What's in Store: Grand

In the South End, amid such like-minded boutiques as Lekker, Motley, and Urban Living Studio, Grand might be just another hip design store (requisite blog included). But its edgy décor and studiously eclectic merchandise stand out in Somerville's Union Square, where it shares a strip with auto shops and Brazilian markets.

Opened earlier this year by Jonathan O'Toole, Wendy Friedman, and Adam Larson, who met a decade ago while working at Salem-based record label Rykodisc, Grand was designed by Larson, now an artist and cofounder of pop-culture magazine Lemon. The interior adheres to a familiar warehouse-chic aesthetic: Wicker and wooden chairs are funked up with yellow shag seat covers, a giant Klein-blue horse is stenciled on one wall, white horse-head lamps flank the register, and life-size pink piggy banks stand on the shelves ("We're all really into animals," explains Friedman, an art director at ad firm Hill, Holliday).

It's easy to navigate the spare, open space; what's harder is seeing the link that ties the products together. Grand stocks everything from baby clothes to colored pencils to toiletries to handbags, as well as exclusives like unisex Feiyue sneakers and men's Artefacture tees (prices range from $6 for a bar of locally made Taza chocolate to $400 for an Essey acrylic side table). At the moment, it all feels a bit dilettantish. But as Grand finds balance between flash and function, it's easy to see it drawing a steady stream of customers looking for tabletop accoutrements or ultramodern "just because" gifts.