Something to Remember Us By: 7 Super-Sweet Gift Boutiques In & Around Phoenix

By Lisa Polacheck on 09/19/2014, updated on 08/22/2017
Single-edition shops for cards, jewelry and tokens of affection
frances store in Phoenix
Behind this simple storefront, intricate and thoughtful presents await. (©frances)

A souvenir doesn’t have to scream “Arizona!” or “Grand Canyon!” to remind the purchaser of a fond time spent in our neck of the desert. The subtler the better, sometimes, and the more useful back home in real life. Here, a starter list of places to buy presents for yourself while here on vacation:

1. If Etsy birthed a brick-and-mortar baby, it would be frances, where hand-built jewelry, letterpress birthday cards and frilly/fragrant gifts exist in real time—no PayPal password or shipping patience required. • 10 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix

2. Facing a pocket park and sharing a doorway with an indie coffee shop, Bunky Boutique feels relaxingly rustic and intelligently urban at the same time. Mantra-stamped copper pendants and bicycle-enthusiast tees are prevalent and popular. • 1437 N. 1st St., Phoenix

3. A store of midcentury-modern delights called For The People is tucked behind an espresso counter at the east end of Biltmore Fashion Park. Treat yourself to a latte, and then to a wooden, chrome or cast-cement objet d’art. • Inside UNION marketplace at Biltmore Fashion Park, 2502 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix

For The People store4. A Roosevelt Row house retrofitted as the gift gallery MADE art boutique hangs modernist birdhouses in the front windows, jewelry constructed from pieces of hardware in the hall, and one-of-a-kind ceramic pots and bowls in what may once have been a kitchenette. • 922 N. 5th St., Phoenix

MADE art boutique5. A 1923 house off Goldwater Boulevard in Scottsdale is JAM, a modern-day home for handmade jewelry, purses, and collage art that crosses nostalgic images with new ones. Occasional house parties are sweet; a s’mores roast is scheduled for Oct. 16, 6-8 pm—inquire within, or just show up. • 6938 E. 1st St., Scottsdale

JAM store interior

6. The quiet Design Lab sits just a few blocks from spectacular Mesa Arts Center. Find it and you’ll be in for ready-to-enjoy goods like striped throw pillows and decorative industrial letters, plus awesome raw materials for themed parties—paper straws, scalloped labels, glass beakers and bottles and such. • 166 W. Main St., Mesa

7. One Wing Boutique in historic downtown Chandler blends personalized sentiments and manufactured goods, all with an affirming, you-can-do-it tone. • 80 S. San Marcos Pl., Chandler

 

Something to Remember Us By: 7 Super-Sweet Gift Boutiques In & Around Phoenix By Lisa Polacheck on 09/19/2014, updated on 08/22/2017