Lina LecaroOur annual look at L.A. brands, shops and gifts for the holiday season is particularly diverse this year, with products ranging from clothing to collectables, home decor to skincare. A lot here can be picked up in local stores but if you don’t have time, order online now to get by Christmas.
(Academy Museum)
Academy Museum
The Academy Museum celebrates the magic of cinema in every way imaginable, from the tales movies tell, to the feelings they create, via writers, costume and set designers and filmmaker vision. It all comes together to entertain and often, to educate us about how our world has evolved. The Academy’s gift shop items reflect this spirit. From books, clothing and decor to cool collabs (we love their arty mashup with another iconic spot, Amoeba Music, on tees and bags), it’s a great place to shop. We love all the items celebrating its latest exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898-1971, including hoodies, tees and totes. academymuseumstore.org
(Spacedust)
Spacedust
Artist and designer Michelle Rose created Spacedust to showcase the local creative community in LA. She stocks only locally-made, independently-made, or hand-crafted items, and everything has a unique flair. The “anti-mall mini department store” as the owner calls it also features the owner’s own clothing designs, all of which have a 60’s Barbarella meets fetishy club girl feel. Check out the website and visit the store for groovy made-in-LA gifts. shop.spacedustla.com
(Mi Vida)
Mi Vida
The full range of regalos (gifts) at Mi Vida in Highland Park is best shopped at the store itself; they’ve got clothing, accessories, home goods and more all with a folksy individualistic flavor. If you know a proud and awesome Latin/Latina/Latino/Latinx person (and we know you do!) you will definitely find a cool present for them here. We’ll take these cute “LA” earrings, gracias. shopmivida.com
(Jonathan Adler)
Jonathan Adler
We’ve been a Jonathan Adler fan for years, even of we can’t afford everything we love from the famed interior decorator and author. Adler’s stuff is a perfect meld of kitsch and luxe, and this year, he’s created a nice assortment of items for under $100, all of which we’d totally dig seeing under our kitschy tree. Pick them up at his L.A. store on Melrose. jonathanadler.com/pages/holiday-gift-guide
(Foxblood)
Foxblood
Stylist and stage wear designer Lindsay Hearts created FOXBLOOD five years ago, with a downtown Los Angeles boutique showcasing inclusively-sized, vegan and cruelty-free fashion for those who dig the dark side of life. The female owned and operated company and its sister shop featuring pastel goth getups called My Violet, both have gifts for the ghoul in your life. We love their soft black Santa hat for seasonal styling. foxblood.com
(The Crème Shop)
The Crème Shop
This Los Angeles-based brand has some of the most eye-catching packaging around with a “cutie-verse of makeup, skincare, & K-Beauty accessories.” Hello Kitty is of course, a natural fit for the brand and they’ve got some great skincare items for the beauty junkie’s stocking. thecremeshop.com
Tail o’ the Pup (Lina Lecaro)
Tail o’ the Pup
We’re big fans of buying merch to celebrate and support L.A. businesses. A great gift idea for local music fans, for example, is to buy t-shirts from their favorite local clubs or bands. The 1933 Group offers cool retro-style merch from all their establishments (Formosa Cafe, Idle Hour, etc), but the best has to be mugs and tees they designed for their latest hot (juicy) spot: Tail o’ the Pup, the famed hot dog stand in West Hollywood that they revived this year. 1933groupshop.com
(Big Bud Press)
Big Bud Press
The unisex basics at Big Bud Press aint cheap, but they’re meant to have forever so they make for cool investment gifts. The L.A. based company uses ethical and local manufacturing practices and over 98% of the fabric they use is grown and made domestically. Everything is made in the USA (except their buttons–made in Italy). Our picks? Gender neutral jumpsuits and overalls in every color of the rainbow. bigbudpress.com
(Tom of Finland)
Tom of Finland Store
(Braindead Studios)
Braindead Studios
Housed inside the space formerly known as The Silent Movie theater, Braindead hosts experiential events and some of the best out-of-the-box screenings in town. They also have some of the most unique artist and designer driven gifts from around the world, all with an alternative disruptive, graphics-driven post punk vibe. We dig the puzzle above, but check out the space or online for more. wearebraindead.com
(Pure Beauty)
Pure Beauty
Now that it’s legal, cannabis might be the merriest gift you can give for Christmas, even if the person you’re giving to isn’t a regular smoker. Like a nice bottle of wine, weed can be a spirited “special occasion” treat. We like Pure Beauty’s latest slate for stoney stocking stuffers, including its new Little Strong Drink, a live resin infused sipper the company touts as an “anti-holiday manic libation.” We also adore their cute and clean-design mini joint boxes, the latest of which melds soil-grown indoor flower with solventless live resin and first wash ice water hash. purebeautypurebeauty.co
See more cannabis-related gifts here.
(Homeboy Industries)
Homeboy Industries
If you don’t know the story of Homeboy Industries by now, you should. The organization provides training and support to formerly gang-involved and/or formerly incarcerated people in L.A., giving them hope and making them part of a community that does good. It all started with its bakery and there’s a reason it took off– their foods aint foolin.’ With cool packaging and a tasty selection of sweets, coffee and promo merch, Homeboy has lots of stuff to bring home. homeboyindustries.org
See more food-related gifts here.
(Angel City Press)
Angel City Press
Some of our favorite L.A.-minded reads came from Angel City Press this year. Any of these would make a great gift for the proud Angeleno in your life. In particular, the beautiful photo-packed book about Bob Baker’s Marionettes will bring enchantment to any white elephant exchange. angelcitypress.com.
See more book gifts here.
(Snooper Market)
The Snoop Dogg Store
If you missed our cover story on Snoop Dogg and all of his family business endeavors, read it now! Then go to Inglewood, up the street from Sofi Stadium and the Forum, and check out the Snoop Dogg store. Here you’ll find the place to up your giftizzle game. Death Row Records merch, Snoop’s clothing endeavors and Broadus Collection pieces and a lot more. But the must-have Xmas item here has to be Snoop on a Stoop, a licensed Elf on a Shelf-like holiday decor that’s the hot drop present of the season. snoopermarket.com
See more music-related gifts here.
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