Museum Shops : No-Hassle Shopping for Very Special Gifts

Southland holiday shoppers seeking Navajo earrings, ultra-contemporary fluorescent-hued tableware or stocking stuffers for dinosaur buffs need search no farther than museum shops, a frequently overlooked source for interesting gifts.

Typically, such shops offer an assortment of unusual, often handcrafted, items ranging from Native Americana folk toys to works of contemporary art, as well as specialty books for adults and children, and cards and other stationery items.

Wares are available in all price ranges. The stores in the following sampling, except where otherwise noted, have separate, fee-free entrances and accept credit cards. (Hours listed are store hours, which may be different from museum hours.)

Southwest Museum Shop, 234 Museum Drive, Highland Park, (213) 221-2164. Open Tue.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Los Angeles’ oldest museum focuses on the native cultures of the Americas, and all crafts sold in the museum shop are the work of Native American artists. Jewelry, sculpture, pottery, books and textiles are available. Inexpensive children’s items include handmade dolls, drums and rattles; coloring books illustrate the cultures of various tribes. )

Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum Store, 3077 University Ave. (adjacent to USC), Los Angeles, (213) 749-3424. Open Tue.-Fri. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reflecting the museum’s focus on Jewish culture, gift shop offerings include jewelry crafted by Jewish artisans, Sabbath and holiday items, menorahs, mezuzahs, elaborate marriage contracts and books on Jewish subjects. No credit cards accepted.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd. (in Exposition Park), Los Angeles. The Ethnic Arts Shop features Native American jewelry, textiles from Central America, beads and soapstone carvings from Africa, and masks and pottery from New Guinea. Currently, holiday tree ornaments from around the world are being offered.

There is also a bookstore, and a children’s shop called the Dinosaur Shop offers educational toys and books. During the holiday season, two temporary shops--one featuring Tunisian handicrafts, the other dinosaur-themed items--will be open in conjunction with special exhibitions. Only the temporary stores require an admission fee. Hours for all stores: Tue.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. For further information, call (213) 744-3434. (The George C. Page Museum, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., a satellite of the Natural History Museum, operates a children-oriented shop with a wide selection of inexpensive, educational toys and books that emphasize nature themes. Hours the same as at the Natural History Museum stores. Call (213) 931-3797.)

Craft and Folk Art Museum Shop, 5800 Wilshire Blvd. (new location), Los Angeles, (213) 937-9099. Hours Tue.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. An attractive, reasonably priced assortment of jewelry, pottery, and other contemporary crafts by American artists. There are also folk art imports and a good selection of children’s books with themes relating to myths and folk tales. Los Angeles County Museum of Art Shop, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 857-6144. Open Tue.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A large selection of art books and prints, and art-themed cards, calendars, and stationery is available. Other gift items include jewelry, Russian lacquer boxes and ornate Thai embroidery pieces.

Museum of Contemporary Art Bookstore, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles, (213) 621-1710. Open daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Mondays (open to 5 p.m.) and Thursdays (open to 8 p.m.). Along with a wide selection of art books, the store offers jewelry, glassware and ceramic gift items, all trendy and hyper-contemporary. A buyer with expensive tastes can pick up a limited-edition Limoges plate designed by Salvador Dali, or a $400 Noguchi paper lamp; those with more frugal but imaginative tastes might purchase a watch with eyeballs, or silver earrings shaped like dog bones.

A smaller store--with different merchandise--is operated inside the Temporary Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., downtown Los Angeles, (213) 621-1727. Open same hours as other store, except closed Mondays. Museum admission fee required for Central Avenue store only. Free street parking available Sundays at both stores.

Bowers Museum Gift Shop, 2036 N. Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 972-1491. Christmas season hours Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Like the museum’s collection, gift shop wares are a diverse sampling from world cultures. African cooking pots and textiles, Mexican masks, and handmade dolls from various countries are among the items for sale.

Laguna Art Museum Stores, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach, (714) 494-8971. Open Tue.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reflecting the museum’s focus on contemporary California art, an array of informal, unusual glassware and ceramic pieces by West Coast artists is offered here, as well as a selection of jewelry. A satellite store operates in the South Coast Plaza shopping center, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 662-3366. Open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Store, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, (805) 687-7687. Open Mon.-Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Folk art items from the Americas are offered. A specialty of the store is basketry of the almost extinct Yanamamo tribe of South America, obtained through a UC Santa Barbara research project. San Diego Museum of Man Shop, 1350 El Prado (in Balboa Park), San Diego, (619) 239-2001. Open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (till 9 p.m. Thursdays through end of year). Multicultural offerings include Native American jewelry, African masks and South American pottery. Visitors can also browse in the shops and bookstores of the other nine museums located in Balboa Park.

This is just a sampling of shops that offer unusual gifts. If there is someone on your shopping list with special interests, check the Yellow Pages for a museum shop that specializes in that particular field.