Ninepatch

This place is easily over looked as you drive north from Berkeley into Albany just before the terrace tunnel, but it’s a hidden gem. Ninepatch is a fantastic little gift store for anyone on your list. The woman who owns the shop has been in business for over 20 years and is as nice and helpful as can be. The store usually looks empty but don’t let that deter you. The store owner won’t breath down your neck as you survey the store. She gets her products from all over the world, but this is not reflected in the prices. She has handmade quilts, tin and iron art pieces, jewelry, all sorts of odds and ends you won’t find anywhere else. There is also a nice selection of ‘Day of The Dead’ art and other wicked ‘alternative’ trinkets for the young hipster in your life. She also has vintage toys, penny toys and dolls. I was shopping or my mother who is a chicken/​rooster collector and I walked out of her shop with some serious loot in that department, but her gifts fit a wide range of ages and styles. If you like to support local business, this is a good place to start. Visit Ninepatch for your next gift search, you won’t be disappointed.