What a gem! We learned about the emporium from a friend who sells her handmade art there, and it is…read moresuch a cool place! There's a good mix of vintage finds and small business merchandise. And although there is so much packed in one store, it is well lit, clean, organized, and easy to navigate through. The customer service is very helpful and welcoming, too. We can't wait to go back to see new creations by local artists!

I love antiquing and would have never imagined a cute little antique shop in the middle of Boston…read more So many retro and modern vintage goods to browse, I bought a few things I know my post-teen daughters will love. Not terribly priced, if you take your time I'm sure you can find some to take home.

I've been to a lot of shops themed similarly, Teehee i must say has been the most clean, most…read moreorganized and most impressive wall of Sanrio haha least that i have been in. The others focus more on beauty products and some blind boxes and bathroom necessities. This store has a ton of cute things for your loved ones, a Photo Booth, cute tidbits for your tooth brushes, phone charms, art supplies etc. Now the BIG BIG hello kitty, Sanrio character plushes i think are $250+ but they are .. what one might think would be life size for what hello kitty would be haha. One staff member working, greeted as we walked in and overall nice. Appreciate how organized and clean the store is, makes it a breeze to navigate.

We were driving by and I noticed there was a store that had a GINORMOUS Hello Kitty in the…read morewindow... definitely had to stop, park, & check Teehee out! Teehee has everything Hello Kitty/Sanrio from plushies, pencil pouch cases, accessories, apparel, & more. I'm OBSESSED with their large Hello Kitties & little knick knacks. Very pricey though, in my opinion, but as expected. There's a couple stores similar Allston & Chinatown (Tao's & Reiwatakiya), but Teehee has much more for options if you're looking for Sanrio.

The Cork & Board is my one stop go to wine discovery place! They have fantastic free tastings…read moreweekly and each focuses on a region or type of wine. I'm a try before you buy kinda gal so I so appreciate the options and have found a number of new faves here. Plus they have great holiday tasting events, hostess gifts, yummy cheese and charcuterie board supplies, and other goodies to outfit your entertaining arsenal.

I have never been to this shop, let alone Newton, but I have ordered from them several times on…read moreline and could not be happier. Everything came so much faster than I expected. It was all wrapped perfectly and arrived in great shape. The quality of the items the shop carries is consistently wonderful. I highly recommend anything here that captures your imagination. If I'm ever in the Newton area I will definitely sign up for some of the very special events that the shop offers.

I've shopped here many times. Awesome place for gifts. Today I treated myself, and purchased…read morehedgehog measuring cups. So adorable! Actually using for an appetizer station. So many quality items, not overly expensive. Incredible sale area, merchandise from bright and colorful to muted and relaxing. Service is excellent thank you to the owner and coworker. I always enjoyed my time there.

this is the perfect shop to get cute things! I am so happy that I discovered this store on one of…read moremy walks - it is such good quality items with a good price point as well. this is my new go-to place for seasonal decor to make my home cute. I can't wait to give all my friends little gifts from here. The owner is so nice and helpful and makes the experience even better than it already is. probably my new favorite place to shop for home items :) I recommend following their instagram to stay in touch with the new items they get

Smile from cheek to cheek. I met the owner at the farmers market and I ended up deciding to get the…read morewhite balsamic vinegar which I've never had before with Meyer lemon and a Greek olive oil. I just had a little salad with micro greens that are bitter,green pear,snap peas and green onions. Nothing fancy. I drizzled on my new products... OMG GAME CHANGER! Wow! It was like it was sweet. It was tart. It tasted like a Restaurant quality. I'm so thrilled that I get to have this as many times as I want thank you. I don't remember your name the owner but wow I hit the mother lode with this purchase never been so happy, eating a salad.

I stopped by this store one day this week since I happened to be in the area. Upon entering I was…read moreimmediately greeted by one of the owners, who was very welcoming and said to ask him if I had any questions. As the name implies, the store's speciality is olive oil, and you can sample a wide variety of oils and vinegars. If that's not your forte, don't worry because the store has plenty more to offer. I spent a long time just browsing the store because it's beautifully arranged. Even though it's fairly small, they make good use of the space. You can get locally made ice cream and honey, as well as kitchenware imported from all over the world. I found a very cute Christmas gift for my mom. There also sell cheeses, spices, teas, hot sauces - a lot more than I can list. Easily accessible whether you're driving or using public transit. There's street parking in many places along Beacon Street and the shop is right next to the Summit Avenue stop on the C branch of the Green Line.

Brookline Booksmith is so cute, I can't believe this was my first time visiting!…read moreI always find myself on Harvard St, whether on the Brookline or Allston side LOL, & have definitely walked past this store thousands of times. This day, I found myself curious of the shops around & entered Brookline Booksmith w/ an optimistic mind! Okay, so I was totally not expecting this store to be so big. It has two sides, one with little Knick knacks, stationery items, + gifts & the other side was mostly books! They had a great selection of books, basically most things you could find at your local Barnes & Noble, just with a better gift selection hahaha. The gift side reminded me of the paper store almost BUT BETTER. Anyways, yeah so I will be back soon & I'd say it's worth the visit if you haven't explored this gem yet ;) Great place for book lovers, gift givers, & even just if you like finding cute things that you typically wouldn't see at other stores around.

