JO on The GO: Contentment is Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and the Kitchen Store

I remember Temecula when all that was there was the big Bianca Leatherworks company to the right of the 15 freeway. A friend of mine who lived in Palm Springs designed holsters for the company, along with custom building his own long range target rifles. He was quite a man, and Temecula was just a gleam in some developer's eye. The friend has gone to Valhalla now, and Temecula has exploded into growth the way that movie popcorn does. It would be nice to have a time lapse of all the construction activity that has been carried out in Temecula over the past two decades. It has been a phenomenon. For a long time there was just the long roads peppered with small stores and homes, and then there was the creation of the Promenade Mall. The Barnes and Noble bookstore added a meeting place for book lovers and writers throughout the valley. Then the Edwards 15 Theater established itself as the most popular movie house in the area. Not to be outdone, the Tower Theater initiated the Film Festival that has grown into a mecca for independent filmmakers around the world. Several years ago I attended this festival and saw cast members of Desperate Housewives alongside Brooklyn film producers and French screenwriters gathered together in one booming town, Temecula.

Did you know that the word "Temecula" is an Indian word meaning "clouds on the ground"? The natives who lived in the valley long before the yuppies and ex-pat New Yorkers discovered it named it after the frequent ground mists that enchant fall mornings. There has been so many marvelous attractions to the Temecula town and its surrounds. All the way from the French Valley Airport to the many Wineries at the southern end of Temecula, there are a myriad of specialty stores, service businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Along with this is the charming Old Town Temecula, where art galleries and shops offering vintage furnishings, jewelry, and collectibles provide hours of browsing and enjoyable walks. Old Town has grown a great deal as well, with the infusion of custom olive oil production and sales, lavender products grown locally, and regular vintage car rallies. The Swing In restaurant on the main drag of Old Town has been the breakfast and lunch place to go for long time residents of the area. Sooner or later, most Temeculans will find themselves enjoying an egg salad sandwich at the Swing In. Mad Madelines is a favorite hamburger spot in Old Town; it offers outdoor lunches and terrific fries and drinks.

For those who like dancing, there are many dance studios in the area and for country fans, there is western line dancing at the Stampede, at the end of Old Town.  Not many people are aware of it, but in the days of the old west, gun fighters spent some time in the local towns of Temecula, Perris, and even as far east as Colton. The entire area was filled with orange groves for many years, and in the spring the heady scent of orange blossoms filled the air for many miles. Sigh.. I remember that scent. Too bad it has disappeared with the development. Still, progress continues and there are many blessings we can be thankful for. Now, if only more bookstores and theaters would be added, to make going out with the family less of a drive, then that would be great.

And finally, Temecula has arrived as a town to be taken seriously: it now has a Williams and Sonoma store as well as a Pottery Barn. These retailers have extensive kitchen and dining wares, along with general home furnishings and accessories. Upscale, these two shops offer home items that are a cut above the ordinary. In addition to these two wonderful stores, there is also a great shop called The Kitchen Store, which has all the tools a chef might use or a cake designer might need. Fondant and cutters, butter presses, marble rollers and pie crust decorations are to be found at this store. So go, have fun, explore today's Temecula. While you do that, I will be scouting for more to talk about.