I love visiting Matoska Trading Company in Old Town Orange! Such a hidden gem. This place has such…read morea unique and welcoming vibe. A one stop destination for gifts or to buy yourself something cool. One of the best things about this store is definitely their prices on crystals. They have some of the most reasonable prices I've seen anywhere. I was recently in Sedona where prices were double to triple the price. Whether you're shopping for quartz, amethyst, or any other stones, you get great quality without breaking the bank. Many are in different sizes, shapes, etc. They also carry a really great selection of Sage and other smudging herbs. Beautiful dream catchers, jewerly, beautiful pieces of art, books, etc. I am a fan.

We had a quick fascinating walk through of this American Indian goods shop. There were all kinds of…read moreart work, and souvenirs and excellent gift ideas.

M.Lovewell is an independent stationery store located in Downtown Santa Ana near 4th Street Market…read moreand the shop hosts various creative workshops. This flagship brick-and-mortar location first opened in 2016 and M.Lovewell used to have a mini location inside Contra Coffee + Tea in Old Towne Orange (now closed). At the end of each July, the store offers Anniversary Weekend sales with an additional 20% off most items. [Parking]: There is a parking structure across the street for 4th Street Market. I had no issue finding free street parking in this part of town on Sunday afternoon. [Selection]: There was a tote-making station for a $25 DIY tote (choose a tote color and one patch, tell the staff where you want it, and the staff will iron it on for you) and Build a Washi Tin for $44 (limited-edition 10-year washi tin and choose eight washi tapes to fit inside the tin). I was quite impressed with the cute stationery selection including planners, pens (Tombow ABT PRO Alcohol Markers + Zebra's MILDLINER) from brands like Sarasa, Penco, Zebra, Mono, and Uni-ball, writing paper (MD Paper), cases and pouches from The Superior Labor, greeting cards, stickers, stamps, watercolor boards, Toyo toolboxes, etc. They even offer really fancy pens from brands like OHTO as well as $200+ fountain pens and inks for fountain pens. They have tester pens for customers to try out. On their website, customers can preorder The Hobonichi Techo for new releases for the upcoming year. [Conclusion]: Overall this shop focuses more on Japanese stationery brands (they do not sell MUJI here) and personally this is one of the best pure stationery shops in Orange County. I like this store much better than places like Shorthand, Baum-kuchen, or The Social Type in Los Angeles.

CUTE INDEPENDENT SHOP (4 stats)…read more There isn't much happening in downtown Santa Ana but there are a few hidden gems. Did I overhear that this place has been open for ~10 years?! I stumbled upon this shop while walking around the small downtown and as I walked more east I questioned should I turn around? Right when I was able to this store popped in view and I had to go in! What a cute shop if you are into stationary and pens and etc. I love supporting small independent businesses so I was determined to leave with something. There were a collective of independent products from different companies/artists that sell their items here. I didn't expect to leave spending $70.05 on 5 tiny items. WAX SEAL ($20) - by Made of Honour. There weee a handful of styles available. Very nice packaging. SEALING WAX BEADS 100pc ($9) - by Fiona Ariva. Variety of stunning colors. WAX SEAL HANDLE ($9) - by Fiona Ariva. I believe this is the standard size that fits other brands. BOAT PEN CASE ($13) - by Luddite. I been looking for a small compact pen case for my very few ones that i own and this was what I was looking for. ANTERIQUE BALLPOINT PEN ($13) - I love this mini pen and how it writes. The store DOES sell anterique refills BUT not the mini anterique refills that is needed for this pen. You can order the refills online on Amazon. So here's what gets me about shopping here. - California State Tax (0.5%) - Orange County Tax (0.25%) - Santa Ana City Tax (15%) - Orange County District Tax SP (0:5%) - Orange County Tax SL (1%) ^^ Added an additional $5.95 to the initial subtotal. That's alot in my opinion! Cool store, with a checkout. Until the next review....

I love Whimzy. Unusual things that are not available anywhere else.I usually find something I have…read moreseen before.

This is a super cute store located in downtown Tustin. The owner was super friendly when my friend…read moreand I went in and I loved the eclectic girly variety of options she had for the shop. It was the type of eclectic variety that you can go shopping with your little girl and she would be entertained and not wanting to leave vs being super bored with nothing that sparked her interest. Great store with craft inspiration and ideas and a variety of more neat knick knacks.

