Try Offbeat Ideas for Upbeat Christmas Gifts : Special Shops Throughout the Southland Will Have You Thinking Beyond the Usual for Extraordinary Presents to Delight Every Name on Your List

Christmas shopping can be the most exasperating, enervating experience. However, walk into a shop that has just the perfect parasol for Aunt Jane or a travel journal of Kenya that’s right up Grandpa’s alley--and it can be a satisfying outing.

Here are 20 places, many you might never have considered as solutions to Christmas gift-giving problems, such as nurseries, a movie-memorabilia shop, even a hardware store that is open early enough for most to stop on the way to work.

While some of the stores have already initiated their holiday hours, others won’t begin until Dec. 6. If you’re in doubt about extended hours, telephone the store before making a trip.

Armstrong Building Materials--11321 Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 477-8023. Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Fridays 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most people know Armstrong for its pony packs of pansies and pebbles by the pound, but browse awhile and all their well-chosen trinkets make this a great gift shop too. The indoor plants can’t be beat for lushness at a fair price. And for the gardener who has everything: a stone swan with a graceful neck or a bird-shaped brass faucet. The kitchen ware section is loaded with well-designed gadgets, many in natural wood or bright plastics, plus wonderful kitchen and table linens. The bath area has Scandinavian scrubbers, porpoise washcloths and bubble baths. Other possibilities: rag rugs, duck-head ceramic lamps, picture frames, notebooks and teapots. And where else can you do serious Christmas shopping at 7:30 in the morning on your way to work?

The Art Store--7200 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 933-9284. Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. An art-supply store can be a great source of gifts for both adults and kids. Splurge on a selection of Pantone felt markers, high-quality markers in fabulous artsy-craftsy colors that turn even a kindergarten project into something worth keeping. There’s an array of Conte pastels in not-strictly pastel colors. While toy-store clays are limited, the choice here ranges from self-hardening clays in both natural and bright colors, firing clays and even a Celluclay for quick papier-mache projects. Add calipers, a few wire-sculpting tools and a book and you’ve got a well-thought-out gift. Other possibilities include a selection of drafting tools: templates, graph papers and drafting board.

Brookstone--Beverly Center, 8522 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 659-9491. Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday noon-6 p.m. (Also: 456 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks,(805) 373-5070; Del Amo Shopping Plaza, Torrance, (213) 542-9424; South Bay Galleria, Redondo Beach, (213) 371-2472). You can’t miss it, it’s the only store with a humidifier in the window. Even if you haven’t penciled in a humidifier by someone’s name, you are sure to find nifty gadgets here, the kind you were perfectly content not knowing they existed, but once you know, you’ve got to have them. The New Hampshire-based Brookstone has a New England, no nonsense approach to its set up. Everything on view is for display only; the stock is kept behind closed doors. Customers browse around with a special clipboard noting their selections; complete orders are then filled by clerks. Many of these gadgets are the kind found only in catalogues such as aerator shoes (no, not a new exercise fad but a quick way to revitalize the lawn), unusual license-plate frames, wedge splitters, graceful hammocks. Each item has an information tag, a good thing because the use of many of these gizmos is not immediately apparent. While a good shop for almost any adult on your list, Brookstone is an especially good source for presents for the men on your list.

Chad’s Rainbow--Galleria at South Bay, corner of Hawthorne and Artesia, third floor, Redondo Beach, (213) 542-4648. Open Mon-day to Friday 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. This store prides itself on selling nothing that’s advertised on Saturday-morning television. Care Bear seekers, seek elsewhere. This toy shop stresses developmental toys that can mean anything from puzzles to easels. There’s a full line of Capsela building toys plus the Science Workshop series with which children as young as 4 can put together periscopes and other simple scientific instruments. There are unusual board games like Journey Through Europe for older kids and reading-oriented ones for the younger set.

Cinema Collectors--1507 Wilcox Ave., Hollywood, (213) 461-6516. Open Monday to Wednesday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-7 p.m. An original “Rebel Without A Cause” poster may be a bit too dear ($700), but there’s always “Desperately Seeking Susan” at a more manageable $10 and many more in that price range. The shop stocks only original posters, some as far back as Charles Chaplin and as far afield as Renoir’s Children of Paradise and Kurosawa’s Sven Samurai. Dean, Monroe, Garbo and Streisand are the most popular. An offbeat stocking stuffer: Sylvester Stallone’s autograph (or 600 others). This shop also features photos and out-of-print books on film.

