^ Ohhoho, check out my leggy shadow. ^
^ May I just point out-- SLOTH CLOCK. It is my everything. ^
^ "Whale, whale, whale... what have we here?" ^
^ The madre really wanted this for her piggy collection. She's still thinking about it. ^
Came back to the store I couldn't stop thinking about since our last visit here years ago...
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Who: The parentals and I
Where: Treehouse Green Gifts in Berkeley's Elmwood District
When: Sunday around 4:30 PM
The Place: I don't exactly recall when the parentals and I last visited Berkeley's Elmwood District, but it was at least three, four years ago. Back then, we picked up a few ice cream cones at Ici Ice Cream {there was no line the time we went! Like... whaaat?} and wandered a few stores, but the only store I remember clearly was Treehouse Green Gifts.
It's an eco-friendly, unusual-gift, aesthetically gorgeous place, that leans more towards "cute" than "kitschy". Their kids' section is fantastic, if a little high on the price scale for this recent college grad. This is the kind of store you'd buy your best friend's baby shower gift because you want it to be different, yet adorable and well-made and very kid-safe and chemical-free {not that you'd buy all the chemical-laden things for non-best-friends, but I'm saying, you know, this is for when you want to go above and beyond Target's baby aisles}.
I tend to ignore the tables in the middle of the shop since I don't have much use for dishware and pottery at the moment, but all along the walls are products and companies you don't see in your large, chain stores. A lot of the items are local or made by people who started their small businesses out of their home and grew quite successful over the years.
And again, in case you missed my caption up there... SLOTH CLOCK.
What We Did: The madre and I walked around and oohed and aahed. The padre lasted longer in here than in any of the other small shops we went into that day {high praise indeed!} before going to wait for us outside. We didn't really have anyone to shop for when we went in, no birthdays or anniversaries or major holidays, so we just spent most of our time looking and mentally cataloging options for future gifts.
Their employees are super friendly {at least, the girl behind the counter was. the lady behind the jewelry counter looked kinda bored, which was awkward} and are happy to chime in when you're trying to decide if you REALLY NEED those hedgehog dryer things. Apparently, the rubber hedgehogs make excellent cat toys, too, if that's something you're into. (:
Tips: A few suggestions...
+ Parking is not the easiest in this area, with so many stores and restaurants packed so closely together. I would still suggest trying to stay on the main thoroughfare, however, since we saw a car or two with smashed windows on farther away side streets. O.o I'm not sure if that's a norm or an anomaly, but still...
+ This is a store you'd want to take your time in. There is so much to see, so make sure you remember to look up! And down! Fantastic things everywherrre.
Conclusion: We'll probably be back. Elmwood District reminds me of Venice Beach's Abbott Kinney, with all its cool kid shops and small businesses. I'd take out-of-town friends here to wander and explore this neighborhood because there really IS something for everyone {I feel very cliche for saying that, but it's true!} and it's close to a bunch of other Berkeley sites-to-see. If you've got an afternoon free and you want to adventure, this place works quite well!
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