Illustration by Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times; animation by Li Anne Liew / For The Times
63 of the best places to shop for creative gifts in L.A.
This is part of the L.A. Times 2022 Gift Guide. See the full guide here.
Purchasing a gift for someone from an independent store is always a safe bet in a creative community like Los Angeles. Your giftee will get something unique and you’ll support local shops still struggling following the pandemic.
If you’re looking for a holiday gift that you can buy right now because you don’t want to worry if it will arrive on time amid continuous supply chain issues, check out these great stores right down the street from you. As with our list of independent stores in Joshua Tree and Ojai, this is not meant to be a definitive list, but a way to spotlight small businesses in Los Angeles.
Gifts from L.A.’s finest makers include woodworking classes, custom street planters, hand-block-printed shirts and embroidered pet portraits.
Acorn Eagle Rock
Alchemy Works
Belljar
Broome Street General Store
Clover
Coop
D.L. Rhein
Dekor
Dotter Store
Dreams
Earthing Earth
Espionage
Esqueleto
Folia Collective
General Store
Gibson
Gold Bug Pasadena
Greenwood Shop
Open Mondays through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Haley Solar
Heath Ceramics
Homage Pasadena
Household by Nickey Kehoe
Kneeland Co. Rarities
Late Sunday Afternoon
Lawson-Fenning
Leanna Lin's Wonderland
Lost & Found
Luca
Made by DWC Cafe and Gift Shop
All profits from the Made store and cafe, which sells organic coffee, smoothies, salads and pastries from Homeboy Industries, help fund the center’s career training and mentorship programs. Note: The gift shop is not open on weekends.
Marz
Maude Woods
Mercadito Monarca Pasadena
Midland Shop
Look for a second location in Larchmont Village, 138 N. Larchmont Blvd. (323) 378-6999
Motti Casa
Walk into the sunny space on Ventura Boulevard and Natali’s love of international products becomes apparent: Bright blue tablecloths from Africa share display space with handcrafted resin serving boards by San Francisco artist Tina Frey. Rattan mirrors are hung salon-style next to a collection of Egyptian cotton throws. French fare — teacups and tea towels — blend seamlessly with modern furnishings by Danish design brand Menu.
While jazz plays softly on a turntable in the background, Natali shares some of her favorite items: I Profumi di Firenze perfumes, soy blend candles from Maison Louis Marie and Rosemunde tank tops. “I want to mix it up,” Natali says. “I want everyone to come in here and not feel intimidated by beautiful things.”
Müsh
Native Sol
OK
Pergolina Shop
Phoebe Peacock
Pippi + Lola
Poketo
Prelude & Dawn
Prism Boutique
Pygmy Hippo Shoppe
Restrained Whimsy
Retreat
Rolling Greens
Shout and About
Soap Plant/Wacko
Spitfire Girl
Stay Home Friend
Suay Sew Shop
When it comes to gifts, the shop offers one-of-a-kind clothing made from repurposed fabrics, napkins, pillows and other home goods. A Suay Sew Shop gift card can be used to repair and alter cherished items.
Tansy
Tesoro
The Give Store
The Hangout
The Sill
Tortoise General Store
Treehaus
Their lifestyle boutique covers a wide range of goods, including clothing and jewelry, toys, books and games for kids, L.A.-centric tea towels, unique cards and small-batch leather goods.
Twig and Willow
Village Heights
Wildflora
Yolk
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