Comments (0) Best Gift Shop That Doubles as a Time Machine - 2010
Shine Gallery
Shine Gallery is tchotchke heaven: Thousands of kitschy pop-culture artifacts from the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s everywhere you turn. Toys, carnival prizes, pin-up matchbook covers, skating rink labels, campaign buttons, sports pennants, food packages, circus memorabilia, Stork Club cigarette holders, gag gifts, magic tricks, pop bottles, souvenir postcards from God-knows-where. And that’s just for starters. It’s Americana in all its goofy glory, “rescued from old stores, warehouses and factories all over the world,” according to owner Bernie Shine. “It’s lowbrow stuff that has become high art with the passage of time.” Everything is authentic (no reproductions!), never been used, and — because Shine buys in quantity — reasonably priced. (Prices here are verifiably lower than what you’ll find on eBay.) 6333 W. 3rd St. (in the Farmers Market), Mid-City. (323) 954-4700, shinegallery.com.
—Todd David Schwartz
