I bought two birthday cards here because I like their greetings and design. Aside from greeting…read morecards, Palm + Perkins has a ton of other items that range from small gifts and home decor to overlooked kitchen utensils (like wine stoppers) and other knick knacks. Considering the small space, the store has a surprisingly large selection of items and it's all well organized. When checking out, the cashier was friendly and rang me up quickly. When I'm looking for a greeting card, gift or needing to stock up on utensils/tools for the house and kitchen, I will come back to Palm + Perkins. Just a thoughtful, gem of a store in the neighborhood.

Stopping by Palm + Perkins is like therapy (this was especially true this holiday season since we…read moredidn't see family or go anywhere). It's really like a candy store for adults - there's something amazing (and made my local makers) in every corner you look! On this most recent visit, I went a couple days after Christmas and stocked up on holiday cards and ornaments for 2021 since all their holiday items were 50% off. The entire store was also 25% off as per their end-of-year sale. They have a fantastic selection of cards, gifts, homewares, jewelry, accessories, and select clothing items. It's the perfect place to treat yourself or others. They're doing a great job limiting people in their store and have hand sanitizer available.

my boyfriend and i went to go have brunch at eggy's nearby and while waiting for the bus we were…read morejust looking at the stores nearby. i saw the signs outside that made it feel like i was more welcome but i unfortunately felt anything but welcome. i was just walking around looking at everything but a couple minutes after i had started looking at some items i noticed the worker starting to follow us. of course i didnt suspect anything of it because i thought that she would ask us if we needed help or wanted to check up on us. but i made a little loop around one of the areas and she still followed. she kept getting closer and closer to us which made me feel really uncomfortable. maybe its because of the way i look since i have dyed hair and am asian idk but my boyfriend suggested that we leave because she probably thought that we would steal something. i saw a similar review with the exact same situation but seriously if you are poc / look queer please just be careful here

I've shopped here frequently over the years. About a year ago I bought a sterling silver ring here…read morewith a blue stone. Unfortunately, the stone turned into a greenish brown color. I stopped by today to ask about it and was prepared to simply buy a new ring-- it was fairly inexpensive. The store was empty, and there were two people working there who did not greet me when I walked in, as they were busy complaining loudly about someone. I stepped up to the counter, and despite the workers standing behind the counter, and one person looking at me directly, they still didn't greet me. At one point, one looked like she was coming toward me, looked me in the eye and then grabbed her beverage and turned away. Finally I asked directly for help. I showed her the ring and asked to look at the identical one behind the counter. She got very nervous and told me they hadn't seen a stone turn brown before. She immediately told me that she would not contact the company for me, that I needed to do it myself. I hadn't even asked her to. She kept saying things like "well if it had been two weeks we maybe could help you." to which I responded, "do you expect a ring to turn brown after 2 weeks?" She then said she couldn't contact the company because they would "ask her questions" she didn't know the answer to. I have no answers either why a stone would turn brown with occasional wear, no chemicals, etc. I would think they would want to talk to the company about this if they are selling jewelry that turns brown. Anyway, I was just really turned off by the fact that they had an empty store, but yet basically told me I had to contact the wholesale distributor myself. It really seemed like these two are doing everything they can to do the least work possible! I typically think a nice thing about shopping at a local boutique would be the customer service.. not here. I did not buy a new ring, and will not shop here again.

The store offers a wide selection of cute blind boxes. Although it's quite pricey, I highly…read morerecommend visiting if you're a big fan of anime or anything adorable.

Hubby wanted to get our daughters some surprise gifts, so we stopped in over the weekend! They…read moreloved the Mofusand Stickers and Sanrio Kuromi Socks! I would definitely recommend this location and we'd definitely return to explore more! So many kawaii things inside! Sweet staff too and everything was well organized! SYOY! :D

I visited my kids during their Spring Break. My daughter got a little job at Hal's Office Coffee…read moreshop. She wanted to show me her new place of employment. I hadn't been to Albany in over 10 years! I immediately vibed with the little town. After my daughter picked up some coffee, I knew I wanted to walk around. I was instantly drawn to Umami. What stunning artifacts. As a minimalist, I wanted to buy everything! I graciously and gladly resorted to and settled on a set of earrings and necklace. I absolutely love them. Umami is a beautiful shop. And the Shop Attendant was just as beautiful, sweet, helpful, personable, and welcoming. When I visit my kids next, during the summer, I will be back!

