It seems San Francisco gets typecast depending on which neighborhood you go to . I have been…read morefortunate to understand the different neighborhoods across San Francisco living in more than eight different neighborhoods. One neighborhood which always gets a reputation of being stuck up is the Marina. If you ever spend enough time in the Marina this notion is false. The Marina showed true grit and resilience after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. I seen a lot of people get loose and have some fun in the Marina especially on Chestnut street( this includes adventures with the cool Don Juan himself). There are plenty of places to enjoy some of good food and drinks. There is one place which you will see the sense of humor of the Marina and the city of San Francisco and it's called Ei Home on Chestnut street. On a Spring stroll in Marina in the San Francisco sun I landed on Chestnut street at Ei home . Inside you will find some interesting novelties for sale. They have hats and bags with different designs . You can even find a laptop sleeve and some colorful towels . They have lot of humorous novelty items. The items here are a few levels above the tourist trap gifts you will find by Fisherman's Wharf. They have everything to candles and pillows with monuments of San Francisco. Get a leg up on Christmas shopping early with random stocking stuffers year round at Ei home a homage to my home of San Francisco. They say the Marina is all stuck up you are getting fed a bunch of "lies" I visited here for decades I experienced it with my own "eyes" if you discover it more it becomes a pleasant "surprise" go to A16 where pizza gets cut with scissors and go to Little Original Joe's for the "Zucchini Fries" Go to Chestnut and find early birds eating brunch outside in the sun and also the late night "diner" or go to a bar and possibly see a former SF Giants player or a former "Forty Niner "and go to the Studio on Chestnut and pose for a photo like your a model wearing clothes made by a fashion "designer" and then go shop at Ei Home located on Chestnut between Pierce street and "Steiner"

Ei Home is FABULOUS. This is a darling gift shop with an incredible selection of wonderful items. I…read moreparticularly love their Jelly Cat selection. It is so much fun to browse and buy here. The employees are extremely kind and helpful. This is an amazing store in a beautiful neighborhood. I highly recommend visiting Ei Home!

The Mission Christmas Edition: There is still time to find a gift before Christmas . There a few…read moreexcuses you can use this year in 2025 for not getting that gift in SF. You can blame the power outage but that happened over the weekend in SF before Christmas. There are a few days left to grab a gift. One place has some good fun gifts which will be a bit more unique from that Target store gift card you may be planning to give. It's located in the Mission District and it's called Serendipity( not the Christmas movie) . On a Winter Holiday stroll on Valencia street between the Chic n' Time and the Valencia Pizza & Pasta there is a cards and gift shop. Serendipity has cards for the holidays and also the traditional stocking stuffers and Secret Santa gifts. You will find candles, socks, jewelry,and other surprises. This is the spot if you want to gift something to a person who most likely doesn't have the item you're giving them. Come to Serendipity before you turn into Ebenezer Scrooge. Come to Serendipity where they have gifts for any occasion and "setting "from Birthdays Christmas , and, the "Wedding" because Winter is season for Holiday cheer should be "spreading" and the last thing you want is having a Christmas gift that you are "forgetting" Go to Serendipity by bike , car , bus, feet, BART, or Waymo , Uber, or "Lyft " because the Holidays is the time to "uplift" the spirit of a person with a Holiday "gift" and get that Christmas card with Mariah Carey or Taylor "Swift"

I saw this place while walking by and decided to take a Quick Look. They have an incredibly large…read moreselection of cards for all kinds of occasions. Think about stopping here before your next birthday party. So many cute things here.

Cute new little store on the end of Union! They have sweatshirts and baby onesies in bright,…read moresaturated, primary colors with cute little embroidery like strawberries and blueberries. The material isn't super soft but you can tell it's high-quality material that will last. They also have accessories like jewelry and other little home knickknacks. The person working there did not really offer any help when I was there but check it out if you're in the area.

Cozy little store in a cute neighborhood with a wonderful selection of artisanal products and…read moregifts. I have bought many lovely unique pieces for my friends, nieces and nephews, all well received. The shop owners are very friendly and the service is terrific. It is alway a fun and enjoyable experience to visit the shop. As a bonus, there are also many nice restaurants and shops nearby, makes this a nice area to spend an afternoon.

Lovely cozy shop in Potrero Hill - you'll find lots of good finds here from apparel, accessories,…read morehome goods, jewelry, gifts that are fun, artsy, and luxurious. Beautiful leather goods, hand-crafted jewelry, and other neat objects to admire. The shop was recently taken over by a new owner and she is absolutely lovely! Items here seem fairly priced for the quality of the item - there is something for all price ranges.

Precious, stylish, & hip…read more The best shop for a woman expecting a baby. The best shop for a baby. The best shop if you're an Audrey Hepburn fan. Candles, cards, & lotions...it's all here. When a friend of mine recently found out she & her husband were expecting, I thought of Lola. Adorable onesies, booties, baby blankets, etc. There's also all sorts of games for the little ones, & gifts ranging from stationery to coffee tumblers for the big kids in your life. Everything is uber cute, or stylish, or posh. The coffee tumblers are by Kate Spade, for example. Very nice! Saves you a trip to Neiman's. The official Breakfast At Tiffany's 50th anniversary companion book is here, too. Along w "What Would Audrey Hepburn Do?" A must stop for any lady in your life. 5 stars.

