A fashion find

My mom had been telling me for some time that an adorable new clothing store had opened downtown and I should go over and check it out. She said the clothes in the store were exactly my style. But she's a mom, my mom for that matter, so what does she know? Eventually, however, I figured there would be no harm in investigating, so I did. Let me just tell you, my mom got a big hug for getting one right.

Owned by a young and stylish San Mateo couple, the store is a perfect size. Not overwhelmingly large, but not claustrophobically small. The prices are reasonable and the selection is wonderful. In addition to offering large name brands such as Citizens of Humanity, Jessica, the owner, chose to carry lesser-known names with just as much star quality.

There is a very friendly vibe to the store, which is airy and elegantly decorated. Mannequins all around the store display what's hot in fashion and suggest possible outfits for the prospective buyer. The boutique also sells sunglasses, jewelry, cell phone carriers, beach bags and more. In the fall, the store will expand to include a men's line, which will be located on the upper level, but I digress.

After my first visit, I couldn't wait to tell all my friends about my little diamond in the rough. (OK, maybe San Mateo isn't rough. But before Lulu, shopping for clothes was.) All of my friends were just as impressed with it, even my boyfriend who couldn't help but notice how soft and comfortable all the clothes felt. And if my boyfriend is impressed by a clothing store, that's impressive.

Hopefully this is only the beginning toward making San Mateo a little, say, trendier. Not that I don't love San Mateo. It's just not a shopping haven for teenage girls. If you love to eat, it's the place for you. From burritos to burgers and back, San Mateo is stacked with wonderful restaurants. And if you're looking to get your nails done, order a cup of coffee, or re-furnish your home, you've got your pick of stores. Really, if you're under 10 or over 30, downtown San Mateo's a grand old time.

But if you're a teenager like me, up until now you've been out of luck. Of course there is the movie theater, which is extremely convenient and fun for a Friday night. But even that is relatively new. Plus, the movies are for everybody, so I don't really consider that a point for us teenagers.

I must admit, however, that San Mateo skaters have been blessed in the past years. DLXSM and Environment are both great stores and a new urban clothing store called Transit is scheduled to open by the end of summer.

And now with Lulu, I no longer have to trudge all the way to San Francisco to avoid the mediocrity of Hillsdale Shopping Center and Burlingame Avenue.

Not that there's anything wrong with those two shopping destinations, but they're practically mirror images of one another. Burlingame Avenue does have a few stores that Hillsdale lacks such as Pottery Barn and J. Crew. But then Hillsdale has Banana Republic and Crate and Barrel, neither of which can be found on Burlingame Avenue. Neither shopping district has any interesting specialty stores for teens, which is precisely what the new downtown boutique Lulu offers.

Grace Kallis is a recent graduate of Aragon High School and will be attending Barnard College in New York City in January. Her column appears every Tuesday. If you have some news you'd like to send Grace's way, e-mail her at grace@smdailyjournal.com.