This was my second time in San Diego, and my second time checking out this store. I love it so…read moremuch! It is quaint, but stocked with so many great things! They have a terrific paper selection, plus pens, wax and wax seals, Rifle products, watercolor paper and paint, and so much more. The staff has always been helpful and friendly. It's a charming place that paper and pen nerds (like me) won't want to miss! I'm sad that I didn't take any pictures (especially of their front window, which is always so cute!).

I'm all about supporting local businesses and this is a gorgeous little store, beautifully curated…read morethat you can spend hours just browsing around, shop, enjoy and admire every little item. I walked into the store in hope of buying birthday presents for my female staff, as I was browsing every corner I got to the stuff on the back of one of tables, a young female staff approached in an awkward way from the other side with a disturbing load tone "can I help you with something", i was like, what?!!! Perhaps she assumed I intended to steal something from them which is very sad and frankly pathetic. Considering at that point, I hadn't even touched ANYTHING yet! When you have such a store packed with tiny cute items you should expect people browsing around and admiring what you have, instead by harassing them and trying to make them uncomfortable you are just going to go out of business very fast. I ended up walking out of that store in less than two minutes not buying anything.

We visited after the April Book crawl- The best selection of…read moreunique books, stickers, T-shirts for the lectiophile (new word!) in your life. Well sorted and fun to browse- The one down side, a few potential gift items (ie those funny and cringeworthy coasters) without price tags. And note, it's okay not to interrupt the very busy staff to ask, just go along on your merry way until next time.

Very tiny area by the library but pack full of super cute and original works. Very kawaii and…read morebookish.

Vitreum Giftware is a small and charming gift shop located in Little Italy in San Diego…read more [Parking]: Street parking only and parking in Little Italy can be difficult. I got lucky and found metered parking near Camden Tuscany Apartments approximately three blocks away. Apparently there is also a Little Italy Parking Garage at 715 W Cedar St with a $5 per hour rate. [Merchandise]: This is probably one of the very few Japanese specialty gift shops in San Diego with a small section on Japanese stationery. Other items include tableware (plates, bowls, ceramic, and porcelain pieces), drinkware (mugs, glasses, teacups, and teapots), vases, plants, terrariums, and other cute Japanese trinkets / decor. [Conclusion]: This is one of the best Japanese giftware shops I have seen in San Diego; otherwise you will have to drive to Los Angeles for similar gift shops. Come here for a curated selection of Japanese gifts.

The most adorable Japanese trinket and homeware shop!…read more Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures inside, so you're just going to have to trust me on this one. Located in Downtown, it can be a bit of a pain to get to with all the parking and such, but it's totally worth it! Walking inside, I was immediately overwhelmed with the need to buy everything. There were gorgeous dishware, homeware, jewelry, stationery, incense, and more! If you're just getting into matcha, this is also a great place to start. They've got all your essentials, a good selection of matcha, and the cutest chawans! Best part is that everything is quite reasonable in price for the quality that you get. Do stop by the next time you're in the mood to peruse!

Happened to stop by as I was walking back to the parking lot and noticed what seemed to look like…read morea"Dia de Los Muertos" decor which made me curious. I walked in and realized this is some sort of Mexican shop where I'll be able to find lots of crafty stuff. Boy was I immediately mesmerized by all the fun crafts, especially the "pan dulce" stuffies which I think were like coin bags, some were conchas and the rest just regular pan dulce bags. There is lots to see and buy, and not to mention they have 2 other ships on the same street, per the sales associate who helped ring me up (couldn't leave without buying anything). This is a fun and colorful shop to find quirky stuff. From candy to clothing to crafts.

Stopped by while visiting San Diego and I loved everything in the store! I had to stop myself from…read moredoing some serious shopping. The workers were all kind and attentive. I highly recommend stopping by if you're ever in the area. Just beware you will need willpower to not overspend! They have an amazing selection of things.

I was very surprised and sad to see the store closure when I came by today. Truly the unfortunate…read moreend of an era. This was my favorite artist supply shop in San Diego. They consistently had great materials, beautiful sheets of paper, and amazing staff. Friendly service, clean and well organized store, and a real community staple. It was always nice to see consistent faces and I was treated with excellent service with every visit. I loved the manager and hope the company was able to retain her. She's extremely competent at her role and it would be a shame for it not to be recognized! Wishing the employees all the best.

Wow this place is so cool! Tons of amazing art supplies! Great spot for cards, gifts, and wrapping…read morepaper.

It had been a long time since I visited the Kelly paper store. In fact, I have not visited since…read morethey moved from their La Mesa location. Back then I used to get my paper from them for personal art projects and stationery that I was making. Fast-forward to now I have a daughter who is a graphic designer and was looking for a specific type of paper for her printer. And apparently this paper is really hard to find and Kelly paper does not have it For her inkjet printer, but they were very helpful in trying to help us find something suitable. I would go back again if I needed any other specialty papers because they will give you samples to take home and see if it works how you need it to be. It's kind of hard to find so definitely pay attention to your GPS if you've never been. It will seem like you're going down an alley or driving on abandoned railroad tracks and you are, but then you'll come across the store and every time I've been I've been the only customer so plenty of parking.

I had the product I was looking for courteous service, helpful, and very affordable good value for…read morethe money

I needed some drafting tools for a package design class, and wanted to support a brick and mortar…read morestore, and wanted higher quality than I saw at Walmart and Target. Staples had a good quality, but Blick's were very high quality AND cheaper than Staples. This was the first time that I shopped at this Blick as they recently moved into this former Joann store from their India Street location. While this store is a little more out-of-the-way, it is a wonderful size for Blick, and all on one level. Items are easy to find and nicely displayed, making the store a joy to browse in. If they don't have it, you probably don't need it. They also have some fun not-exactly-art things, but fewer books than I remember being at the India store. Lots of easy parking. Helpful service, too.