Stay classy: emails are good for business correspondence, but special occasions call for special…read morecards - Lola's got you! CARDS Some say, "nothing says I love you like a handwritten card." Ugh, debatable, but a card can definitely carry heavy meaning. An old fashion card is inconvenient at times: kinda hard to find, find the words to print, and print legibly (for some) given our technology. However, the perfect card for your loved one with a few hand written words can be priceless. Especially if you're broke in this economy, you may want to consider a heart felt card - beyond your standard Hallmark. If you got dough, grab one and load it with some cash or a gift card! THE OCCASION I came here because my niece is turning two this year, and I want her to remember how much Auntie Ray loved her before she became a rotten child (totally kidding - she's already rotten and I even love her for that). Whether it's an old card for V-day, a B-day, graduation, cards mark a point in time that E-cards just don't quite flag. I walked into this store and found a beautiful assortment of cards - took the time I didn't have because she's worth it. Sure, she can't read now but she's likely to out-live me, and I know my sister, like me, has a shoe box to toss this in. When baby girl moves out, she'll get that box and take a look - we always stumble upon old cards in times of transition. Sometimes those cards reaffirm our decision to keep it moving or reconsider our direction, ya know... NO OCCASION? I recommend grabbing some stationary anyway. My grandma was a pretty classy lady and taught us that it's rude not to send thank you's. In her day, she collected stationary and sent thank you's regularly - I so don't do this but I've found it helpful to have stationary laying around: thank a boss for a bonus, drop an invite to your girl who just split with her man, write a rain-check for your boy, forgotten b-day, or just a simple thank you for being you. CARDS ARE UNDERRATED Well I dare you to send one to someone after they do something nice for you. Just writing this I can recall five cards that changed my own life - and if you knew me you'd know I'm not all that sentimental or gooshy. (1) my first real love valentine (2) my first birthday card from a acquaintance that ended up being one of my best friends (3) a college graduation card from pops (4) 18th birthday card from mom (5) good luck card from my firm after moving on to law school. BOTTOM LINE I think this store has something for everyone. Check it out and support a local business, even if it's in a yuppie neighborhood. If you're not shopping for yourself, consider the stationary as a gift. Lil classy old school is cool. NERD ALERT At the counter, they have astronaut ice cream! I'm giving away my age here, but seriously - did you eat this as a kid??? Sweet memories

I was in town and looking forward to my visit to the Last Straw but it was closed! For good…read morereason-- Marge has retired and closed her shop. However, it looks like she may have sold the business to someone else as there is a note on the door with that person's contact information. I will always remember this charming store and have many pieces to remember it by. I will try to visit if and when it reopens as a new business. I really loved Marge's taste in jewelry and will miss her and the Last Straw.

Love,love, lovey this place where you can find so many trinkets whether it be bracelets, earrings,…read morelotions and other things. It's a cash only business and well worth going in to check out. Check the hours before heading here. The proprietor of the store is a very sweet woman.

Recently in 2025 the Glen Park neighborhood in San Francisco was named the #35 Best Neighborhoods…read morein the World by Time Out ( timeout.com). I can vouch for how fantastic Glen Park is an unique place where I enjoy going here since it's nearby to where I live and has lots of places to enjoy a bit of everything from a place eat and drink. For decades I always enjoyed hanging around Glen Park because it has a good vibe and a model of an ideal residential neighborhood in San Francisco. I am in this neighborhood all the time. It is also a good place to enjoy a place to hike in the Glen Canyon Park. There is a place in the Glen Park neighborhood where they sell lots of fun stuff from books to celebratory cards along with art and it's also a gift shop. On a November autumn stroll through Chenery street in San Francisco Glen Park neighborhood I enjoy going to Perch because it has lots of interesting items available along with some art on the walls. It feels as you stepped inside a small art gallery which sells jewelry, stationaries, special occasion cards, kitchen items, and some good books about drinks and food. When visiting the Glen Park neighborhood in San Francisco plan a visit and stop at Perch on Chenery street. Go to Glen Park if you are in "search" for novelties and interesting "merch " and it's available inside a store called "Perch" if you haven't gone to Glen Park better do some online " research" Come to one of the best neighborhoods ranked #35 in the world by Time Out ( timeout.com) as it was " written" and enjoy a stroll all four seasons with the neighborhood charm you will be "smitten" go to the Perch which is located on Chenery street and the cross street is called Diamond and it's a gem that is " hidden"

I have been a loyal customer at Perch for more than five years. As a Glen Park resident, it's a…read moregreat place to stop for gifts or to treat yourself. Unfortunately, I will never go back after an interaction that I had with the woman who works there today. She has never been particularly polite (she's snapped at both me and my husband), but we were willing to overlook that to support a local business. That changed today. I approached the store with my newborn in her stroller. The woman had her large, nine month old puppy tied to the front door of the store. Since the dog could easily jump on my stroller (it was quite large), I asked if it was baby friendly. I said, "I have a newborn in here, is your dog safe with babies?" And she snapped rudely, "I don't know. That's your responsibility." Mind you, we were literally on our first walk out of the house and had prioritized going to perch to get a little gift for our baby girl. This interaction was so totally unnecessary. Not only should a giant puppy not be tied to the front door, but to snap at parents trying to keep their kid safe is totally inappropriate. Move your dog! Be kind! Ugh I am so done. I will never be back. PS, I should clarify that I love dogs and I am a large dog owner myself. It is our responsibility as dog owners to 1) know how our dogs behave with kids and other dogs and 2) depending on that behavior, take precautions. This woman chose to do neither and was rude to us when we asked her to.

Cute store! The…read moreworker was kind and gave me change to use the print machine by the door.

Fun store for SF themed gifts. I'm in love with their plant collection stocked by "Las Selvas"…read more They've got lots of plants I've never seen before. There's a variety of things from jewelry, clothes, cameras, and pet food to shop around for as well. Very cool space.