Such a cute little shop!!…read more I love local stores and Umani Interiors is a treasure! Boho boutique in the middle of down down El Cerrito with amazing customer service! Tip- if you purchase a item and eat some Thai food next door you get a additional 10% your meal!

This was a fun boutique store for finding unique handcrafted gifts. I was able to find a glass…read morehummingbird trinket for my aunt and am very happy with the pricing and quality of what I bought. The sales associate was a sweet lady that even helped wrap my gift nicely. Definitely a store that I will visit next time in town. They have a small coloring table for kids while the parents shop- which was a huge bonus!

Everything is cute, but unbelievably overpriced. It's the kind of store that's nice to walk…read morethrough, but unless you're planning on buying just one small trinket as a gift, is definitely not worth buying multiple items from.

I pre-ordered Mark Danielewski's "Tom's Crossing" from this bookstore and when I did so, I left a…read morecomment in the order to pack some art overlays that may come with the pre-order, and an employee, Kali, responded that they'll include the overlays as well as some blurbs written by another employee, Bee, which i really enjoyed reading, by the way! It's obvious the workers here love to read and appreciate their customers, and I love coming by another MZD fan as well! Come shipping day, and I get another email informing me they received signed copies, and they'd pack it for me!! I would give them 6 stars if I could, FOR SURE. I'm SO excited to read this book. It arrived a day after shipping but granted, I do live somewhat nearby.

A really good bookstore in Downtown Berkeley!!…read more I came in here looking for a calendar, and ended up browsing through the books. It's a classic old school style bookstore, with very friendly people working here. I didn't spend as much time in here that I wanted to, definitely have to come here again!!

Nice little boutique in a town less known Elmwood. Never pencils, fragrances, jewelry,books -…read moreservice is quick !

This little gift shop on Piedmont Ave. has such a lovely selection of knick knacks, gifts, and…read morecrafts! I'm especially fond of their prints from Archie's Press which is a small business making maps and charts based in New York! I had to grab the Bay Area one sold at Koraa for my wall. Many, many other treasures to find in every part of the store. (: would definitely go if I'm looking for a tasteful, high-quality gift for a friend or loved one. Not much to say about the service, and I'll admit the goods are on the pricier side! But for the quality and quirkiness of it all, I don't mind (:

I have been REALLY wanting to support a refillery and was so happy to find Ecology…read more It seems "pricey" in some ways but when you really break down the math it's not bad at all! I got some aloe for my husband to use after shaving. I got vinegar and bc it's so potent I only needed to fill my container halfway and then the rest with water. I also got some liquid laundry detergent that I have to try. Overall, love the space and employees who are kind and informative. Will def come again

This place is usually a bus transfer point for me for various stores in West Berkeley but every…read morechance I find that it is open, I try to browse as they rotate their merchandise time to time. I purchase my first reusable boba straw here some years ago! I belatedly but also recently found out about the "seed library" which is a cool concept of giving & receiving seeds. It's how the collection keeps going with community input. I do not have a green thumb at all, but was motivated to take care of more flora by my workplace that gave out seeds as part of a "garden of growth" theme. I now have a huge thing of potting mix so I thought why not just plant a bunch all at the same time??... was my concurrent thought at the time so I took a few vegetable varieties. (I only grow what I can make use of, except pollinators I give a special exception for.) I believe Rockridge library, where I am closer to, is also adopting one seed library too! Hopefully, I can train to be a better plant mom and will be back with my own stash of seeds!

I love her items. I bought some time ago some Afrikan masks to hang on my walls at home. I've had…read morealot of compliments. Amberina's personality is the BEST!!! Please support this local Black business.

I highly recommend Amberina's boutique, conveniently located next to Leila's Cafe. Not just for the…read moreaptly name "adorable and affordable accessories" you find there -- beautiful scarves, earrings, hand bags and much more -- but for Amberina herself. Her kind and vivacious spirit will light up your day. Stepping into her store brought me back to the days when people had time to chat and to get to know their neighbors. She will be your instant best friend, I promise!

Nice gift selection. I came here recently to purchase some gifts for an upcoming birthday, and it's…read morea huge plus if I can also support local makers at the same time. One recommendation is to maybe have some non-branded bag options available for patrons who spend above a certain amount to make their purchases gift-ready (or offer a selection of gift bags for purchase at the store). Otherwise, it's great to have a brick an mortar gift shop in the neighborgood featuring local art and products.

Great place to buy unique local theme gifts and great vibes…read more I'm also a artist who has merch available at this store. Make sure to stop by and support small business and say hi to the cat on the way in.