Leah H.
Yelp
Call me crazy, but I really don't think it's that expensive -- and I'm speaking as an underemployed freelance writer who drives a beat-up, 20-year-old Volvo and lives on a pretty darn tight budget.
Granted, some of the clothes here are out of my price range (and, truth be told, they're out of my size range, so I don't really focus on that part of the store). But I think that a lot of the housewares are relatively affordable. I stopped in this weekend, for instance, and there were gorgeous, organic cotton queen-sized blankets for $56, beautiful raw linen tea towels for under $20, pretty tote bags for under $40, etc. I often come here for birthday and housewarming gifts for friends and relatives, and can usually find something really lovely for less than $25.
Unless you're shopping at Wal-Mart, IKEA, or Cost Plus, these prices seem very much in line with what you'll pay for similar items elsewhere. Plus, even though I watch my spending very carefully, I am willing to pay a little bit more for beautiful things that are handmade by skilled artisans and that use natural materials.
Of course, there are pricier offerings as well. But for the most part they strike me as being worth saving up for -- really lovely, finely crafted items that you'll hold onto for a long time. And at the end of the day, I'd rather have fewer things -- but things that I feel good about owning -- than a bunch of made-in-China junk.