The Last Bookstore in Downtown Los Angeles
The holiday gift giving season is upon us and if you’re tired of giving the same ol’ coffee mugs and gift cards to those you love and adore, check out one of these hot stores on our list of best unique holiday shopping in Los Angeles. From hippy chocolate to wizard wands and everything in between we’ve got your creative gifts on lock.
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291
The Abbot Kinney district is hipster with a side of beach down-to-earth friendliness that welcomes locals and visitors throughout the year, but during the gift giving season it’s the best place to find cool finds for great gifts. The district hosts a crazy variety of eclectic shops and unique boutiques that you’ll be able to knock everyone off your holiday shopping list with unique gifts with ease. Be sure to check out Warby Parker, Waraku and Zenbunni Chocolate.
Sweet!
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Ste 201
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Phone: (323) 462-3111
Sweet! Is the most eclectic collection of sweet confections in all of Los Angeles, so if you’ve got a sweet tooth you’re shopping for you’ll definitely find something here. Better yet: you can custom create the perfect gift in the Sticky boutique can handcraft gorgeous, colorful hard candies with your name, logo or message straight through the candy middle or the chocolate lab where you can design your own chocolate bar!
The Last Bookstore
453 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: (213) 488-0599
If you’ve got a book aficionado or two on your holiday shopping list there is no better place to shop than The Last Bookstore. Well known for being the biggest independent book store in Los Angeles, The Last Bookstore carries a whopping selection of over 250,000 new and used books on two levels. There is truly something for everyone.
Wacko Soap Plant
4633 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Phone: (323) 663-0122
Wacko Soap Plant is an eclectic megastore for the pop connoisseur with an assortment of unique books, bizarre trinkets, funky decor and limited edition toys.. With an inventory of over 2 million items and art that’s a veritable who’s who (and “who will become”) it’s a fair guarantee that this is the one place you can find something for that unique person in your life.
Echo Park The Time Travel Mart
1714 West Sunset Blvd
Echo Park, CA 90026
Phone: (213) 413-3388
Who doesn’t enjoy a gift that takes them back in time including a 50-year calendar paperweight, a buggy horn, a Samurai umbrella and a portable wormhole. You’ll be able to find quirky gifts for all of your loved ones, or white elephant gifts too. Bonus: All proceeds from the stores help support the free programs at 826LA.
Poketo
820 E 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: (213) 537-0751
Located in the Downtown Art District and founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, Poketo is a lifestyle brand and purveyor of design-driven wares meant to instill art into everyday living. “Poketo” was named for Angie Myung’s grandmother’s mispronunciation of “pocket”. Poketo carries a collection of beautiful, minimal designed varied products from colorful clothing to books, to jewelry to adorable and whimsical children’s clothes.
Galco’s Old World Grocery
5702 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: (323) 255-7115
Located in Highland Park, Galco’s Old World Grocery carries more than 700 flavors of soda – from Butterscotch beer for the wizard in everyone to cucumber soda and everything interesting in between. If you’re looking to give your loved one a fizzy lifting drink, look no further than Galco’s where the shelves are lined with classic, small-batch, exotic and hard-to-find sodas. And if you still can’t find one from the over 700 flavors check out the Soda Creation Station where a million possible soda combinations can be custom made just by you!
Rose Bowl Flea Market
1001 Rose Bowl Drive
Pasadena, CA 91103
Phone: (323) 560-7469
Every second Sunday of the month, there is no better place to find the coolest, most unique finds than at a flea market and the Rose Bowl Flea Market is the biggest in Los Angeles. If big-time designers shop at the Rose Bowl Flea Market then you know there’s some good finds.
Whimsic Alley
5464 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(310) 453-2370
Most well known as the “Harry Potter Store” Whimsic Alley also has dedicated rooms for shows like Dr. Who and Games of Thrones and even a bit of Lord of the Rings. But if your loved ones like Harry Potter then THIS is the place to shop for the best unique holiday gift! Whimsic Alley’s wares and services include wizard costumes, wands and a Hogwarts-style “Great Hall” that can be rented out for parties.
Chicken Boy Shop
5558 North Figueroa Street
Highland Park CA 90042
Phone: (323) 254-4565
Chicken Boy is a 22-foot tall fiberglass figure with the body of a man and the head of a chicken, holding a bucket. He is now installed atop Future Studio’s office & gallery (aka Home of Chicken Boy) on a stretch of Historic Route 66. The Chicken Boy Shop is the exclusive home of Chicken Boy logo merchandise, Los Angeles and Route 66 souvenirs, pop culture gifts and handy gadgets that is perfect for the out of town holiday gift recipient. They are currently only open by appointment and during North East Los Angeles’s Second Saturday Gallery Nights. If you’d like to visit, email futurestudio@sbcglobal.net or call (323) 254-4565.
Dinosaur Farm
1510 Mission Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030
Phone: (626) 441-2767
Calling all Dino Lovers! The Dinosaur Farm is a specialty toy and book store in South Pasadena, California, that takes great pride in calling itself “not your ordinary toy store.” Although they do offer the staples you’d expect to find in an educational toy store they also offer unusual things that make a visit to The Dinosaur Farm a bit different than most toy stores to ensure the perfect dino holiday gift.
Reform School
3902 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Phone: (323) 906-8660
Set in the heart of Silver Lake in Sunset Junction, Reform School is a popular decor and design shop that is chock-full of crafty finds. From quilts and candles to handmade children’s clothing and hand-screened prints and stationery, with an emphasis on goods made by local artists.