Blow open Horton Plaza with a few sticks of dynamite and you'd have something like the Gaslamp Quarter, circa 1996. In some ways, the Gaslamp is a more authentic version of what Ernie Hahn's mall aspires to: a genuine pedestrian-oriented street scene, with interesting architecture and distinctive shops.

    Retailing is coming of age in the Gaslamp, boosted by the Gaslamp Quarter Association's new retailing committee, organized last spring. "The restaurants started 10 years ago and have a nice coalition," says committee chair Debi Owen, owner of Galeria Dos Damas. "They do co-op advertising and they have a presence in the city. If you think Italian food these days, you think Gaslamp, not Little Italy. We’re starting to get a critical mass of retailers, and with all the new businesses, it’s a good time to band together."

    The committee's push for visibility began with a retailing brochure; 20,000 copies were distributed, many of them during the Republican National Convention.

    Next up: a holiday promotion the first three Fridays of December, with shops staying open late, serving cookies and cider. There will be a tree lighting Friday, Dec. 6, at the William Heath Davis House, and Owen hopes to have Christmas trees in every shop window. Being discussed for Dec. 13: a "Rockefeller Center-style" skating event, incorporating either ice or roller blades. "I don’t know if we’ll pull that off this year," Owen says.

    Z Gallerie is the biggest thing to hit Gaslamp Quarter retailing in recent years. Inside, the store is wonderfully lit by a huge skylight over a three-story atrium; merchandise is comfortably spread out through the brick-walled, hardwood-floored interior, so customers never feel crowded.

    Choice items range from glass vases and a simple wrought iron bed ($629) to bed and bath goodies, road journals crafted from license plates ($45), wood desks, armoires and screens. Best of all, Z has prompted the openings of two other home-related stores nearby: Galleria del Sol and Urban Home and Office. Extending the "home" theme are Blatchford's rugs on Fifth Avenue and In Huis, with bed and bath goodies and fresh flowers, on Fourth Avenue.

    Johnny Depp stumbled through the Cuban Cigar Factory on Fifth Avenue a few months back to select some smoke, and even Dave Letterman has chomped a fat Cuban stogie from this San Diego source, thanks to his buddy Larry Himmel. Between its stores in the Gaslamp and at horton Plaza, and its factory in Centre City East, the factory produces some 6,000 cigars daily, nearly 1,000 of which are sold in the Gaslamp Quarter. Even non-smokers will be seduced by the rich aroma of endless rows of cigars — the most expensive is $12.50, so you can emulate Arnold on a modest budget.

    Wooden giraffes stand proud at African Art Wearhouse on Fifth Avenue. The hand-painted giraffes range in price from $350 to $1,800, and the store also has hand-carved masks and other imported African items.

    Easyriders, in the Brunswig Drug Building on Fifth Avenue, has a full array of stuff for Harley buffs: t-shirts and leather thingies including tiny tops for biker chicks.

    On Fourth Avenue just south of Market Street, Robson Gallery hopes for better luck than its predecessors (Faith Nightengale and Wita Gardiner). Co-owner Lela Harty is handling an interesting mix of excellent artists from around the country. A recent exhibit showcased surrealistic works by artists including San Diegan John DeMarco.

    Next door, Poupee Millet, which also has a store in Carmel, has replaced Galleria Spagnolo. Poupee sells delicate, whimsical dolls that are handmade on the premises and shipped around the world.

    Of course, the Gaslamp also has many old favorites: Cost Plus on lower Fourth, a warehouse full of affordable imports; Highlights, the designer lighting store just down the street; Louie and Mousie's, the homemade ice cream shop at Fifth and Island; Galeria Dos Damas, with its progressive mix of shows programmed by owner (and Gaslamp resident) Debi Owen; San Diego Hardware; VIP Classics, with its vintage cars; and F Street Bookstore, where you can find something in leather or rubber to surprise that special someone.

    Next month, we’ll round up the Gaslamp Quarter's fashion boutiques.