This place is the reason for living there's a calm effect and serenity to it when you walk in…read more Nobody knows how to say the lady's name so I'm just going to say mz Lady N. She can tell you her name 20 times and you still will not remember her name. Family owned and multitude of different varieties of items. education and what's going on with the items that are for sale and vendors can come in as well to do consignments so there's a large vast amount of a lot of different items. Lady N does restringing for jewelry bracelets necklaces as well tennis racket restringing. I got a couple of necklaces done that I haven't been able to where cuz they were broken. Now I got a bring her some more to do.

The owners of this shop go above and beyond for their customers. I've truly never known a shop like…read morethis one, and I have so much gratitude. We came in to this shop some months ago looking for a very specific incense, which is difficult (if not impossible) to find here in the US. The shop owner said she would be travelling to Nepal in a few months and would look for this particular incense at the grand market (she indicated that every kind of incense could be found there). I left my phone number with her and, quite frankly, did not expect to hear back. I WAS SO WRONG! She called me back exactly as she had promised upon returning to the US to let me know that she found the incense and had 10 boxes set aside for me. I was so blown away that she remembered and thought to call me. Of course, I bought all her stock in this incense because who knows when we would ever find it again! In case you're wondering, the incense is called Aparajita. It is the scent that the Beatles burned during their recording sessions beginning with the Revolver album. And, no, I don't believe they have any left, because we cleaned them out. :) LOL Also, I learned that in some cases the FDA won't sign off on some imports due to ingredients that have not been approved. I can only speculate why this incense is so hard to find here, but I do wonder if it has something to do with that. Regardless, as Beatles fans and as we carefully attempt to recreate "the vibe" of that recording sesh, we are eternally grateful that this shop assisted us with this search. A million thank yous!!!

Folio is a gem of fine things along with a real sense of humor. It's unique in that it hangs a bit…read moreon the risqué side which is rare and welcome. The owner is especially warm and amusing. The employees are quite helpful, efficient and friendly. I like going in this store.

I found their items really cute and unique, which makes this even more disappointing…read more Unfortunately, the staff was very rude and unwelcoming during my visit. One of the women working there made us especially uncomfortable--she kept following us around and watching us as if we were stealing. There was no smile, no greeting, and overall just a very unfriendly atmosphere. When I mentioned at the end that a more welcoming attitude toward customers would go a long way, she seemed completely indifferent. Update: The experience got worse--the staff didn't even bother to properly wrap a candle, and by the time I got home, it was already broken. After reading other reviews on Yelp, I realized this doesn't seem like a one-off situation. Many others have had similar experiences, which makes it seem like this kind of unwelcoming behavior is a pattern.

LOVE this shop!! I passed but it a few times since moving to Marin a few months ago, and it caught…read moremy eye. The other day when I was lunching at Everest Curry House (amazing Nepalese food!!), I decided this is the day I need to go check out Sustainable Exchange. This store is all the good feels. Many natural materials and fabrics, beautiful artisan style soaps sans heavy perfumes or dyes, scrubby brushes for your dishes, face, and body, and just a plethora of great things for your home, or as gifts. I bought two long handled brushes for body scrubbing, some incense, a mushroom cocoa packet, and a face scrubber. And, the gentleman working (maybe the owner?) was so friendly and personable. Will definitely be frequenting this shop!

I was so heartbroken to hear that Solstice Mercantile in Fairfax, my favorite zero waste store, had…read moreclosed :( but Sustainable Exchange is a great solution in its stead. I love that they carry Griffin Remedy products. An all-organic SF-founded company that makes beautiful bath products to fill all my glass jars? Awesome. Their formulations are simply the best. Sustainable Exchange also has an excellent selection of zero waste cleaning tools and an array of cute gifts and local artisanal items. Browsing is like a little adventure because there are so many things to see arranged all over the store. Do you need lip balm? Food? Kaftans? Coconut fibre sponges? Flouride-free toothpaste? Dish soap? Chocolate? Bar soap? Honey? Marin themed things? Essential oils? Honestly if you need something random, it's worth checking to see whether Sustainable Exchange carries the zero waste organic version of it!

Rude reception on Sept 16, 2025…read more We've lived in the area 25 years. Walked in aiming to buy a birthday gift and card, said hello and nothing. So I looked briefly and left.

Finally had a chance to stop in and it was 4:35 on a Saturday. The sales associate didn't greet us…read moreupon walking in, but instead ONLY said, "Just so you know, we close at 5:00". Being that I've worked in retail/customer service for years, this was a disappointing experience. I've never pointed out closing time to a customer! Definitely won't recommend this place or go again.

Jolt is Amazing! Had the pleasure of walking through the boutique and was graciously welcomed by…read morethe owner. The selection of clothing is superb as well as the fun and innovative gifts! I love this shop and will definitely return. Such a fun experience! Thank you Jolt!!!

My go to local store for gifts (sometimes that gift is for me ;) I love the jewelry, stickers,…read morecandles, and clothes. Staff is sweet too!

