Occasions, Etc. is a good store to know about if you want a personalized gift - say a towel embroidered with a baby's name, adorable growth chart, cuddly blanket, or a custom engraved picture frame. I bought a backpack here and they sewed my son's name on it. It was ready the next day, which was much faster than I expected. It's a cute store with a nice variety of gifts. I think I'll go back next time I need a special baby shower present - lots of cute stuff. read more

I am incredibly impressed with Occasions. I had to order a plaque for an awards ceremony and Colin was very straightforward, efficient, and pleasant in taking the order and preparing it. It was ready on time and looked exactly as advertised. The price was fair and clear. But what really blew me away is that 18 months later, when I lost the original receipt and needed a replacement to file a reimbursement (this situation reveals something about my general level of organization), Colin emailed me one within one minute of my asking for it. This is as good as it gets in terms of personal attention and turnaround... they were able to immediately and perfectly compensate for my screwup in losing the receipt. This shop really lives up to a very high standard of personal service. read more

Quality work, quickly delivered... I brought a wrist watch display case I had recently built for my (future) daughter in law to give to her (so to be) husband, to have Colin inscribe a plaque to be mounted on the front of the box. The wedding was for the following weekend and I still needed time to inlay the plaque into the case. Colin did a beautiful job on the plaque and was able to complete it quickly to provide with time to complete my project for the wedding. As an aside, Colin took time to listen to my story and offered helpful suggestions that assisted me to complete the case. It turned out to everyone's satisfaction and will certainly use "Occasion's" again! read more

I placed another order in January 2011 for several more tote bags. The bags had to be ordered from the supplier as Occasions did not have as many bags in stock as our order required. In spite of the need to order extra bags, our project was completed very quickly. The bags were embroidered beautifully and our group was happy with the final product. Owner Colin will go the extra mile for his customers. After I paid our bill, he let me know that the tote bag price had gone up with his supplier, but he had given me his originally-quoted price. read more

It's amazing what Collin can offer in his cool shop. He stocks things you'd never imagine and can order thousands more. Great for the usual and memorable gift. He's a great guy who is high on customer service. Give him a visit. read more

Can you say CUTE? I walked by this store and had to walk in because their stuff is CUTE and I don't even have any children. This place definitely has one-of-a-kind type items. It's a total boutique-y type of store which has great personalized and unique items for babies. Get a gift here and your gift will definitely be remembered. I give it 4 stars because they don't have too many items and they are a little pricey. However, the items are well worth the price. Their stuff is so cute and unique that I bought two things for my future unborn baby because I'm afraid that they won't have those items when I get preggers. Walk into this store and you'll wish you had a baby so you could clothe it with some of the items in this store. read more

This is a business to business review. I have worked with Colin for many years, and I can tell you that his desire to get it right for the customer every time is always a top priority! I've found that the product is consistently high quality. The store is beautiful, clean and well stocked. If you've got a special project going, and you need something really specific, Colin can get it for you. His resources are seemingly unlimited! I have no hesitation recommending Occasions to any of my friends! read more

Occasions, Etc. carries an excellent collection of hand picked baby apparel. The fortune cookie and 'iPood' designs make hilarious joke gifts for baby showers! Also, check out the recently added selection of puppy apparel. read more

This is the place you go to for personalized items such as awards, trophies, and knick-knacks. The owner, Collin, is terrific and helpful. I've been going back to Occasions Etc. for four years running to get an annual award that is presented each year to a member of my trade association. Can't say enough good things about this shop and their people. read more

this is the place to go for a personalized gift. I got a baby blanket embroidered (with the baby's name) here and they did a nice job helping, from helping me pick out the blanket itself and then the right color and style for the embroidery. It was done fast and my friend loved it. The selection is much bigger than you'd think from looking in the window. read more

I took a silver charm into Occasions to be engraved because I heard they did that and I was so taken in by the store. So cute! Yes, they do engraving (and embroidery) and I was offered a variety of options for my charm, but it is a great spot for baby items and gifts for older kids, too. The place is full of fun stuff! I will be back often! read more

Our team purchased the book clock and had an engraving on the inside; very nice touch. Occasions did such a good job and the turn around was perfect! Thank you, will also remember to use you for specialized gifts! read more

