I had been to Bibbey's years ago, and was pleased to be able to visit again. Bibbey's is one of those dark shops packed with treasures...no matter how long you look, you are not going to see everything in one visit. I think maybe the Philosopher's Stone is hidden away in there...but I didn't find it this time, so good luck! Prices are quite reasonable too! In the photo of this visit's haul, you will see a batik Balinese moon mask, a meteorite fragment, a pair of blister-pearl earrings (they match a blister-pearl necklace I bought elsewhere), polished shells, a fish magnet, and scallop-shell necklaces for the grand-daughters who are obsessed with Disney's Little Mermaid. Mike, the owner, loves to trade stories, so stay awhile and look around while you listen, I guarantee you will spot more treasures you must have! The polished shell napkin holders I bought last time are still in use in my home ;-) read more

Bibbey's Shells & Rocks - Balinese mask and other treasures, from Bibbey's. - Gift Shops Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

I'm surprised at the positive reviews actually. We've been coming to imperial Beach for 40 years, but at least in the last several years, this place has really gone downhill. In the last several years every time we walk in the door, no one says hello, and the guy never even looks up from what he is doing to acknowledge you or say a word. Another review said he looked miserable, and that is accurate, every single time. Used to be fun to take the kids in there and find a little souvenir, but it honestly was just depressing, barely stocked, glum and nothing warranting purchase. Makes me sad. read more

Bibbey's is an old school souvenir shop that is hard to find today, full of exotic treasure from around the world. Here you will find exotic shells, wood carvings from Indonesia, jewelry and very cool carved beach signs for your patio. The man who runs the store has a wealth of information not just on shells but on the community of Imperial Beach as well because he grew up here and has worked at Bibbey's for over 25 years. I love to support local businesses and if you do as well, you should stop by and buy something cool to remember you trip to the beach. read more

See all

I love it here so much!! Surprisingly, this place has the most affordable crystals I've ever seen. $1 for any tumbled kind. The owner is super friendly and he even gave me a discount because I met his dog, Chance. Spent $40 for a hoard of items, including a blue $5 geode that was fantastically heat-treated. The owner definitely knows his stock, he taught me so much about the process of his crystals while in the making. Please visit! read more

See all

If you happen to be in the area you have to stop in. You never know what treasures you will stumble upon. My friends live in the city so I always stop by when I visit. This last trip I came looking for some sage (they used to sell it but not anymore) and got a beautiful bamboo wind chime for only $12, a gorgeous stone necklace a bunch of shells and some crystals that spoke to me. The owner was in and he is always a blast to converse with if you get lucky enough to stop and talk to him. Also his prices have always stayed reasonable so with $20 you can take home a nice bag of fun finds. read more

Fun shop! Everything I needed for my Tiki garden. Plus, he was willing to work with my budget. Fun stuff all over this store!

Our little gem in IB. Can't believe I've lived in San Diego so long and have not came here. My day started out a little rough but nothing that a stroll at the beach and some one on one with good people couldn't fix. One of those good people I met here. His name was Fidel. Not only was he nice but he told me so much about Bippy's I felt like a member of the family. The owners have been there so long the colorful building is home to anyone who frequents IB. You step inside and you're greeted by a friendly smiling face and so much beachiness. I was strolling through looking at the impressive sea shells and works of art. Honestly I was intimidated because of how beautiful everything was I didn't even want to ask the price. I folded, I loved the seashell mirrors and to my surprise &20.00!! Guess who is going to have a beachy themed bathroom!! This girl right here! fidel told me the mirrors were made by one of his personal friends that was a local and he didn't raise the price so Bippy's wasn't going to raise the price either. I ended up with two shell night lights and a shell trivet for under 15 bucks! I loved how this place feels like family from the very first visit. Mike you have a gem his name is Fidel and the shop ain't all that bad too! read more

See all

What a unique shop. Don't misconstrue my rating for good or bad. It simple represents a neutral view since I did not buy anything. It is a unique shop with shells and fossils. It is a local fixture so had to stop in a check them out. If you are a first time visitor you definitely should at least check it out. read more

I came here to look with fellow coworkers. This was right across the street from Babycakes. As we walked in, we saw so many shells, earrings made out of shells, bracelets and other stuff. The cheapest thing I saw were sea stars for 75 cents sold individually. Pretty cool. I was amazed at how much stuff is sold here. The two guys working in the store were nice and answered any questions we had on their items. I just looked around. I did see bracelets I wanted to buy but maybe next time I come here, I will purchase it. They take credit cards. It's right on the corner but good luck with parking as this time I came here it was full. Luckily we found parking on the corner. The afternoon is when parking can be a challenge. However, I truly enjoyed this store because there were so many types of shells. They even sell shirts that say Imperial Beach on them. Pretty cool store. If you're in my hood, come check it out. read more