Purchased a couple of the French striped shirts in late April for a trip in June…read more The navy and white one had an itchy plastic tag, I removed it. Took shirt on trip. Wore it about 4 times. Washed it and line dried it. The sleeve began to fray. These are not inexpensive shirts, about $100 ea. my other shirt, tan and white was fine. Took back the navy and white. Guy told me it was normal wear and tear and that I could fix it myself. Lesson learned. Only shop where they stand behind their products. His response was " I didn't make the shirt " Hardly the point .

This is a cute contract post office & gift shop. I can't imagine saying, "a cute post office." But,…read morehere we are. The shop is crisp and beautiful; filled with high-end Marin souvenirs I was walking past when I spotted the Mariage Frères tea. I was excited to try a new variety and asked the owner for a recommendation. He gave me some options and let me take them outside to smell them. They were all lovely and I went home with a new canister. If you're in search of Marin swag, this is a good place to look.

Ridiculously adorable store. This is a must visit for the paper lover. The staff were friendly and…read moregreeted my friend and I immediately. That is a huge retail deal for me. Owners & employees who welcome their customers, even just a hi, goes so far. Will definitely stop in when I get a chance again!

Me and Chewy went here to pick up an agenda for me. I had just accepted a new role as a Director…read moreand wanted to start it off right with a good organizer. The sugar paper organizer that I purchased is timeless and perfect for organizing, keeping track of goals and even space for some creative writing. The store is chic and dog friendly (Chewy).

L'Ambiente offers unique high quality gifts. There is beauty, and whimsy in the seasonal gifts. It…read moreis a pleasure to shop there. The owner curates items beautifully. The service is exceptional.

I hardly ever leave reviews on here, let alone negative ones, but the owner of this place is pretty…read morerude and snobby. Her store has nice stuff, but how she speaks to certain customers is condescending. Close to 2 years ago I came in to return/exchange a gift I got from the store, and she seemed disappointed/irritated that I would want to return or exchange something from her store. I also didn't realize it was an hour till closing and as I was browsing she was following me around the store impatiently (I didn't ask her to help me pick out anything) and just responding shortly to anything I glanced at or picked up. After maybe 10 minutes of that she finally said "sorry we are closing in a hour, so unless you plan on buying something I can give u a gift receipt." She then created the gift receipt manually on some receipt form and the whole time is condescendingly telling me that they have NO digital records of any store transactions so i better not lose this receipt, okay? And I better come back in soon to buy something and not wait forever. The entire interaction just made me feel small for no reason at all.

If you live in the Marin County, this is the place to go if you need a legit RC Car, not like the…read moreones you get at target, these cars are better. My boyfriend and I found this nice little shop when we were in the area and wanted to see what kind of RC Cars this place had. The guy working there Brian was such a great guy to talk to. They talked about the different types of RC cars there was. There are drift cars, monster trucks, buggies, crawlers... the list goes on. We were in there for maybe an hour or so just talking. Brian was such a gem, that 5 years later we go back and have built a wonderful friendship with him, he had become our older brother. Brian is that type of person who will not just sell you an RC car, but he will sell you one that suits you. If you had a car in mind and he does not have it in stock, he is willing to order it and he will make sure he orders you the best one. Brian also fixes RC cars if something is broken or if you have no idea why it isn't working. He will give you a quote before actually fixing it and if the price is good with you, he will start the fixing processes. He is not the type of sell you useless cars, he tries his best to order the best. He does sell more then just RC cars. Just go check him out and see what he has to offer. He also has model cars that you can build. He has a few trains and tracks. He has a lot of paints for the models and other things. Brian is great.

Great little shop if you're into model building. I was able…read moreto find the Tamaya spray paint for my model. The owner was gracious enough to stay open for a little bit so I can come by and pick it up. Support your local business. Thank you!

My old rear yard garden hose was cracking and started to leak. I wanted to get a Craftsman 75'…read morepremium heavy duty rubber garden hose, which I had in front of the house and it has performed flawlessly. But with the demise of Sears, I had to do some researching to find out who sold it in the area. The only retailer that sold it was Ace Hardware, but the only stores that carried it were about 30 miles north or south of my house. With traffic in consideration, I decided to get it at Chase Ace. It's located on the edge of Downtown San Rafael. Driving up to it, this was one of the largest Ace Hardware's that I've been to and it has its own parking lot for about 15 cars. Seeing the garden supplies out front, I went into the building looking for my hose. I asked the worker at the door about garden hoses and she said it was located at the building at the opposite end. I was able to check out all the nice plants they had outside leading to the other building. After I entered, I saw the hoses three aisles in. Brought it to the counter, paid and I was on my way. Very nice, clean and bright store. The shelves all appeared to be well stocked. Workers were friendly. Wished Chase Ace was closer to where I lived.

I intentionally called my local Ace to shop local and support them…read more I had questions about purchasing a barbecue before Christmas but for delivery after the holiday. The man who answered the phone was very polite and asked me to hold while he found someone who could answer my questions. I overhead heard him tell a colleague the nature of my question and "do you want to speak to her?" to which I heard "Not really." I hung up. Guess I won't be taking my business there.