Nucleus

I’ve been to nucleus a few times. I haven’t purchased any of the artwork here yet, but I always enjoy my visits. I always look forward to see what they have new and visit their website every now and then to see what’s new.

This gallery/​shop is one of my favorite places to check out on free time.
Lots of kawaii, fun, unique, sensational, geek-​oriented art to feast your eyes on.
The theme changes every once in a while which keeps the collections interesting which I’m never disappointed in. The curators do a great job coordinating fun-​stations, merch and art.
I like to keep an eye on their insta and website for upcoming events.

Friendly staff, neat stuff. I bought the $ 10 mystery bag & whoa! I’m surprised! Better than I thought.
Cute little gallery.

One of my favorite galleries of all time! As a graphic designer and an illustrator, this gallery offers so much inspiration. Many of my favorite artists have exhibited here and they have a great selection of prints and books available in their store. The gallery is small, but I spent so much time trying to narrow down what I wanted to buy because I wanted to get everything! I bought 6 prints for about $ 250. Finally I can decorate my empty wall at home! The staff is super friendly and was helpful in narrowing down my choices :)
You can probably go through the entire gallery in an hour and if you’re looking for art and prints, probably add another hour to that ;) opening nights for new exhibitions have longer hours than normal, so be sure to check out hours of operation.
It’s street parking, but I didn’t have a hard time finding one.
Admission is FREE unless you want to attend book signings which have designated hours and cost $ 10.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for Nucleus yet. Let me start by saying I LOVE this place! Being the only art gallery in Alhambra I’ve been going here since they were located in their original location farther down Main Street 10yrs ago. I’ve seen so many awesome exhibits (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Big Bang Theory, Power Rangers, The Walking Dead, Edward Scissorhands, Spongebob SquarePants) and they sell all the Tokidoki toy series (Royal Pride, Unicorno & Moofia) books, prints and t-​shirts lots of cute unique gift ideas.

This place always has great exhibits from great artists. It inspires me to do more art and illustrations. maybe one day I can be featured too *fingers crossed*
If you come on the days of certain openings, they have drinks and food! Usually it’s like crackers, cheese, fruits wine/​beer.

It’s small enough, so you don’t get overwhelmed when looking at the exhibits and can actually devote some time and rightfully placed appreciation for the actual artwork. We went in for our «spend no money» –date with my wife and OOPS, we wound up spending $ 80 on great goodies we found in prints and books. I could’ve easily spent triple that, but had to practice self restriction so not to crowd my home with art loot.
It is a quaint lovely little place and certainly worth the visit. Gift shop will likely cater to all artistic senses, needs and wants.
We were bitterly sad about all the amazing exhibits we’ve missed and will keep a keen eye on the gallery in the future.

Interesting bookstore/​and art gallery. They tend to change it up here and there depending on their theme. I liked walking around and looking at art with my husband.

I love coming here! They always have really amazing exhibits in the gallery in the back of the store/​upstairs. It’s a good place to buy a gift for someone on the nerdy/​creative side.

2014 Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE — ³³⁷⁄₃₆₅
3.5 stars.
Came here during my day of SGV exploration because it seemed like a cool unique shop/​art gallery to check out. I am SO bummed I missed the Big Bang Theory exhibit last year because I LOVE THAT SHOW! T_​_​T
Nucleus is located in the heart of Alhambra on Main St. There is a ton of street parking around and it’s FREE, so luckily my roomie and I were able to find a spot not too far away! It does get really congested on Main St though, so just be careful when driving in the area.
The space is divided into 2 parts (or what I could see, anyways). There is a gift shop in the front half of the store that has lots of art prints, t-​shirts, books, and small bits and baubles. I was really looking forward to the store because I wanted to find some cute little knick knacks or novelty gift items. Unfortunately I didn’t find ANYTHING that I liked! It was so upsetting! I guess I just had an idea of what I was looking for in my head and I didn’t seen anything along those lines.
I did enjoy looking at all the prints they had for sale, but I did find it rather frustrating trying to look through all of the prints because they way they were displayed wasn’t very practical. They are sorted by artist and it was difficult flipping through them because they were all different sizes, and were probably mixed up because of other people who had looked at them before me.
The girl working there looked bored out of her mind. She was very nice, but definitely looked like she was browsing Facebook or something behind the counter.
The second half of the building is the actual art gallery. It is very small, only the size of maybe one room in a normal art museum/​gallery, but it was very nice and spacious and well lit. I only looked at a few of the art pieces because I didn’t recognize the artist or the theme, but it was really cool. You can look at their website to see what they currently have, what they’ve had in the past, and what is to come in the future!
Overall, I did like the idea of Nucleus and it was definitely cool to visit, but I was just disappointed because I REALLY wanted to buy something from the gift shop and I didn’t find anything that I liked.