This is a huge store, and it is where Jo-Ann Fabric used to be. It is well-organized and primarily…read moreis for artists who paint, draw, sketch, etc. using various media. They have tons of canvases, all sorts of paints, various types of paper, etc. In the front of the store they have some cute gift items, art books, coloring books, journals, pens, markers, pencils, etc. To the left of the cash register area they have art supplies for young artists such as crayons, etc. They have some crafting supplies, but from this visit, I ascertained that this is not their focus. (It's also in their name, but just being clear.) :) The folks working were friendly and helpful. The prices seem mostly reasonable to a tad expensive depending what you are looking for. They do offer discounts for teachers and students. There is plenty of parking in the huge shared lot. Peace.

From the many office depots and the staples stores you can never find the notebooks that have the…read morecreative sayings and the striking graphic prints with colors that are eye catching. There are many offices supply places that you can find the college pieces but there are some that most students want the designs and the way it's going to go with the dorm room. Typo is a store that can be considered as the ultimate dorm room supply store and the many things they sell there is the many things that students can relate to for what they want to have in them. The many times that I have visited the typo stores I have seen the many merchandise lines they have from the music notebooks and the print style frames of the famous singers and rappers that are performing currently. The many items that they have there are made for the students that are on the go they have print socks and creative coffee mugs yes with most students they do drink coffee. I wanted to find a great planner the many had there it surprised very much, and they had sales on the many different styles and the brands they had there when you want something stylish yet not too expensive. To find two items that were on special to get both on special it was buy one get one 50% off I was able to get a a date book for 15.00 and a notebook that was 15.00 for 7.50 the many things that I had seen and the many plush Items the salesclerk hade helped me find the ones that I liked. With the Typo store when you take a look at the store its one store that you can get the many items that you need for college living and the many designs you may need and the extra small things that would be nice to decorate your dorm. The San Diego Library store has something close to the Typo store, but the Typo store carries many things you can take with you to class and the much needed carry all bags when you head off to class. I have found that the Typo store has been one of the busiest and the store has been one of the highest grossing with many colleges breaking for holidays that will be coming up. As a Yelp Elite Reviewer when you need things that would go good with your dorm and the many notebooks and the colorful shirts and the socks that you can wear around the house, yes with concerts that are coming up is make sure you get the favorite sings they do carry many there to make your days at home and school more on the go.

Shhhhh don't tell anyone, this is my secret shop for those cool unique gifts you never know where I…read moreget them. I love the selection. Today I needed a new journal. I mean journaling is healthy, right? While I was there, I saw a waterproof speaker for my bubble bath time. While I normally shop for everyone else perfect gift, today was totally about me. The staff was super helpful. And we even traded pod-cast lists. It feels like an independent-ish neighborhood store, with cute, gifts for just about everyone on your list. Even you :) Stop here, cuteness awaits.

Gold Leaf is one of my absolute favorite small‑business shops -- the kind of place where you can…read moretruly find something for everyone. It's perfect for gifting: they carry a wide range of cookbooks, jewelry, home and kitchen items, candles, perfumes, cards, and tons more. Whether it's a housewarming, birthday, or a "just because" moment, this is always one of my go‑to spots. I love that they wrap purchases in pretty tissue paper, making every gift feel intentional and ready to give. The store is full of little treasures, so take your time -- there's a lot to explore. Gold Leaf is also part of a small cluster of connected shops right in the heart of South Park, which makes it even more fun to wander around and browse. A charming, thoughtful, beautifully curated shop that never disappoints.

Cute, cute little shop!…read more My FAVORITE thing about this small shop is the worker doesn't harass you the whole time. (Thank the lord!) I love boutique stores but hate when they follow you around/pressure you to buy. A hello, asked if we need anything, and friendly service on the way out. Service 5/5. Simple yet effective. Select is adorable. Some expensive but they do have quite a few reasonably priced items. I originally went for a journal and really love the selection of everything they had. Fun artsy items. Also seemed to carry alot of smaller business (which I love!) If are looking for cute niche items -this is your place. I will be back! :)

This tiny store is packed with all kinds of stationary you can think of. From Weddings to birthday…read moreparties - you are sure to find the perfect card for your event. My fiancé and I came here to get inspiration for our wedding invitations. We're so glad we did! The owner was so friendly and answered all of our questions. There is a large variety of samples to choose from. Majority of their work is hung on the walls. If you're planning a wedding and need suggestions for your invites, I highly recommend coming here!

I wanted custom birthday card for my brother a gentleman who has everything. My timeline was short,…read moreand I presented a letter that I wanted to printed to be put into a beautiful custom card. I had written a birthday note in my own sentiments,and taken it to Stacey Himmel stationary. The whole staff was phenomenal. They managed to get the most perfect card done for me in a quick time frame. It was stunning perfect for the man who had everything. I can't thank the staff enough each and every one whom I interfaced with were so kind and talented. I also loved the beautiful cards they had for sale many other goodies and gift items that were on the shelves. The magnificent napkins and guest towels! Fabulous ideas for other gifts which I will come back for at another time. Thank you very much. Everyone you made my brothers birthday memorable he's 84 and has everything as I stated so this is so perfect to do for someone who you can't figure out a gift for‼ I highly recommend their store it's a treasure ......Thank you all Marsha