Bibbey's Shells & Rocks - Shells - Gift Shops Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

See all

Walk across the street to buy your postcards! Far more choices, same price, no Bibbey's advertising taking up literally a third of your available writing space!!! Seriously, check out the photo. What a rip off! We walk in. He points us to their ONE option. 50 cents each or 3 for a buck. It's a pretty enough photo. I quickly bought three, but (thankfully!) I also ran across the street to buy a few more. Good thing because I got them back to my hotel only to be *thoroughly* disgusted! No wonder Mike Bibbey at Bibbey's Shell Shop only had the one option... The bloody things were specially printed! With a ton of B'sSS nonsense! News-flash: "Advertising postcards" (which is exactly what these are) are usually given away free with a purchase...MAYBE sold for pennies on the dollar...but NOT, NOT, NOT sold for full price as normal postcards to unsuspecting tourists looking for an easy something to send home! I've purchased postcards the world round and this is the first time I've run into this level of sheer greed. (Yes, I could have looked at the back, but we're talking about a dollar's worth of postcards I ducked in quickly to buy... And what store does this?!?!? Ugh!) Never in a million years did I think I'd ever be leaving a tourist trap shop a one-star review... And certainly not after a measly one dollar purchase!!! Yet, here you go, Yelpers! read more

Bibbey's Shells & Rocks - Front and back... Which will never be mailed! - Gift Shops Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

I have lived in South San Diego ALL OF MY LIFE and always passed by this store when cruising around IB. I FINALLY went in this weekend and was AMAZED at the amount of shells and shell jewelry he had! Not only that but Mike (owner) was SUPER friendly and knowledgeable about his merchandise. I ended up finding two anklets and my daughter found three necklaces and a few knick knacks for decor. I loved the store so much, after we walked on the beach we went back to get another piece of jewelry! The outside of the store doesn't have windows and looks pretty plain but you will not be disappointed when you go inside. This is definitely a historic part of IB and I am glad I had the chance to experience it. read more

I love going into the shop. They have a variety of shells, rocks and decor. The staff is super friendly. They are very knowledgeable and always willing to help. read more

My kids wanted to come in and check out this little gift shop. I can see the allure for the little kids since you can find some cute little shells and maybe s necklace. Everything is pretty cheap, and there are a few nice wind chimes, but for me I wasn't very impressed. We weren't greeted at all when we entered. The employee kinda looked like he was miserable actually. Very small inside. If you're looking for little trinkets for your kids though it might be fun for them and save you some pennies. read more

Wonderful shell, rock, fossil and souvenir shop that's right across Imperial Beach. My eight-year-old who is a shell fanatic loved the store. I was pleasantly surprised at the prices -- shells were cheaper than what we'd paid for in Thailand. There was a nice collection of cowries, including rare golden cowries ($30 to $90, depending on size), nautiluses, conchs, starfish, cone snails and whelks. A must-go for any shell collector! read more

There's no food here but just Shells & Rocks. The place is a regular tourist place that sells shells :) The person was very friendly and gave a history of Imperial Beach which I liked. One can never stop learning new facts or not, it's cool nevertheless. If you are into shells then this is the place for you. Just be wary that the prices can range from a dollar to a few hundred of dollars. read more

Quite literally my favorite place in the world, simply because the owner knows anything and everything about the products he offers. He is extremely transparent with his consumers, telling them as they peruse "oh those crystals are dyed, but these ones over here are natural and untouched". I just love that. You know exactly what you're buying here, and everything has a story. My boyfriend and I lost ourselves for over an hour in here because there's so much diversity in the shells, fossils, wooden art pieces, historical beach trinkets, he sells and we wanted to hear each and every story. We couldn't get enough and it was the highlight of our trip to imperial beach. read more

I love to visit this local landmark when I'm near the IB Pier. It's chock full of shells, rocks, jewelry, fossils, wind chimes, souvenirs, you name it! Today I bought a fossilized trilobite, a mosasaur tooth still embedded in sandstone, and a fossilized shark tooth. My kind of place!!!! read more

I go every year when I come to visit my family here in San Diego. Both guys are awesome and the selection and prices are out of this world which is great for me to be able to bring friends and coworkers back souvenirs. read more