Hello Unilocal,
What better way to celebrate a Welcome to L. A than going to the Naughty Dog 30^th Year Anniversary Tribute held Friday, September 26 2014, I will never forget this day. Remarkable People, I’m looking forward to seeing more.
Constructive Criticism, NP

A quaint little gallery with quirky art books for sale: that’s Nucleus in a nutshell.
I came here on a whim on a Saturday night for the Heroes in a Half-​Shell exhibit, and I have to say it didn’t disappoint. The art was unique, centrally themed, and well spread out over the gallery walls. The one downside was the oppressive heat in the upstairs portion of the gallery, but besides that I have no complaints.
Other bonuses included: the gallery was quiet and felt very spacious, there was plenty of street parking, and bars/​restaurants nearby for after art snackage.
I can’t wait for their next exhibit! I’ll definitely be back.

Nucleus always do fun stuff! i was here last saturday at the Final Fantasy X/​X-​2 event and sure i did not make the first 200 people but im glad they started processing the line 2 hours before the event started. I’m kinda glad they threw off a charity to my country (Philippines) for the Yolanda victims, i’m really touched Square Enix!
but this isnt the first time i went here though, i came here when May Anne Licudine (MALL) had her exhibit show. there werent as many people there when i came but its nice to see 2 different point of views from empty-​quiet to crowded with a lot of people! i just didnt like how they formed a line at the parking lot, where its so hot with zig-​zag lines. it took me 5 ½ hours just to buy the Final Fantasy X/​X2 game. that wasnt fun at all but im glad they provided water for us. that was awesome!

A neat bookstore/​art gallery to check out especially during events like book signings and art exhibits. In some cases, there are exhibits where you can submit your own pieces. There are also workshops and other social events for the artist community. Most of the stuff they curate are modern and pop culture art. I always go crazy and end up broke here (event or not) because I splurge on the art books and prints. There’s also cool little knick knacks like blind box toys and shirts.
Staff is a mixed bag. They do not greet you when you enter the store and will only talk if you are at the counter purchasing something. Some are friendly and awesome, but to those that look like they want you gone once you walk in the store, smile! Looks of hostility just make me want to resort to online shopping.
The recent event I checked out is their current ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ exhibit with Andrew Robinson’s book signing. Really nice pieces but I feel that there could’ve been more. It’s kinda iffy that the band they got started playing during the book signing. I couldn’t even talk to the artist over the music. I wished they moved the signing booth upstairs so I could at least get my name across.
Other than that, artists and those interested in pop culture should check this place out. They’re pretty chill if you take photographs if the pieces, which is a plus.

5 STAR ARTWORK, No star staff.
The store itself is AMAZING! I loved every single curated piece, and items in the shop! I was disappointed when I saw that most of the artwork on the walls were sold, since I really wanted a Doctor Who «Golden Books» print, and wasn’t available online :(Anyway! From the Gallery to the store itself, everything inside is magical!
The only not-​so-​awesome thing about this place are the workers. There were two people at the register, in an empty store, and they didn’t even look up or acknowledge the fact that potential customers had walked in. I support local small business, and was going to buy something, anything, before walking in. I was so turned off by the apathetic staff, and left without a purchase.
I would definitely be back to Nucleus if I had an incentive to, like a Gallery opening I was interested in. Other than that, probably not.

