Gift guide season is upon us - and while we’ll be doing plenty of sleuthing the worldwide web for our favorite finds (and linking them for you, lovely people), we’re nothing if not passionate advocates for shopping in person. Especially at the holidays, there’s a special magic to going into a few of your favorite spots and selecting things for those you love.
We gathered some of our favorite spots - coast to coast - for gifts big and small! Happy shopping!
Arcana: Books on the Arts
(Los Angeles - Culver City)
Arcana has an amazing curation of art books and magazines. There’s a section for every genre you can think of, and we love gifting a photo book. It’s such a great way to not only give something personal, but perhaps even inspire!
Beverly Hills Teuscher
(Beverly Hills)
For the bougie person on your list with a major sweet tooth, spoil them with a printed silk box of Swiss chocolates. We also love their whimsical creature boxes, which hold a few truffles and are sure to make someone smile if they're part of their stocking.
Broome Street General
(Los Angeles - Silverlake & Culver City)
With locations in Silverlake and at the Platform in Culver City, Broome St. has been a fixture in the LA shop scene for 10+ years. Packed to the brim with a curation that spans from classic to quirky, you could easily do 90% of your shopping here. You can find Sleepy Jones cotton pajamas, excellent kitchen shears, and Tata Harper here.
Bucatini in Echo Park
Bucatini
(Los Angeles - Echo Park)
Bucatini is a real one for me, one for you shop. It’s nearly impossible to go in for a gift without finding something for yourself. (You’ve been warned!) Whether it’s their luscious collection of table linens or something from their fab selection of Italian ceramics, you cannot go wrong. Hot tip: Don’t sleep on their specialty food section. After all, who wouldn’t want a set of Ivo Angel espresso cups with a bag of almond biscotti?
Crush & Touch
(Los Angeles - Highland Park)
Art store + shoppy shop = The ultimate gift spot. Candles, cards, hair clips, puzzles, and some of the most gorgeous watercolors you’ve ever seen. Crush & Touch in Highland Park is the perfect place to pick up stocking stuffers and those last-minute people on your list.
Flask & Field
(Los Angeles - DTLA)
For the sommeliers in training, we love Flask & Field. A great mix of wine and spirits to take as a hostess gift. But we highly recommend checking out their selection of amaros and glassware. They also put together fun little gift sets like the “Best Negroni Set” or the “Espresso Martini Set”.
Hightide Store
(Los Angeles - DTLA)
Located at DTLA’s The Row (with another location in NYC!) High Tide is a Japanese stationery store - but calling it a stationery store doesn’t quite cover the eclectic mix of offerings. Planners saddle up next to sturdy bucket bags made of tarp, a rare place where you can find something for your BookTok niece and your brother who is suddenly really into auto repair…
House of Intuition
(Locations across LA & Miami)
With several stores spread across LA, this is a go-to for an intentional present! They carry jewelry, crystals, candles, incense, and tarot cards—truly a little magical haven.
Mojave Flea Trading Post
(Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, and San Francisco)
Continuing down the 10 to Palm Springs, you’ll find endless shops and goodies. Mojave Flea focuses on artisan-made goods from the area. You can find ceramics, stationery, and even specialty food.
Newlin House in Whittier
Newlin House
(Whittier, CA)
Hop on the 10 heading east to Whittier, and you’ll find Newlin House—a kitchen supply shop with a vintage tilt. You’ll find colorful deadstock flatware sets and mid-century crockery that will be such a unique gift for the Ina in your life.
Now Serving LA
(Los Angeles - Chinatown)
Now Serving in LA’s Chinatown, it is the gifting spot for the culinary-inclined on your list. A bookstore exclusively for cookbooks means you’re spoiled for choice when picking something for your favorite foodie. Opt for a cookbook from one of LA’s hottest restaurants or check out our favorite section: vintage cookbooks for something niche and old school.
Scent bar
(DTLA, Hollywood, Brooklyn, and Nolita)
Yes, yes, I know scents are personal, but they have something for everyone here, and their team will happily guide you towards something they’ll love. (Shoutout Raoul!) If you’re still nervous about making someone commit to a perfume, they also have a fabulous selection of candles and bodycare!
The Hive
(West Palm Beach, FL)
The Hive is plentiful with options! Adorable salt and pepper mills, picture frames, and even niche toys for your friend who’s obsessed with her Chiweenie. The Hive is so large, with its numerous outposts for home, her, and more - make sure you start at the bakery and fuel up with brunch for a full day of shopping!
L.A. Burdick Chocolate Store
(Boston / D.C. / New York / Chicago & more!)
L.A. Burdick’s chocolates are seriously good in a not-so-serious package. Their chocolate mice, penguins, and snowmen are iconic, and if you stop by one of their in-person locations, you'll save on shipping (which can be $$ for chocolate!) and treat yourself to one of their fabulous drinking chocolates.
Boston General Store
Boston General Store
(Boston - Brookline & Dedham)
Boston General Store has all the cozy things that make the holidays in New England seem so magical. Incense-burning figurines, ornaments, and treats are found alongside the shop's year-round assortment of stationery and elevated everyday items. Beautiful toothbrushes, jams, and cute bits like steel fish clips will fill your cart in no time.
Mischa’s
(Bozeman, MT)
Perhaps you’re taking to the wilderness this winter? Even cozy Bozeman has a shop for you! Snag good wine, specialty food, and even florals at this cute little shop.
Coming Soon
(New York City - Chinatown)
Is it a gift list if Coming Soon isn’t on it? Yes, if you’re in NY (or on the internet), Coming Soon is probably on your radar - but it’s a classic for a reason! From the obvious (Sabre Paris pizza cutter anyone?) to the odd (these jelly vases are really doing something for us…), Coming Soon is a must-pop-by during the holiday season.
