Coming to Hialeah is always an adventurous trek, it's like entering a parallel dimension of Alice…read morein Wonderland, except no one speaks English. Being a child of Christ, I'm always wearing my cross when entering this land of Cuban Voodoo. I just happened to be in the area today when I saw Botanica Olocun(Olokun). The name Olocun piqued my interest as I've only seen a few south Florida Botanicas with Orisha names, but I've never seen one with Olocun. Olocun aka Poseidon is one of my favorite gods. Being a child of Christ, I took the cross off my neck and held in my hand as I walked into this place of sin, witchcraft and devilry. As I entered I could hear the whispers of devils, I witnessed the evils of Africa and the sins of Arawak Indians that the bringers of Christ had failed to fully extinguish. This place is huge and it's packed with statues, life-sized statues, candles, magical perfumes, sacred plants, sacred stones, stick and resin incense, orisha vases, many books on magic/occult/orisha, spiritual & African soaps, spirit animated things, and sacred wood. In reality, they carry way too many things to list. It's a one-stop shop for brujeras, santeros, sorcerers, warlocks, witches, shamans, wiccans and spiritualists, it's basically a glorified depot for all those who oppose the tenets of Christ. For those seeking guidance in thier lives, they also have a private room in the back for spiritual readings. I ended up buying a blue candle, and a couple of Nigerian dudu osun soaps. Surprisingly, they could speak English, so before I left, being concerned about their after-life, I inquired if they've ever heard of Jesus.

Bought a plant online, advertised as 20 to 25 inches. Plant I received was 4.5 inches.read more

I love Things Remembered! I have been coming to this store for years...it's a great place to buy…read moregifts for family members, loved ones, girlfriends/fiancés/wife, or anyone else you would like to buy a very beautiful and personalized gift for. I drove all the way from my home in Homestead to this store in Hialeah because I had just been given an invitation that day to a retirement party of an executive within the company. The retirement party was within a week and I did not have much time to go shopping around for a gift. I also did not want to take the risk of ordering a gift and it not coming on time. So I made the long drive (and for those of you who have made the long journey during rush hour to Hialeah know how long the drive it truly can be!) to Things Remembered in Hialeah hoping I could find a tasteful gift for someone who always was kind, helped me learn a number of things about the business I am in and who also helped me in my career. The store is beautiful. It is decorated very tastefully and all that it sells is displayed neatly. The store also has several quotes about life, love and friendship which are inspiring and because this store is about custom gifts certainly fits with the essence of what this store is about. It's about getting something nice for someone you care about. The quotes include: 1) "Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness". 2) "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take your breaths away". 3) "A friend is someone that knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words". Admittedly I am such a sucker for things like the above. This store sells lots of items that all can be personally engraved including graduation gifts, wedding gifts, flasks, knives, watches, jewelry boxes, music boxes, etc. I found a money clip and cuff links that I paired together since they were the same design. The price just for the items was a bit over $100 which was more than I expected to pay for because I saw a set online for $65. So understand that sales you see online or items may not be found on the physical store. I then paid a bit extra to engrave my friends initials on the items. I also found a multitool for my father for $25 which was the same price on their website. I also then got his initials set on the item for a bit more. Wonderful experience...like always. The two employees at the store were so helpful and friendly...but that has happened every time I have come here for years. This is why I have been buying at this store for years and even though it's a drive I will continue to come here if I need to get someone whether they be a friend, loved one or mentor a really nice gift.

Things remembered specializes in selling gifts and items that can be engraved and personalized in…read moretheir store, usually within an hour after you buy them. This is a good place to check out when buying gifts for weddings and special occasions, or when you want to find something that will be personalized and have a bit more meaning than an "off the shelf" item from a department store. Things Remembered is also a great place to buy items for employees when you want to reward them or give them a special memento. They have several different displays with mugs and glasses, key chains, Zippo lighters, pen and pencil sets, pen knives, money clips, jewelry, desk sets, business card holders, paper weights, plaques and lots of other items. They'll also personalize and engrave items that you bring in to their shop. There are a few things to keep in mind when doing business with this company: 1) While "Things Remembered" has a good website, some of the items and prices that they have on the site aren't available in their stores (and you cannot order online and pick up your item in their stores). 2) Engraving seems to be much cheaper through their website than it is in their stores. 3) Though most of their items are reasonably priced, know that engraving is not included in the purchase price in most cases. Having items engraved can double or nearly triple the initial price of the item in most cases. When I was here recently, the woman told me their rule of thumb when engraving is that it usually costs about $15 for 5 letters, and about $20 to engrave a date. This means that if you find a $20 gift in the store, plan on spending about $50 or more once it's engraved. That being said, if this is a gift for someone special or an employee reward, this may still be within your price range.