Such a cute little beach shop! It's full of pretty much any shell you can imagine from all over the place and super cheap! It has lots of other fun surprises like shark teeth/ jaws, pufferfish, bracelets/ necklaces, & more!! The shop owner is super friendly if you talk to him! He will tell you all about the how/ where he gets the shark jaws and other fun fish facts!! 10/10 recommended for any/ all ages read more

The owner of this shell store is the sweetest man in the world ! I dropped and broke my beach rental key holder and he spent 20 mins making me a new one :) the store has a lot of awesome shells and collectibles. Definitely worth a visit if you are in IB read more

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. Please support it. The owner is very knowledgable and the prices are GREAT! I love the coral. Go here!!! https://www.instagram.com/bibbeyshellshop/?hl=en read more

I LOVE Bibbey's (hence, my first ever review)!!! I lived in IB when I was little and spent lots of time in the "shell shop" . Now I live in the Bay Area but every single time I come back to visit friends and family, I always return to the shell shop. They have an amazing collection of shells and coral and I am always delighted by my new finds. I must admit, shells have become quite an obsession of mine - takes me back to living by the beach.... The owner is great - very knowledgeable and friendly. Great prices, too! read more

Such a fun eclectic shop. Very artsy. Great place to stop in for a beachy souvenir.

Awesome place to buy shells and rocks better than going to OB. They have a wide selection of shells and cool wood carvings. When you are in Imperial Beach you have to go check their store out. read more

What a gem of a shop and so reasonably priced. I loved the local art work too with rocks and iron! I was delighted to find great bags with many types for $10 each. I won't go anywhere else for shells again :) I'm looking forward to making windchimes with my daughters. read more

I have been looking all over San Diego to find some Big Shells to decorate my home and all I could find was an extremely expensive shop in the village near the harbor or everything else was on line. They didn't have a web site so I didn't know what they had. So I took a chance just to ride down to Imperial Beach if nothing else I would walk my dogs. Wow was I impressed. This is the BEST place to go for shells. All sizes with a GREAT price! read more

Best little shop in town. The owner is awesome. I bought some pearl / necklace kits. Was hoping for a purple pearl, but didnt get one. Would have settled for a "rotten" pearl, LOL. Great store. I'll be back next year when I visit again. read more

This store is a treasure. I was looking for 10 Windsocks to use as Christmas presents. I called in October and Mike told me he would pick them up for me the next time he was overseas. I called him on Dec 2nd as promised and I had them a week later. This place ROCKS! And Tino Turner says hello! read more

Great little store...with lots of cool stuff. When a shop is near a pier/beach in a touristy area, I usually don't expect much beyond tourist trinkets. But Bibbey's has some legit shells & rocks & fossils, even for collectors. I appreciated the selection and the very fair pricing. The owner was also really nice. read more

Great last stop for a beach trip. Friendly service so many types of shells all packed into one place. Great prices. Gave the kids each 5.00 to spend and each picked great treasures to take home. This has become a ritual when leaving the coast for another year. Really nice items without busting the wallet. read more

Best place ever to end a few days at the shore before returning home to the desert. VERY affordable, not a "tourist trap". A couple of dollars per child gets you several sea shell treasures to take home. Our young ones loved spending time deciding on JUST the right shells. I won't visit San Diego without stopping here again. Owner is very polite, patient and knowledgeable. read more

this shop is great! love the artwork and the treasures inside*

i had bought souvineers at a couple other stores and wish i would of found this place first i had to go back 3 times me and my kids couldnt stay away. the guys are very nice the prices are verrry cheap and they have lots of neat stuff. i didnt want to leave. i still never did see everything but when i go back to imperial beach im going straight there. read more

Our family has been spending lots of money at Bibbey's for over 25 years (I really miss Mrs. Bibbey). We're from AZ and used to stay every summer at the old Seacoast Inn. Found Bibbey's and my kids were hooked! Every trinket to giant geode comes with a story. Ended up buying a place on the beach in IB and needless to say, my son's room was (is) decorated in Pirate/Shark Chic, and my daughter's Mermaid/Beach Babe. My children are grown, but their rooms stay the same; my guests love to look at the treasure maps, the real/dead/taxidermied sharks and blowfish, and the shell and sea glass lamps that I've made. Bibbey's isn't expensive except for the giant shark fossilized teeth, but they are worth every cent just because they are so cool! Bibbey's isn't just for tourists, I've picked up many beautiful gifts that would fit into anyone's home. Bibbey's is for anyone, and I hope to someday bring my grand-children there...Bibbey's makes you part of their family. read more