Love coming here to search for a new read, find a gift or fun knickknack for a friend, or honestly…read morejust spend some time in an aesthetically pleasing environment! They've got all the vibes and have a lot of hidden gems to be found. Some things can be a bit pricey especially on the gift side, but I would say otherwise on average for the type of items. I love that they always have bargain books and the whole used book section downstairs (that's where you can definitely find deals)! Worth exploring if you're checking out the area or a local who loves books and/or cute things!

What an Americana, old day style general store vibe. Has a little bit of everything for daily life…read moreusage. Pens, pencils, foot balms, deodorant, candles, notebooks, work gloves, shoes, coffee makers. Just peeped the spot walking by on harvard street and decided to pop in. Instantly thought, "wow pretty cool shop." They have them fat grip 2mm lead pencils that the lady likes!

After lunch, we decided to go on a stroll and explore the stores around. We're always in the area…read morelooking for new restaurants to try but never really realized there were so many cool stores in the neighborhood! We stumbled upon Boston General Store & it's literally awesome! This store is a great place to go to get unique gifts for others, or for yourself, who don't really need anything but nice to have. I loved the stationary goods section and was ecstatic to find they had mechanical pencils with 2.0 mm lead! This was my favorite lead to write with growing up but I was never able to find them in the U.S. (I would bring these pencils back from Asia). So, it was very nostalgic for me when I saw them & wrote on the notepad with it! I didn't end up purchasing it because I found $12 to be quite steep for one singular pencil that I have no use for currently BUT I do see myself coming back for it haha. They also had a bunch of different home essentials like soaps, honey, & jams here, which I found to be pretty cool & unique. I would definitely come back again to grab some pens & to find gifts! Parking: meter street parking & parking lot behind Maruichi's.

Recently stumbled upon Paper Source and it's so cute! They have so many fun and thoughtful gifts…read moreand of course all types of cards, journals, and other paper type activities (like scrapbooking). The gifts are so fun to explore and find tailored gifts for friends and family. I love seeing the new items they have. That said, the cost of some items can be pretty up there, but I have also found some great affordable gifts and cards here. They also do have a loyalty program that is connected with Barnes and Noble so that's a nice perk if you do decide to frequent here. Service has been super nice and friendly in my experience. I've asked the workers for some ideas and they've been very pleasant and helpful. Worth checking out!

While I am reviewing this company, it's the story in the Pru that I actually went to. I find it…read moresuper ridiculous that every single card comes in plastic. What a waste, simply unnecessary & just plain stupid. While they have all kinds of kitschy things like puzzles, various accessories, bags & other seasonal items, it's also not cheap. So not a fan for things you can get elsewhere cheaper.

Found this local florist from across the country and glad that I did. Sent a sympathy bouquet that…read morehit the spot within my budget. Love shopping local not local!!

Jenna took my call and did such a perfect job of taking down my ideas about what I was imagining…read morefor my Aunt Rita. She understood my vision of apricots and blushes, saying aloud that she knew I wanted "soft pastel colors" rather than "bold vivid colors." When I mentioned the names of certain flowers I did want: Peony, Ranunculous, Roses, she mentioned that she had a staff member ready to go shop for them the morning of the delivery. I also told her I did not want bright green leaves, rather the antique green of the eucalyptus plant, and she got that too. I did not want any carnations blooms because they would drift into the shabby chic arena. As far as the value for the money, I did ask that the arrangement not exceed $100. Jenna did that, but then of course the taxes and delivery went above (so like $119). That was still okay with me. For as beautiful as this looks, I'd say that it is on the small side, yet a perfect LOOK and a perfect DESIGN experience. I see now there is a surprise Anemone bloom. I'm quite satisfied. My aunt is very happy with it. The florist even sent me a photo and of course the photo on the table is my Aunt Rita's.

Kudos to Curate for braving the pandemic and bringing a new gift shop to Cushing Square at a…read morechallenging time! It's conveniently located in the heart of the Square near Savino's, Ovenbird, and the Spirited Gourmet, my other favorite neighbor businesses. Curate is a bright little shop with a variety of classy and fun gifts, stationary, and home items that change with the seasons. I usually pop in to buy a card and a chat with the owner. I've found gifts for hosts, housewarmings, and occasions in between. I especially like their candle selection, many of which are soy based. They carry amazing scents from a small business in Rhode Island, with candles and lotions that smell exactly like the seashore. After a cousin fell in love with one of them, I bought a bagful at the end of the season clearance to treat relatives to a scent party. They also carry British Christmas crackers when in season (like now!). These are so hard to find! The crackers (beautiful wrapped cylinders that pop open when pulled to reveal little gifts) delighted my family when I brought them to our holiday gatherings last year. (Note that crackers contain a tiny amount of gunpowder and technically can't go on a flight, something I had tried before...!) Curate's products tend towards the classy side with mid to higher prices to match. Sometimes I just go to poke around and see what's new. They have some baby gifts and customized items for Belmont and Watertown, but if you want a wider selection, I would go elsewhere. The owner has also kindly offered to order things that I couldn't find directly in the shop, but I haven't tried that option yet.

I found a very thoughtful selection of gifts and items I wanted for myself at Curate. The…read moreshopkeeper was personable and friendly but not intrusive. I look forward to seeing what other treasures are offered from this shop.