What a gem of a shop. So easy to find something here at every price point. The staff is extremely…read morehelpful, and they even monogram on site, really quickly too. They have beautiful household gift items (trays, glassware, pitchers), decorative items, cute jewelry and more. They gift wrap beautifully. Stop in here first next time you need a gift...I made the mistake of running to multiple stores, when I should have just gone here first and been done with my shopping. (Note: No longer located across from Sunset in West LF...they are in East LF, right by Subway).

Cute little shop across from sunset in west lake forest. They have a lot of fun little trinkets and…read moreother things for your home! Great gifts for the holidays or gift exchanges! Every price is reasonable, given the item. The staff is very nice and helpful! They also do free wrapping and do it well! Love this place anytime I need a cute birthday or Christmas gift!

Beautiful space full of treasures, no matter how much you have to spend. They weren't super busy…read morewhen we were there,so a very nice lady walked around with us and explained what we were looking at. She had a lot of knowledge to share too !!! I could have spent a few more hours (or days) enjoying the items, their history and beauty. Looking forward to going back...Can't afford to go to Egypt, but this is a wonderful (and much closer to home) alternative.

PYRAMIDS IN NORTH AMERICA?!I had no idea this place existed! This place is definitely one to visit…read moreif in the area. The Egyptian style buildings and statutes are impressive. They also have free tours on certain days of the week!

A Little Bit of Me is new to me, they recently moved into this location right off highway 45, so I…read moredecided to stop in. I met the owner who is such a lovely lady. I asked if I could take some pictures for Yelp and she was very gracious. There are a bunch of great gift choices and I really like supporting a local business that also supports local makers. I saw plenty of things I'd like for myself but was on a holiday gift mission so trying to stay focused, but that was tough at this store. Temptation abounded! I really want to come back for some of the workshops. The proprietor showed me some really pretty shell dishes she made and I'd like to try that myself. I recommend that everyone come and check it out.

My best friend had to move up her wedding 6 months which lead us (as the bridesmaids) to have very…read morelittle time (6 weeks) to piece together some special surprises for her. I had a very last minute, very difficult embroidery project that needed done- low top shoes. Two other stores told me they could not do it. Initial Choice invited me in and told me they would find a way to make my project happen. I went in an immediately felt like these people knew what they were doing and really cared about making sure my friend got what she deserved on her wedding day. They made several suggestions and I basically told them I would leave the project in their clearly capable hands. I went back to pick up the shoes a few short business days later and everything was perfect. I could not have asked for better work and better customer service. On top of everything I found their prices to be extremely reasonable. I cannot wait to go back when I'm not under pressure to have more projects done!

What would we do without The Initial Choice? Lake Forest offers an abundance of choices for gift…read moreshopping, but this is my go to place. The small store packs a lot in without being cluttered. They have an excellent selection of tasteful accessories for ladies, kids, men and home - at reasonable price points. Monogramming is a focus and they do it well! There is practically nothing that can't be monogrammed and the expert staff does a great job advising on style/size/color. The Lake Forest/preppy motif is clearly represented in the merchandise selection. Need a 60045 needlepoint key fob? Look no further!

I am IN LOVE with the Mustard Seed. It first caught my attention because it is a fair trade shop…read more Turns out that it is run by volunteers so the money earned goes directly to the artists. The people who make the goods here are from all over -- from Chili to Ghana. When I purchase gifts, they often include brief information about the artist as well as the shop. Friends and family -- including my super cool teenage nieces and my mom -- who have received gifts from this store before are always excited when they see the familiar box. In fact, this Christmas I did the majority of my shopping here. They carry an amazing array of jewelry. From beautiful beaded necklaces to metal cuffs to swingy earrings. They also carry clothing (sweaters were a huge item this winter), colored scarves (I can't get enough!), wooden bowls, purses, blankets, rugs, wall decor, children's items and frames. During the holidays they even carry ornaments. I've posted a pic of a couple of them. The people who volunteer here are extremely nice and dedicated to helping the artists they show -- often women trying to support their families. But when buying here be prepared for a slow process. Because they are volunteers it's not like walking into a well oiled retail shop. But who really cares? It feels great to help out people who are trying to help themselves (hint -- it's the artist) and give gifts that have meaning to me and the recipient. It's been an amazing teaching tool for my nieces while giving them things they love. Hmmm. I think it's time for a new fashion scarf. Can't stay away too long!

This is a great little shop with so many items to choose from, I may go in for a pair of earrings…read moreto give as a gift but then find a pair for myself, a necklace, and 10 other things I want! The items are all fair trade and the employees are volunteers so you know you are shopping for a good cause! Great for gifts and each product has a story!

My time is extremely limited and I had so many gifts to wrap- looked online and found a local…read morecompany - hired Unique iT. I had never used them before so I was not sure what to expect. Suzanne made it so easy - they came to my office and personally picked up my gifts! Suzanne was amazing and really came through. Not only were they beautiful but she dropped them off at my office early! She was fabulous - highly recommend them!!! Thank you!!!

From the owner: unique it gift wrapping services. we do gift wrapping off all sorts shape and sizes, with a flair…read morefor all year round special occasion. corporate events, gift bags, baby shower, birthdays, weddings and unique assembly. we are available online 24 hours, we accept gift drop off at this location regeneration inc.

Looking for a fun and unique way to celebrate my partner's birthday, I came across Patterson…read moreGlassworks on Groupon - and it turned out to be such a great experience! We took a class where we learned how to create a glass pyramid from a mold, and it was fascinating from start to finish. The demonstration was easy to follow and really fun to watch, and then we got to make our own with hands-on guidance throughout the process. The class lasted about an hour and a half, which felt like the perfect amount of time, and we were able to pick up our finished piece within three days. Seeing the final result made it even more special.

We had a great time at Patterson glassworks. The staff was super kind and helpful throughout the…read moreentire process. We thought it was going to take a little bit longer, but actually it moved at a pretty quick pace and it was done before we knew it. It was really cool to see all the different options of items you can make at the studio. We actually looked into the other classes that they had and are interested in coming back to make different things such as pumpkins or glasses. After seeing the final product of what we created, we fell in love with the art pieces we made. Everything is so unique, the color selections and the process of making them went really well. We decided to opt for the extra option of adding the glow to our our pieces and it was totally worth it. This was a totally fun date idea for the price. Like I said, we'll most likely be back to do this again because we love the art pieces we made and would like to make other ones too.

Catherine is an incredible decorator. She knows exactly what to do and she has excellent contacts…read more She is extremely intuitive and picks up on your taste immediately. Because of her talent and intuition, you will end up with a completed project that is exactly what you want.

From the owner: We offer Interior design services and home decor gift items for purchase. We specialize in custom…read morewindow treatments, interior home remodeling and design and we are stockists of Chalk Paint and Wall Paint by Annie Sloan. We teach technique paint workshops using Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan. We pride ourselves on more personalized service in an unpretentious, relaxed way to make your experience easy and stress free. We work in the capacity that suits you and your project in a more timeless, less trendy way.