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

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.”

Mush

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

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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