The Phoenix Shop

Great day at the Big Sur, but had the same experience as Linda H. at this establishment. I was so very disappointed to be followed around by a strange-​looking lady who crept up behind me as I was taking a picture on the balcony. She stood there and watched me as if she wanted to let me know I was unwelcome.
As a business owner and HUMAN BEING, I was so very disappointed that she wanted to alter my experience. Years ago, I had the pleasure of dining at Nepenthe and remember having the most wonderful, cheerful, and welcoming host of a bartender/​waiter. I appreciated how smart he was in realizing that people are just that: people.
Note to Management and Staff: Regardless of your bigotry and hate, humanity will still exist. Most are not like you, thankfully. If there were a world full of suspicious creatures without merit, judging from tiny (almost closed) slitted eyes and miniscule brains, what a monstrous place it would be!

impressive selection of artisan jewelry and now even more (squeee) big sur jade!
a fave stop of mine for over a decade. go in, browsing’s free :)

This is an okay rest stop to stretch your legs and browse around. Everything in the shop seems expensive.
Theres a restaurant there as well with a nice patio.

Once the home of a Big Sur artist, in the 1940s — it was donated to Phoenix’ current owner in the 1960s. Lots of pricey, cool hippie stuff here. But honestly, eBay will have everything sold here… for a fraction of what this shop charges. Savor it for the inspiring views, while waiting for your table at Nepenthe Restaurant.

My husband & I went to spend the day in Big Sur & had a wonderful time seeing the beautiful scenery, enjoyed a really good lunch at Nepenthe & the hike to the falls was awesome.
The one dark spot was the Phoenix Shop where we went into to buy a few unique Christmas gifts. The store is full of lots of interesting and fun things so we took our time walking around & looking at them all when I noticed a woman following behind me, she asked me if I needed help & I told her no we are just looking. I had this woman follow me the ENTIRE time I was in the store and was giving me the most unfriendly looks. She assumed I was going to take something and made it a point to let me know she was following me. I took a few of my items I was carrying up to the register to help ease her assumption and told the cashier that I wanted to leave them there and was still looking.
After I got the rest of the things I planned to purchase I went to the register to buy them and the cashier who as was very unfriendly told me she put my things back because she didn’t think I would buy them?! She told the woman who had been following me all day to go get them and when she returned I reached my hand for them and she went around me to hand them directly to the cashier. I was insulted and WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. I am also contacting the manager. These people assumed by looking at me that I was going to take something and they were arrogant snobs.
Note to this store’s manager… please keep in mind that all your customers should be treated with respect! And just because a person is not dressed like they had money to spend does not make someone a thief.

Wow! What a selection of neat artisan jewelry! Yes, I splurged! There is something for everyone here, from cards, to house décor, to out door patio ornaments, to fabulous clothing and jewelry. AND THE VIEW!!! I had to buy something that had soaked in that wonderful vibe of Big Sur… Easy way to spend a perfect afternoon in paradise! For whoever wrote that the clothing was over priced… I guess they don’t know designer names and prices. I found the pricing on-​par for any boutique or nice shop that features the unique.

I find it funny that hippies are against capitalism in principle, yet everything at this shop, mostly made by the granola crowd, is exorbitantly over priced. The clothes look like something you find at the local goodwill, yet the prices are laughably high – some pieces close to $ 1000. Stop by to buy a
Book or postcard, but anything more is just a rip off.

Talk about a swift pin to my expectation bubble! In addition to the assumed inventory of hippy-​dippy baubles, chakra centers and herbal balms harvested from the rocky cliffs of Big Sur’s sweeping coast, there are actually items you’ll want to buy.
Yes you, the skeptic in the back.
A nicely curated selection of books, housewares and assorted stylish accoutrement are reminiscent of what you’d find in a Paper Source, Black Ink (in Boston, look it up) and perhaps the slicker parts of Etsy. Grab lunch at Nepenthe, pick up a trinket, blanket, book or CD before soaking up the views and hitting Rte 1 again.
Serious about the CD. There’s, like, one radio station that comes in occasionally around these parts, so load up the Lorde and save yourself the agonizing pain of… road trip conversation!

I visited this gift shop a few weeks ago with my friends. 3 out of 4 of us purchased items like cool dresses, postcards and jewelry. We all loved the selection and staff. BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I lost my wallet in the parking lot, some sweet person turned it in, Phoenix called my bank — who then contacted me — and put me in touch with the giftshop. They were so sweet and returned my wallet with $ 125 cash still in it (not a dollar missing). I insisted they take some cash to cover the shipping and the hassle and they graciously declined. What a beautiful shop, with incredible people and a magnificent energy.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU STOP HERE! The view is great too!

This store is magical.
If I could buy everything in here — I would.
From locally made soap, to fragrant shea butter moisturizing sticks, to amber musk, to stunning toiletry bags, to colorful natural rugs, to bohemian skirts, to men’s denim shirts — and soooo much much — the Phoenix Store has a little something for anyone and everyone.
It’s not cheap — but it’s curated with so much love, attention, and passion — that you can be assured that everything has been well chosen and well researched and is of exceptional quality.
I adore everything in Big Sur — and Phoenix Shop is right up there.
Trust.

My boyfriend and I came into this shop while going up to have lunch at Nepenthe. I would have never imagined that the décor and the merchandise would be so charming! Some of the merchandise was WAAAY overpriced (a flannel button up for $ 109?!?) but the overall look and feel of the store made our experience better. I didn’t buy anything but I felt like I had to share with everyone how adorable this hidden gem really is.

Was a huge fan in the past, not so much since my last visit. They have substantially pared down their jewelry selection — bummer. And items are not as unique as they once were.

