Lucky Handicrafts

Had a horrible experience in this store. It seems the women here pick and choose who they deem worthy of being nice to, a huge no-​no in business. There are too many alternatives online; I won’t be returning.

This place opened about 7 years ago and I love going there to find a special gift at an affordable price. The staff is always courteous and helpful!

Very cool! I went here because I was looking for beads. I had a specific bead in mind, which they didn’t have, but I did find some cool stuff! They are packed with beautiful imports and jewelry for much cheaper than similar import stores. Even though I only intended to buy the bead, I walked out with a little giraffe statue and a beautiful necklace. The girl who helped me at the counter was nice and didn’t rush me. I’ll be back.

How can I best describe this wonderful place? If you know San Pablo Avenue in Richmond, you have probably driven past it a hundred times and haven’t thought to go inside. It is next door to a liquor store and just up the street from the Mira Vista post office. From the outside you’d never guess that it’s chock-​full of incredibly beautiful treasures from Asia and South Asian countries. ‘Looking for an unusual instrument? A gamelan piece perhaps? Or how about a drum or a gong? They’ve got a fine selection of trinkets and hard-​to-​find «handicrafts» for you to enjoy or give as gifts. Their jewelry is amazing — lots of beads to choose from, and all at wholesale prices or just pretty incredibly affordable. A ton of lovely dangling earrings too… they even carry a nice selection of belly-​dancing supplies. Here are some things I’ve purchased so far: Beads, necklace-​making materials, bracelets, a gorgeous table runner, a statue of Ganesh (to remove obstacles, of course!), a few Pashmina shawls (about $ 5-​$ 8 each!!!) and a bit of incense. This place brings me back to my hippie days as a teenager. I spent most of my babysitting money on imported goods — flowery Indian skirts and lots of hematite and rose quartz. I would have loved this place back then! And at Lucky, I don’t have to worry about being hit on by some weird proprietor, as is often the case at some of the other cool import haunts.
Susan, the owner, is lovely. She was very helpful today when I visited. Her daughter Julie is a natural at creating beautiful jewelry. She suggested the perfect Pashmina scarf for me to wear to a wedding.
Just check this place out! Plan on giving yourself a good chunk of time to do so, since you’ll want to really take your time and see everything they’ve got. There’s A LOT of stuff packed into this store. It’s the perfect place to go for a gift for someone who has everything (oh, except for maybe a gorgeous Balinese mask or a hand-​made choker that you’ve personally made for her (or him) to enjoy.) Seriously, it’s a great store and I’m «lucky» enough to have found it!