RainySundayMorning House
RainySundayMorning House
(New York City - Lower East Side)
This Korean-owned shop is full of gifts and objects made by Korean makers, and you wouldn’t believe this peaceful little shop is right in the Lower East Side: ceramics, jewelry, and the softest cotton cloths. If you’re feeling analog, they also host a pen pal program.
Salter House
(New York City - Brooklyn Heights & East Village)
So your bestie moved upstate - how dare! But don’t worry, you can still find the perfect gift for a new foliage-full lifestyle without leaving the island. Head to Salter and snag her linen napkins, a somehow chic pair of scissors, and something pewter to display her carefully grown (or farmers market purchased…) cherries come springtime.
Slope Home
(New York City - Park Slope)
Stoneware, antiques, and goods for the home, this Park Slope shop feels like stepping into an upstate NY farmhouse where you want everything. The perfect shop for housewarming or hosting gifts, or adding a couple special pieces to your home for the holidays…
Tumbao
(New York City - Lower East Side)
Home to Latinx designers (both emerging and established!) Tumbao’s curation is next level! More clothing-focused, but plenty of unique jewelry and bags to scratch a gifty itch. Everything feels handmade, with a lot of thought and time put into every piece.
The Yo Store
(Portland, OR)
The Yo Store is great for lots of things - but we’re especially partial to their options for kids and babies. (Lots of good stuff for mom too, don’t you worry!) Stuffies, temporary tattoos, clothes, and even an updated version of those beloved stick-on earrings from our youth!
Yowie
(Philadelphia - Queen Village)
“Where all the Millennials shop,” remarked Kate when asked about her favorite gift-y spots in her native Philly. And we see why! Part of a cute boutique hotel in Queen Village, Yowie has an array of colorful ceramics alongside quirky candles and coffee table books.
Golden Mean
(Austin - South Austin)
Golden Mean is Austin's cool-girl shop. Hand-carved wood boxes, alpaca teddy bears in candy colors, and organically shaped candlesticks fill the space. This is the spot to hit up for your friend who always has something in her apartment that makes you ask, “Where did you get that?”
Lauren Owen of Texas
(Austin - Downtown)
Okay, okay, we said this wasn’t a clothing list and Lauren Owen is technically a clothing store - but we couldn’t include it for one particular reason - the belt buckles. Vintage, unique, and plentiful, Lauren Owen's belt buckles offer a fun option for the horse girl in your life. Lauren Owen also features an array of sterling silver jewelry and western ephemera.
Bird's Bookstore
Bird’s Bookstore
(Dallas - North Dallas)
Friends of HI, Emily and Drew Dawson opened Bird’s Bookstore a little over a year ago, and it’s already a standout in Dallas. Design-driven and expertly curated, Bird’s offers a selection of books and objects for the avid readers in your life. Or better yet, gift your bookworm a Bird’s Frequent Flyer Membership and you'll ensure their 2027 is well read.
Blue Print
(Dallas - Uptown)
You can lose a few hours (or days!) in Blueprint. The home-turned-shop, curated by five interior designers, is a luxury dream. Colorful caviar dishes and fashionable coffee table books are around every corner; this is the place to go for your MIL who has impeccable taste.
CocoAndré
(Dallas - Oak Cliff)
This Mexican-American-owned chocolatier has bars, truffles, and festive figures that will mix things up from your classic box of peppermint bark (though who doesn’t love peppermint bark?) Snag bars studded with dried fruit and ginger for someone with a sophisticated sweet tooth.
Bering’s Hardware
(Houston - West U & Greater Uptown)
Houston locals know there is something about Bering’s Hardware at the holidays. Where else can you get a grill, leaf blower, Mason Pearson brush, and Ginori china all in one place? And don’t forget the chocolate and coffee section in the middle of the store - they usually have something seasonal on hand to sample as you shop!
Biscuit Home
Biscuit Home
(Houston - Montrose)
This Houston shop is the Southern “grand-millennial” home base. They carry a bespoke line of bedding (we’ve been eyeing one of their velvet bolster pillows for years!) and a wide range of home accessories. Ceramic animals, cheeky cocktail napkins, and monogramming galore! This is a great place to stop by and snag something for your favorite sorority sister you catch up with every holiday!
High Gloss
(Houston - Uptown Park)
High Gloss is an OG in the Houston boutique scene, an early home to now household names like Susan Alexandra, Chan Luu, and Mikal Winn. We think it’s the perfect place to get something extra special for someone on your list. The best curation of artist-crafted jewelry (from Houston artists and international labels) will ensure you snag something they didn’t even know they wanted! Hot tip: Make sure you check out their unexpected curation of vintage jewelry as well. Think bakelite bangles and organic copper brooches.
Houston Dairymaids
Houston Dairymaids
(Houston - The Heights)
A Texas gal knows showing up empty-handed to someone’s house is never an option. With the rise of sober or sober-ish friends in our lives, gifting cheese is a fun alternative to the classic bottle of wine for your hostess. The knowledgeable staff will point you in the right direction and slip a sample or two your way in the meantime…
Kuhl-Linscomb
(Houston - Upper Kirby)
Kuhl Lindscomb is not for the faint-hearted during the holiday season. Their parking lot will be full, and you will have to wait a long time if you’re hoping to take advantage of their complimentary gift wrapping. But there will be plenty to peruse while you wait in this multi-building shopping mammoth. Kids' toys, luxury skincare, artist-made jewelry, home goods, furniture, and more! We’re oddly partial to their array of pet products, from practical to fun.