The Dinosaur Shop--L.A. County Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 744-3489. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. If there’s a youngster on your Christmas list, you simply can’t go wrong by shopping at the museum’s strictly-for-kids shop. There’s everything you ever wanted with a dinosaur motif. From bright T-shirts (a new purple one has a pteranodon on it) to posters, erasers, stickers, even dinosaur soap and a dinosaur bath toy that changes color in the water. While the emphasis is on dinosaurs, there is an excellent selection of non-dino, yet still educational and science- or history-oriented items. There are stuffed animals, offbeat coloring books and an outstanding book collection, plus science kits, games and puzzles.

Folk Music Center--220 Yale Ave., Claremont, (714) 624-2928. Open Monday to Saturday (and Dec. 22) 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. This is Claremont Village’s pride and joy: A homey shop filled with the most exotic as well as the most humble musical instruments. Surprise someone with a hammered or mountain dulcimer, harp, autoharp, zither or just a penny whistle, bells, ocarina or pan-flute. Pick up a few inexpensive instruments for children along with some records and tapes that have been carefully selected. Some instruments are decorative as well as musical gifts--such as the Indian drums from Taos. Also in stock: children’s toys, including hand puppets, marionettes and good wooden toys.

Heavenly Choice--872 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, (213) 728-2728. Open daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Here’s the largest Betty Boop-ware collection in Southern California: cookie jars, clocks, banks, neckties, beach towels and much more. The shop’s second specialty is gifts for musicians (shoppers looking for a piano player with a crush on Betty Boop have it made). Heavenly Choice stocks ties, tie tacks, scarfs, mittens, cake plates, glasses an other assorted items that have piano keys, musical notes or guitar motifs. There’s a backward clock and a fishbowl that comes complete with its own ceramic cat swooping around it and holding the bowl up with its tail.

Holly St. Bazaar--16 E. Holly St., Pasadena, (818) 449-6919. Open daily 10:30 a.m-5:30 p.m. Easier and more accessible than a swap meet, this collection of 17 booths features well-chosen collectibles mainly from the 1920s through 1950s. Owned by individual dealers, many of the booths feature colorful California pottery, plates, bowls, pitchers and vases from Catalina and Bauer. The selection is excellent. Another strong area is Bakelite and rhinestone jewelry from the 1930s and 1940s. Bakelite is an early plastic that has taken on a pleasant caste over the years. This is a place to poke around and spy a perfect Mickey Mouse lunch box from the 1950s, banana-leaf draperies from the 1940s and Art Deco accessories from the 1930s.

Hollywood Magic--6614 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 464-5610. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Dec. 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. When nothing will do but a joy buzzer or a whoopee cushion, a magic shop is the place to prowl. Hollywood Magic, one of the oldest, caters to practical jokers as well as professional magicians from the Magic Castle. If you can’t bear to buy the kid in your life another robot, how about a magic trick (like the cut-and-restored-rope trick), even a book on magic (more than 2,000 titles here). You’ll find a ventriloquist dummy and juggling rings, balls or clubs. And back to the practical joke department--better for a co-worker than the postman--this shop stocks more than a thousand things to bring on the laughs.

Inside--715 8th Ave., San Diego, (619) 233-8201. Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Known for its avant-garde furniture, lighting and accessories, this year Inside is offering a good selection of small, gift items--something they haven’t really gone in for before, but will probably keep after the holidays. The Alessi line from Italy--stainless steel tea pots, kettles and bowls by well-known designers like Michael Graves and Ettore Sottsass--are discounted 20%, as are most items in the shop. An unusual gift would be one or more of the “Deco” tools: functional but decorative hammers, saws and screwdrivers from Japan. Other gift ideas are the handmade ceramic mugs and bowls by Jim Makins, all with satiny glazes in Fiestaware-type colors.

Nonesuch Gallery--1211 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (213) 393-1245. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., plus Dec. 8, 15 and 22 noon-5 p.m. Call it Southwest, Western, Santa Fe, Mexican, Cowboy--if that’s your style, this is your shop. If someone on your list is into the new Mary Emmerling (of “American Country” fame) “Western Country” book, this is the book come to life. Owner Gloria List has turned this two-room shop into a little bit of Taos in our own backyard. From lavish feather headdresses, primitive Tarahumara pots, old serapes, New Mexican furniture to amusing accessories, everything here seems carefully chosen. There’s something in every price range. A tall case holds Indian and Mexican silver jewelry, from simple round earrings to knock-em-dead concho belts. Also: hard to find red-chili lights for the Christmas tree, plus tree decorations shaped like cowboy boots or hats and pinon incense.