Since I missed out on the Unilocal event for The Big Bang Theory art exhibit, I just had to make a night of it and check it out on my own.
Nucleus is such a cute little art gallery. It has a little bookstore/​gift shop in the front and in the back is where they curate their exhibits. It is lofted, so there is a small second floor for additional art pieces. The employees that worked here were very helpful and friendly!
You can find parking in the public parking structures and lots located around the block. If you are lucky enough, you might be able to find a space out in front of the gallery.
Make sure to check out their website from time to time for future art exhibits! They also have their bookstore items for sale on their website, which can come in handy if you are looking for a specific art books that you can’t seem to find anywhere else.

A fun place to check out the artwork about the Big Bang Theory! Such great artistic work everywhere you look. There’s also cool nifty weird gifts in the front.

Nifty little art gallery conveniently placed right next to the abandoned Cha for Tea plaza.
If you’re looking for somewhere to walk to and hang out with friends while you sip on your boba tea, here’s the perfect place! Conversely, if you’re spending a night out on the town and want to view some nerdy/​alternative art, think about visiting Cha for Tea and grabbing some boba to drink while you browse!
I came to Nucleus for a Unilocal Event recently, but I’ve stopped by several times before, and even bought a few christmas presents here.
The art is a really unique selection, and I’d say their target audience is teens/​young adults that are into streetwear/​hipster/​mainstream «art». It kind of reminds me of a art-​focused Urban Outfitter, and you’ll find many of the same items here as you would there.
They do carry a bunch of art pieces from local and less-​well known artists, which are definitely a bit pricier.
Great place to browse and find little trinkets when you’re hanging out with a friend. Friendly workers and pleasant environment.
Pro Tip: If you can’t find parking behind the building, there’s a HUGE parking lot across the street where the closed Mervyn’s and Cha for Tea is. :)

1000^th review! I want to dedicate it to one of my favorite stores on the planet!
This art gallery/​store is truly a local community gem! It’s owned by an artist and his wife, who I had the fortune of meeting at one of their recent gallery shows. I’ve been coming here for a few years now for several of their monthly gallery shows, and to check out their variety of super cool merchandise.
The shows, book-​signing events are always alot of fun. It’s a gathering of a bunch of local and international artists as well as us folks who can’t draw to save our lives but love and appreciate the artworks all the same. I was talking to one of the artists at the event and was told that his work was on display that night and this gallery is extremely supportive of the artists and treats them like gold, especially compared to the other galleries.
The stuff they have here is very unique and always good as gifts for people’s birthdays! Since I have alot of friends and birthdays happens every year, this is my go-​to shop for those type of obligations, and my friends seem to always be impressed with their gifts from here.
Staff is always super helpful and friendly, overall just a great fun place with lots of cool stuff! Love it!

Zombies!!!
Ohhh MY jeebus
I’m a HUGE fan of the TV series The Walking Dead so when I found out Nucleus would be displaying/​selling concept art developed for the television show I WAS EXCITED. This was my first time at the gallery and I was BEYOND impressed.
This place is elegant without an air of pretentiousness. As soon as I walked in I felt welcomed. The ladies at the front desk were courteous and told me to go ahead and take a look at the exhibit in the rear of the store.
The gallery is actually small so its easy to circumnavigate and I was able to really enjoy piece by piece. I WAS ECSTATIC that they allowed for photos. I was nervous at first then a helpful signed actually encouraged me to take photos of the work (see not pretentious at all). There were a few zombie art pieces that I fell in love with but didnt want to creep myself out night after night. The prices were reasonable. Some were $ 100-​$ 200 for an art piece, and other that were mass produced were around $ 20-​$ 25, which I found to be highly reasonable.
Overall loved the exhibt and loved the gallery. Would come back just to look at the latest ehxhibti or just to look around all the nifty lil gizmos they have up front. Great place!