I am so very fond of this little shop. It has some really nice artwork, books, garden items, and jewelry. It isn’t just a souvenir shop. The first time I came here was when I was a kid camping in the area for the first time. I remember that I bought myself a bookmark, some dark chocolate, and delicious smelling incense sticks that I would pull out of my dresser drawer and sniff to remind myself of Big Sur. Whenever I come back here, it reminds me of those camping trips and spending time with my family.

Oh come on, admit it. The only reason you come here is because you’re either: (a) waiting for one of the sought-​after back patio tables at Nepenthe and hoping you can hear your name being called; or (b) feeling a need to maximize your stop at Nepenthe since it’s such a long, winding drive to whatever your destination may be. As striking as the setting is, it’s the sort of hippy-​dippy, Age of Aquarius-​style combination of art gallery, clothing emporium, and gift and bookstore that you would expect in Big Sur.
There are certainly nice items artfully arranged on tables and shelves, and once you turn them over, do try to maintain your composure at the Big Sur-​level prices. The back patio offers an orchestra of windchimes that generate a cacophony of Wyndham Hill-​infused ambient noise to the stoic response of a chorus of stone-​faced Buddhas (literally) (see photo). My favorite item is the open spigot fountain that magically pours water in a bucket of stones without a visible source (see photo).
I have to admit the only thing I’ve bought here was the Nepenthe cookbook which I subsequently saw change hands considerably at a white elephant potluck. Alas, there is an upscale, estrogen-​oriented target audience for this shop as I saw a hen party of women swoon over the kaleidoscopic scarves with abandon. I could well envision a zaftig Elizabeth Taylor in a bosom-​enhancing caftan selling her avant-​garde paintings here to a smitten Richard Burton in «The Sandpiper» as the waves crash dramatically below. Time to see if your table’s ready.

Another shop for your inner magpie!!!
What a fun selection of one-​of-​a-​kind jewelry, accessories, children’s toys, garden art, cosmetics, clothing, tchotckis… fun, fun, fun! Went there 2 days in a row just to fill my mind with inspiration and eye candy

A great gift shop with all kinds of random things!

This is a gift shop that sits below Nepenthe and also has a hippie feel. In fact, it screams of hippie madness. They sell an eclectic mix of one-​of-​a-​kind keepsakes and random crap you would only buy on impulse. Though I have a tendency to avoid purchasing from gift shops, I love browsing through them and wondering who the hell buys that stuff.
They have everything from keychains and magnets to books on spirituality and mysticism, tie-​dyed dresses, buddha figurines, wind chimes, a hammock, and of course, Beatles and hippie memorabilia of all sorts. In short, this is a cute and fun place to browse as you absorb the scenery around it.

This is a fantastic place to just come and browse. I always liked looking at the smörgåsbord of things that they have to offer for sale. Sometimes, I wonder, «Who actually buys all of this stuff?»
Honestly, though, over the years, I’ve found some pretty awesome things here. «What Cats Like to Paint» is definitely one of those things and I will always link that book to this store.
Running around the grounds of this place is amazing too, and the whole compound seems to be locked in the forest, as though the building itself is an organic being.

This is probably one of the more interesting gift stores in the stretch of Big Sur along Highway 1. Look for the signage that points to the Nepenthe restaurant (world famous for a sextacular view of the killer Big Sur coastline whilst you wine n’ dine with other tourists and locals), and The Phoenix Shop will be at the parking lot level next to the stairs that go up to Café Kevah (not open for dinner which offers basically the same view at cheaper prices for burger sandwich type fare).
Phoenix offers a mish mash of everything, from local artisan crafted goods (jewelry, accessories, artifacts), books, cosmetics, instrumental (re: background or tranquil spa type) muzak CDs and of other performing artists of this ilk, toys for the kids, a basement level of nothing but clothing (a must see for the ladies), a mini shelf near the cashier displaying racks of organic chocolate bars (a brand that I think you can find at your local Whole Foods) and in the back, a balcony section of zen themed decorations, statues, water fountains (lots of Buddha statues).
The clothing section downstairs from a quick glance, revealed some really beautifully made dresses and various female apparel. Looky here
for a semi blurry snapshot of a dress I snapped, my only useful contribution, easily more elegant than some of Carrie Bradshaw’s shall we say mostly TOSSABLE wardrobe during her closet modeling demo of basically «Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now»…(doh hopefully I didn’t ruin a spoiler here).
The most remotely amusing item in the toy section was a keychain battery powered device with multiple button presses, each basically executing a pre-​recorded compressed sounding voice (using original sounds) of Mr. T (B.A Baracus) himself.
One button: «I PITY DA FOOL!»
Another button: «DAT’S MISTA T! EEEEM! AAAAAAR! PERIOD! TEEEEEEEEE!»
The rest were typical Mr T persona rants that are soooooooooo 80s.
(With the advent of the internet, one can easily find mp3s, youtube, soundbites of this dude). I cannot imagine how this keychain can be Useful, Funny, or Cool.
And this thing was loud. Just trying it out, gave me and my curiosity away. Dag nammit Mister T, keep it down ya fool! No volume control on this thing, just loud.
Now which responsible parent will get this keychain for their child?
Or for that matter, why is this gag toy candidate in the kiddie toy section? DAT MUH FUGGIN SHIZZLE IS NAWT FUNNY YA FOOO!

I love Big Hats. I do. I must admit that there was a time at university where the answer to «what do you want to be when you grow up?» was «a lady who lunches in Big Hats.»
On a fantastic weekend away, a big hat was purchased for me here. I love it and try to wear it often while lunching…