"They thought to use and shame me but I win out by nature, because a true freak cannot be made. A…read moretrue freak must be born." -Katherine Dunn (from the novel Geek Love) At last a vintage store with a legitimately quirky and odd inventory. This place packed a whole antique market, thrift shop, and curio cabinet into one unit. I do not know whether to attempt to describe the few vintage things this store does not stock or the complete horde of objects that it does. The answer to the question of where one would put everything if they had it is definitely Above Face Oddities. The owner, Melanie, worked wonders with this storefront. Were there crates of records? Yes. Were there racks and racks of band shirts. Oui. What about dope patches and pins. Si. Lunch boxes with chill art on them.? Why not. This does not have original art by lady artists? Turns out it does. But with all that inventory, I doubt Above Face sells Halloween costumes, right? Wrong. This store belongs in the sequel to Ghost World. The kind of store Enid and Rebecca would have opened once they completely quit caring about what anyone else thinks. I could see Ripley's Believe It or Not buying this place out. One could pass most, if not all, of a day just mulling over the sheer merch here. There was even a can of Manic Mallow from The Simpsons. Where else would it be? I could on and on about the jeans, the hats, the pins, the belts, the jewelry, the art, the posters, the make-up, the wigs, the risque framed cartoons, but I will leave some of it up to the imagination. Stay in your lane, normcore folk. This store is for the odd.

I always go thrifting when we are in town for Disney. This shop popped up and I'm glad we stopped…read moreby. Went upstairs and found a sweater. The girl working there was so nice and friendly. Then we went downstairs and the guy was cool and nice. So many things to see! I'm glad we stopped. If you like unique things you'll find a little of everything here.

This shop is located on 4th street in downtown Santa Ana. It's super cool and it seems like there's…read moremini sections for several different vendors. There's a variety of merch from the different vendors and artists with clothing, keychains, pins, bags, posters, candles. It was my first time seeing a shop like this so it was really cool to see the many different styles of artists coming together!

I used to read the sign as "CLC-TV 219" and think it was some TV channel like MTV, and I'd skip…read morethis place altogether. I visited recently and realized it's pronounced Collective 219 not C.L.C-TV 219. This place is really cool in that there's little stalls that sell clothing or goods designed by a specific artist. My favorite clothing stall was the Boss Dog T-Shirt one but there were other littler artisan items created by others from different stalls that were cool to see. Definitely come here if you're looking for a cool or fun gift for a friend that's pretty unique.

This shop is part of a bigger store, nice little spot with tons of items to look at. Saw this on…read moreYelp and had to visit. Prices are not bad. We'll worth it to stop by. I guarantee you'll find something you'll like. I grew up down the street from here in the 90s and it's amazing to see how this area has changed. Not around this area often but will make time to visit anytime I'm around. This place is great, I highly recommend coming in.

Stopped in at Groovy Ghost Vintage a few weeks ago. Just walking in the first few steps was like…read moregoing into a portal of better days. They had so much cool stuff. Every turn was a whole collection of either movies, toys, cds, vintage collectibles. Looking in their music section I took a shot in the dark and asked if they had any Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The owner Steve and his wife (super friendly people) checked inventory. They searched all over high and low. I didn't want to send them on a goose chase so I said no worries. Steve took my number down then texted me 30 minutes later after finding the CD. I was super stoked. Just talking to them it made me feel at home and welcomed being a nerd or someone who cherishes the past. Great people with just as great customer service. If you love nostalgia and want to own some of it. Go to Groovy Ghost Vintage!

This place is pretty groovy. It has that '70's atmosphere. I like to take a look whenever I'm…read morevisiting downtown Orange. Once you walk in, the cash register is on your left. There are glass cabinets of smalls on the left hand side; clothes, home decor, and miscellaneous merchandise in the center of the store; and records in the back of the store to your right hand side. Prices are pretty good. There's a free standing arcade game near the back of the store. It's free to play for customers. No quarters required. The staff are always friendly. They greet you as you come in and say good bye when you leave.

This place has lots of art supplies and there's tiny af color pencils and sketchbooks. So nice!read more

Mai Do is such a cozy but heavily busy Japanese stationery shop located inside a Mitsuwa; parking…read morehere is like the hunger games. On a busy Sunday afternoon, I found myself circling the parking lot for almost 30 minutes before getting lucky enough to get a tight cramp spot. The store is located to the left side of the super market. They had an assortment of pens, notebooks, and art supplies. I was able to get some goodies from here. Again, the store can be cramped, a little warm, and hectic, but you walk out with really good finds. I feel their price point is pretty reasonable, and their selection is great considering the size of the store. Staff is nice and seems helpful. Overall, cute Japanese stationery store to visit for all your stationery needs whether you're a seasoned artist or beginner. They have everything for everyone. My favorite was their journal selection, they had many good brands from Campus to Midori. I'm sure you will find something here.