL versions of the ugliest tees that they carry.)
Overall, this store is pretty cool. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, it’s not really a regular destination of mine. But, you know what they say…
«It’s not how much money you have — it’s how good you look spending it.»
–Lynne, The Real Housewives of Orange County

Edgy, creative + artsy women + men’s clothes. Not a big store by any means … giving the customer ample breathing space and room to move about easily.
Got two dresses here — a tube top that looks like someone took a mural and splashed bold paints on it and another long army green dress. About $ 30 for each. I love their dress collection — lots of unique picks.
They also have a rack of $ 5-​$ 10 clothes, fairly decent selection.
There’s a smaller section of Angry Little Asian Girl accessories and a few scarfs and sunglasses ($ 10). I passed on these but noted that they did carry a fair variety for a store their size.

A cute dress displayed at the window of this modest boutique caught my attention as I was heading towards Whole Foods. Inevitably, I went back to check it out.
The selection was limited but the styles were unique and reasonably priced. And for the ladies who don’t already have one, the boutique sells purse holders (they’re quite handy). I walked out of the boutique with a black tube top floral print dress for only $ 28; another successful day of shopping.

Has some cute items– nice owner. Decently priced, good quality– great items for men./

wow i really dig this boutique. I usually steer clear of the small clothing stores because A. they are fairly limited, and B. they are usually pricey. However today I wandered in after a successful round of buffalo exchange and my eye immediate was drawn to a cute print dress with a red ribbon (I think the brand is Mystic?)
Cute, I thought, but defensively approached the price tag.
It’s pretty hard to sway me with a straight sale price tag after doing discount shopping… I mean I got one dress for $ 5 and a top for $ 4.25 over at B.E. But surprising it was only $ 48 and damn cute when I tried it on. It’s nice that they just have curtained dressing rooms in the back that you can enter without having to be ‘checked in.‘
I’m the most indecisive person on the planet so it’s a really big deal when I instantly find something I like, try it on and it fits perfectly, and buy it without a second thought because it’s well-​priced and looks good.
And then to top it off the dress was nicely wrapped in purple tissue paper and placed in a dark green canvas tote bag with the X-​ray logo on the bottom (cute subtle design). I only spent $ 50 and I get a reusable tote bag?! Amazing in a time where a lot of business are starting to charge you for plastic bags to take your merchandise home in.
This place is definitely worth checking out. I totally did an instant bee line to the dress I got but I was given a 40% a 2^nd item flyer for a next visit and it lists Steve Madden, English Laundry, and Christopher Wicks as some of the brands they carry.
I also love that their address states they are located «Next to the Hillcrest Sign.» Yep, don’t get a better landmark than that!
Oh! Oh! And they take amex (along with all the rest)…that’s something I usually don’t expect from smaller stores. Props!

So, on the recent SD weekend outing I stopped in Pure for the first time. I was happy on this trip to see more boutiques popping up in Hilcrest. Pure was not overcrowded which I love. They had a great selection of men’s clothing and unique styles. My sizes were in stock which I always like to see. I bought a great t-​shirt that has already brought in compliments, yay! The female sales person was very helpful and very nice. I don’t know if she was the owner (Heather?), but if not the owner should be proud. I’ll return there next time I am in SD.

They just totally redid the whole store. I am so gldad they did. They have a new owner and everything. The style changed for the better. Carrying exclusive lines like GDP Clothing (my own) to more mainstream lines. Very good service and a cool atmosphere. Check them out.
love,
alfie

Pure boutique is indie and hip with a bohemian/​pop splash combo. You’ll find some well-​made and cute dresses there for an advantageous price. It is one of my favorite clothing stores in Hillcrest thanks to its eclecticism and affordable quality. If you’re familiar with Let’s Go of La Jolla, then Pure should conjure in you the same fashion response– at a lesser price, however. From my experience, the smiley staff is always ready to satiate your clothing caprices.