Peace and Plenty--7324 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 937-3339. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Dec. 1, 8 and 15, hours are 1-5 p.m. Although the antique quilts are to-die-for, Peace and Plenty is also filled with dozens of smaller gift ideas. All have a folksy, homey Americana feeling--even if they are imported from China, like the straw-house boxes done in quaint American and English architectural styles. There are wooden apples in several sizes (perfect teacher gifts), handmade wreaths from the Georgia Sea Islands, stencil-trimmed slates, plates with Merry Christmas written across them, papier-mache animals and little log reindeers. For quilt lovers: patchwork pincushions, quilt calendars or miniature quilts. Owner Sabra Petersmann will host an open house with refreshments on Sunday. Roger’s Gardens--2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, (714) 640-6774. Open daily 9 a.m. -9 p.m. Every year, Roger’s Gardens is turned into a Christmas fantasy with 60,000 lights, a live Santa Claus and lavishly decorated theme trees. Not your typical nursery. All the ornaments are for sale, including the 160 items on the celebrity tree that have been autographed and donated by such celebrities as Bob Hope, Tom Selleck and Lee Remick. A popular gift every year is the color bowls, containers filled with Christmasy arrangements of tiny pine, cyclamen and poinsettias. The nursery features the Ecke’s poinsettias, considered to be among the best available. In addition to the unusual holiday gifts, there are teddy bears (wash-and-wear ones), dolls and dining accessories.

The Snow Goose--1010 Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, (619) 454-4893. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. A died-and-went-to-heaven place for anyone who loves the country look, both American and English. There’s a new shipment from England of pine furniture, clocks, prints, brass trivets, trunks and dishes. For a more American gift, choose from the Amish quilts; carved-wood animals, such as pigs or rabbits or even a wooden Noah’s Ark, complete with two each of an array of animals; decoys, or antique baskets. Plenty of pillows, some of patchwork-quilt fragments, others shaped like cats and pigs.

Sassafras Nursery--275 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, (213) 455-1933. Open daily 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Sassafras, the hit of the recent garden show at the L.A. State and County Arboretum, specializes in English Country gardens, which are a mix of flowers and foliage that look so natural and easy but require no artistic sense to combine. Sassafras pulls this look together in charming container arrangements that make perfect gifts for both home and apartment. Bright blue or lavender pots or wicker baskets are planted chock-full of pansies, delphiniums, baby tears, variegated ivy, dusty miller and more. You can pull together your own arrangement and have it planted there (or plant your own), or let the staff coordinate it for you. Inside there’s a jungle of picture-perfect indoor plants from ferns to two-tone azaleas, plus an excellent selection of fresh flowers.

Shop in Tokyo--Beverly Center, 8522 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 659-8258. Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sundays noon-6 p.m. This shop is like a “Hello Kitty” boutique for adults--or those who are in a period of transition, however extended. The King Kong bank (with an agile Kong climbing the Empire State Building) could be for any age. And what could be trendier than sushi magnets for the refrigerator. Most of the items here are made of plastic, in bright colors. There are wild, high-tech watches, wall clocks, baskets, a surprising number of combs and brushes and, of course, robots. The one traditional Japanese craft: exquisitely decorated papers, about 20-by-30 inches, almost too good for wrapping paper but perfect for covering boxes, lining drawers and matting pictures.

Sonrisa--110 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 687-4122. Open Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m. Through December, the store is featuring an everything-is-for-sale exhibit of Mexican decorative arts, both antique and contemporary, and a few items with Mexican themes done by local artists. Antiques include furniture , wood carvings of saints. On the new side are many pieces from Oaxaca, Mexico, such as traditional black-burnished pots, animal figures in wood by Manuel Jimenez and painted, tin tree decorations.

Traveling Light--second floor of Santa Monica Place, (213) 394-7027. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (There are also shops in Westside Pavilion, Westwood and South Coast Plaza.) The last thing a traveler wants to spend money on is gadgets and equipment, but they’re sure to come in handy on a trip. This shop features state-of-the-art travel accessories, which means items that are compact and nice to look at. A Christmas gift of a tiny Braun alarm clock, hair dryer, iron or coffee maker is perfect for anyone making noises about Europe next summer. Or you could stuff a stocking with small essentials, such as converters, money belts or travel makeup. Some of the lightweight luggage here is designed by store owner Richard Fishman and comes in many colors.

Vroman’s Books--695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (818) 449-5320. Open Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Vroman’s devotes long aisles to subjects that may just take up a four-foot section in most bookstores--and very giftable subjects too. Travel books for example; no matter where your “giftee” has talked about traveling to next year, you’ll find an excellent selection of offbeat guides--well beyond the Fodors level. Even the selection of California guidebooks is exceptionally strong. For armchair travelers, Vroman’s has a specially marked section on travel writings and journals from reprints of Victorian treks in Africa to recent camel rides across the Outback. Other subjects in depth: history, gardening and cooking.