Good place to browse a number of types of products. Nothing better than a gift which is personalized. Conveniently located on a street with lots of other good browsing. read more

This is my first time at Occasions. I had a Gerber knife that I wanted to engrave a name on. Most places had no problems engraving it on the blade and many internet sites offer laser engraving too. But I was kinda looking for the kind of engraving that you can feel with your fingertips (not sure what to call that....the old fashioned kind?). Also, I wanted the engraving on the handle, not the blade. I went to another place in palo alto, and was told that the clip would get in the way and they are unwilling to remove the clip for me. Then I came to occasions. The first time, the owner seemed kind of brusque, but now I think it is really nothing. I showed him the knife (Later I learned his name is Colin) and told him where I wanted the engraved letters, and he said no problem, despite the clip being there, and told me to choose the font. Colin has a lot of experience with engraving. He even told me that there were risks of the coating flaking off because the handle is black anodized aluminum. I was indecisive and couldn't decided if I wanted all CAPS, and Colin advised me against it, saying the spacing tend to be weird that way. I took his advice, and when I got the item back today, it was beautiful. Very Impressive. I am so glad I brought the knife here to be engraved. For those who are concerned about price, I paid about $25 (tax incl) for 8 characters and I think it is the same price up to 10characters. If I can, I would put a photo of the item up later... read more

I recently found this fabulous store. I was looking for a personalized wedding gift and found a gorgeous frame that they were able to engrave. I needed it in 3 days and the were more than happy to accommodate my quick turn around. I also found 3 darling baby gifts. One was the cutest pair of baby scrubs and we embroidered them with Dr. Ava, (so perfect for my girlfriend who is a doctor!) The other two were so cute and unique no personalization was necessary. By far the best baby gift store you will come across. The owner was awesome, he really went the extra mile for me.I highly recommend shopping at Occasions read more

Occasions Etc., is my favorite "go to" place for personalized baby gifts. They have a terrific selection of blankets, baby clothing and novelty items. This is a family owned business in downtown Menlo Park and Collin is always there to help and offer suggestions. If you are looking for unique items and a great shopping experience, head to Occasions. read more

I had a watch and a ring engraved at Occasions. Both were beautifully done. The engraved words were easy to read, with very nice lettering. A bonus was that the turnaround time was really quick. I highly recommend this store. You are dealing directly with the owner, and he takes great care. I have also bought some very cute kids' gifts here. read more

One of the great local businesses! Colin and Carrie are awesome. A great variety of trophies and gifts and expert engraving. I wouldn't go to anyone else for our trophies and plaques. Occasions has been providing the Perpetuating Trophy for the San Francisco Bowl Volunteer of the Year four 15 years. read more

I have purchased several items at Occasions over the past few months and always had excellent, prompt and curteous service. Most recently, I had to place a large order for various types of awards. Of course I was asked at the last minute to do this and of course Colin was more than accommodating. He helped me locate an appropriate participation pin that could be customized in our tight time frame and turned around all of our trophies quickly as well. They look fantastic! I highly recommend Occasions to anyone looking for personalized gifts or team awards. Last year, another local trophy retailer provided awards to our entire team with the wrong year on them. Even if the error had been made by the person purchasing them, you'd think that someone would have double checked before fulfilling the order... no such luck! That would have never happened at Occasions, they are careful to make sure they fully understand each customer's request. Even when I did find an error (on my part) after picking up my order, Colin quickly remedied it and did so at no extra charge. Now that's how you create a loyal customer! read more

Extremely professional and very friendly owner, Colin, made my experience one to remember! I had to coordinate awards and engravings for every one of my sales regions from East to West and I had to do it as quickly as possible. I honestly did not think it was possible. Our company did use another company but we were very unhappy with their customer service and work output. When I chose Occasions, I wanted a more one-on-one relationship and that is what I got ten fold. Not only did Colin turn around the awards at an unbelievable pace, he also helped me choose the acrylic awards from the numerous options he had and gave me his advice for what to choose. Beautiful engraving work too! They were a huge hit and my sales team was thrilled with the output! I am in the business of sales and I know that what every company strives for is to be as thorough and productive as a huge company with a small company feel for its customers and that is exactly what you get with Occasions. Thank you so much Colin! I got praised for a job well done but all praise goes to you making my job as easy as you made it! read more