Many locals and visitors alike pass through this alley in Old Towne Orange, located between the Antique Station and Haven Gastropub, as they make their way to their destination du jour not realizing they’re passing by some not so hidden treasures outside the buildings along the way.
With my out of town guest in tow (my mom, who introduced to me to antiques) I veer off the beaten path from the Plaza area in Old Town Orange (OTO) so I can introduce her to a hidden gem just down the street, Higgins Design & Interiors.
Delighted by a beautiful Garden of Eden-like entry, we make our way to the front door where the owner, Mr. Gordon Higgins, greets us. He welcomes us in and makes us feel right at home as we browse from room to room looking at all the great furniture, much of it antique.
This is on more of a personal note, but I wanted to share with you that last Friday night, my son took his first Belt Test at our local PaKua Studio in the Plaza. I was unable to be there and my sister-in-law took these pics for me (thanks BJ). I’m sharing them because, as a mom, I feel so proud looking at my 6-year old boy be so proud of himself for passing his first belt test and becoming a Yellow Belt. If you have little ones (or even older ones, or even yourself!) that are looking for a structured sport, to have fun and to really learn something that’s much more than just physical, you might check out PaKua. I’ve written them up before in more detail and you can click HERE for that post. Enjoy the photos of this proud mama!
At this point, most of you know that the Avila’s have come to OTO with their family-owned restaurant El Ranchito. I happened to be getting back from a Hawaiian vacation the day before they opened, so the next morning, with no food in the house, the family and I decided to pay them a visit for lunch. Of course, the universe played a little game on all of us that day and half the power was out in downtown Orange, including at El Ranchito. They were making it work though and still serving up their traditional recipes and margaritas! While this is pretty terrible for opening day, it made for a good memory and we had a great experience that day as well as the chance to meet owner Marcus Avila. We have been back many times since and it seems that each time, they’ve made another small change to what used to be PJs Abbey.