I used to love coming here…read more THE PROS It always smells so good due to all the candles they sell. The nail technician, Amelia, has been here for 6 years and she's great. THE CONS The NEW OWNER, JEANIE, needs to learn some manners or control her mood swings. Normally she's pleasant. One can tell she doesn't have much to do other than wait around for the very few customers that walk in. Today she was TOO BUSY reading people magazine TO HELP me when I asked her a question about a specific nail color. She said, "I don't know. YOU have to look for it." I felt like I was bothering her and she DID NOT CARE TO HELP. And later when I politely asked her for the time she said she didn't have it yet her iphone was right next to her. When I pointed it out she finally gave me the time. Then she RUSHED ME OFF the nail dryer asking me if I was ready to pay saying I had been done a long long time ago. She ignored the fact that the nail tech had just checked my nails and told me they were still wet. The worst part was when she went to charge my card. Jeanie told Amelia, the nail tech, to tell me that she did not have cash in the register therefore she could not add her tip to the total amount. (This is how I ALWAYS paid in the past.) She DIDN'T ASK what I wanted to do. She JUST CHARGED MY CARD the total minus the tip. When I asked Jeanie directly why she couldn't charge it and give it to Amelia at a later time or even tomorrow Jeanie said, "What? I don't have it. I don't know what you're talking about." And turned around and WALKED AWAY mumbling. HOW RUDE! Jeanie does not deserve any new business if she DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO TREAT her current clients. I hope Amelia finds a better job and a better boss that is not DISRESPECTFUL and MOODY.

Looking for a specific item, hubby found this store carries that item so we ventured to Miami Lakes…read moreon Saturday afternoon. Main street is nice, you can walk around and look at the pretty stores but there are not that many. We finally found Valhala and walked in. It's a small store and very interesting. It's sorta divided in two parts, one is the "spa" the other is the store. So, we walk in and, on the spa side, there is one of the "nail ladies" doing her toes!!! right there!!! she looks at us and keeps dealing with her toes. Then she screams for Jerry and we go ahead to look for what we came for. A few minutes go by and no Jerry, finally he arrives and he's great. Friendly, helpful and going along with all of hubby's jokes. We found our item and bought a couple of more things. Jerry has a wonderful variety of candles and such, some men's clothing and some decorations. The store is nice, so are the items and, like I said, Jerry was great. But man! do you HAVE to do your toes right in the front area? Come on! it takes away a lot from the rest of the great place.

I ordered $130 worth of products from this place and I received a bag with beads . I tried…read morecontacting the Botanica three times through email and I have no response... this is the second time I've had issues with this place. If you're on the West Coast, don't order from here. Shipping is ridiculous and no guarantee you're gonna get your stuff..

I places an order online for a osun de estension, it was simple process to order and the price was…read moregreat. It was shipped off the next day and arrive within 2. From Miami to Atlanta. They have a great selection of items available and the customer service is perfect I will definitely be a return customer

After checking different flower vendors for my daughter's wedding April 23, 2016 I came across…read moreFlowers by Pouparina. From the very first day my daughter and I met with Janella we knew we were in the right place. My daughter and I both were very satisfied with the all the flower arrangements and the professionalism she showed us. She was very accommodating with all my daughter's request and details, they were on time delivering the flowers to the reception. I would recommend Janella at Flowers by Pouparina for a wedding without hesitation, she did a magnificent job and we were all very please with her work. Thank you Janella. Carmen

Pouparina never disappoints! I've ordered from them several times. This time, I sent Janella an…read moreinspo photo and asked if she could recreate it. Not only did she accept the challenge, but she blew it out of the water! I couldn't be more satisfied