Stellar Emporium

Hey you, nerdball. Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you. You like to read? Got a big imagination? Like science? Space travel, stars?
Is your mind absolutely fried by the fact that the nearly uncountable stars and galaxies in the big photo mural around the corner represent the bit of our universe covered by your thumbnail at arm’s length?
The Stellar Emporium is for you or your nerdball child, grandchild, niece nephew or neighbor kid. It is loaded with space kitsch, science information, uplifting toys, and plain old goofy stuff. Like the string-​spun gyroscopes my grand-​dad used to buy for a buck that now cost 10.
Astronomy facts, U.S. Space Race history, Los Angeles trivia. This place has it all and it’s all for sale.
One of the coolest things happening to us recently was sleeping in the room of a niece, now in college, turning out the light and having the ceiling of that nerdball girl’s dark room light up with glow-​in-​the-​dark stars, constellations, and planets bought in a store like this one. Uplifting. Fun. Cool.
I can write nerdball because I am one. My daughter still treasures the backyard astronomy book I bought her when she was eight years old.
Don’t forget the wonderful remodeled and updated observatory, gift of Griffith Griffith, and a host of others, built on this hilltop to educate and entertain.

good size gift shop and great complement to the griffith observatory. you can pretty much get a gift for anyone of any age here since they have soft, plush planets for the wee ones, glow-​in-​the-​dark t-​shirts for bigger kids, books and model spacecraft for tweens and teens, and various griffith observatory branded clothing for the adults. there was also a staff member demo’ing newton’s cradle near the front of the store which was pretty cool. i really appreciate that this store opens late to coincide with the observatory’s late hours.