Wrdsmth x West of Camden

2014 was a pivotal year for us at West of Camden. We were in a unique in-between phase, having moved on from our street fair and art show days but not yet opening our Huntington Beach location. At the time, we operated out of a tiny, 700-square-foot space that was far from ideal for retail, and foot traffic was sparse. To make it work, we had to get creative to stand out.

During this period, we started taking a chance on something new—reaching out to artists on social media whose work resonated with us. We were shooting in the dark, sending DMs to artists we admired, hoping someone would be interested in collaborating. One artist who caught our attention was Wrdsmth, known for his uplifting, typewritten quotes that adorned walls all over Los Angeles. His words spoke to us, and we reached out to see if he’d be interested in using our front wall for his next project.

Guess what? He said yes!

Wrdsmth transformed our small storefront wall into a captivating piece of art. The mural caught attention, landing on several blogs, and our shop quickly became one of his first Orange County locations where people came to snap photos. Wrdsmth even let us create a limited-edition run of tote bags featuring one of his designs alongside our logo. It was a hit and an unexpected treat for those who visited to see his work.

But as they say, all good things come to an end. Eventually, someone complained about the amount of visual art on our windows and public facing walls. Little did we know at the time, there was a city ordinance limiting the size of graphics on storefronts. After some back and forth we found a solution that allowed us to keep the Wrdsmth art on our wall. Unfortunately, we moved out a year later, and the next tenant painted over the mural.

Still, we’re grateful for the memories and the chance we took—it’s moments like these that define the West of Camden story.