Avalon On Grand

This place is THE place to go for unique cards and gifts ! Where else can you find a solar powered Pope, and eclectic vintage clothing accessories, rubber chickens of all sizes and a full face squirrel mask ! Crazy toys, novelties, art, cards, medical marijuana containers, flasks, pillows that look like cats, and pouches that look like an ice cream sandwich ! So, yeah, just regular stuff. LOL

Fun gift store full of unique merchandise. Prices are decent and staff is friendly. It’s also located next-​door to a few good places to eat; Shish, French Meadow Bakery, Italian Pie Shoppe. I did not smell that smell…

«Oohh, that smell. Can you smell that smell…»
That’s right, it’s exactly what you thought it was. Musty pee. Or at least that’s exactly what it smells like.
I wandered in here a couple weeks ago on a girls day out sort of trip. I have a thing for little gift shops, probably because I’m easily entertained. My first impression of Avalon was «Shit yeah, a t-​shirt that says ‘St. Paul Girls Are Hot’. Mmm, ego stroke.»
That impression was quickly flushed down the toilet when the wall of musty pee smell slapped me and my comrade in the face.
We entered the shop anyway because we don’t have very many standards. The place is chock full of stuff. Yep, stuff. Random, quirky, themed and semi-​unique stuff. You could find anyone a gift here as long as they have a sense of humor. If they don’t then you shouldn’t be friends with them anyway.
We wandered around aimlessly for quite a while. My comrade found the greeting cards so I ran away to the back before she tried to make me read every one she thought was funny. I could hear her laughing in the front of the store. Pieces of me died with every giggle. I hate greeting cards.
I found the Frida Kahlo section that Annie D mentioned. It is slightly odd that they have so much Frida merch. But then again, this place has pretty much everything.
The sad news here is that they didn’t have anything shiny dangling from the ceiling to keep me interested. I didn’t find anything I would ever buy for myself or ever want. Most of the stuff I would have been interested in looked like those scary bins in thrift stores that have used products in them and you’re never 100% sure if someone didn’t rub it on their genitals before they donated it. Maybe it was the lighting. Maybe it was the smell of genitals. Maybe I should stop shopping in the used porn section.
Anyway, I bought a couple of small items for someone else. I know I could have bought them elsewhere but I hadn’t thought of that.
I don’t think I would come back here unless I was in desperate need of buying something 100% useless. It’s an okay place but really just not my cup of pee… I MEAN TEA. CUP OF TEA.

WARNING — this is a gift/​novelty store on crack… it has so many little things for your eye to look at —pretty hard to focus… but I adore it… They have a huge selection of cards and gift books… all kinds of things I like to call gag gifts or stocking stuffers… things like cat butt magnets — whoppie custions — -mustache stickers — gifts for your cat lovers, bacon lovers, pill-​popping vodka swillin’ friends… oh yes you can get oh so many gifts for any person you know here… they have some very nice home décor items also so it isn’t all just kitschy… some nice art pieces and candles… prices are fair and the staff is friendly and non-​intrusive — just the way I like it.

During a Saturday stroll I found myself wandering into this store and was blown away by all the things that was contained within the walls of the store. The question at hand is what don’t they sell in here. I can see myself getting caught up looking and touching at everything that this store has, there is quite the selection of the most random items within this place. Need a funny card, an old superman lunch box, playing cards in what seem to be in everything imaginable, jewelry, bacon chap stick, hats, magnets, etc. This place has it all.
If you are the type that easily spends money on random things then I would suggest staying away from this place cause you will come up with bags of items that you most likely don’t need.

This card and gift shop has a great selection. Some of the items are different… I mean quirky in a good way. It should appeal to college types as well as other shoppers. Ask for suggestions and you’ll get good ones.
Browsing call be more fun than frustrating. The owner is an old broad but she has a bright, original and youthful take on the merchandise she sells.

This is a great store to swing through when needing a unique gift item, paper product and/​or even some fun clothes accessories. It’s hard to leave this place w/​o something in one’s hands.

Cool gift, card, gag-​gift, and everything in between shop. I remember going to this gift shop years ago when I was at Macalester but it has been about 15 years. If you like to browse for unusual gifts, need something for the person who has everything, or a specific type of gag-​gift, come here. I am sure you will find something. They also have a great selection of incense and some Buddha figures which were nice.
It is extremely crowded with items so I would suggest coming during the week if you are any bit claustrophobic like myself.

Need a unique card or a little something? Look no further than Avalon.
I’ve purchased everything from stationary to a henna kit.
This store is kitschy like Patina (and has some overlap in merchandise) and plays host to one of the largest card selections I’ve seen! (I also couldn’t tell you how many trinket boxes this place has, but they haz ‘em and I want ‘em.)
Stop by ONLY if you have ample time to spare. It’s really easy to lose track of time browsing the store’s contents.

Avalon is full of gifts and stationary. It’s like a more alternative version of Patina or Bibelot, without the local merchandise (at least that I know of) and with more oriental rugs on the floor. They sell Thymes bath stuff, children’s toys, gag gifts, jewelry, books and more.
My business card holder broke this fall, and I had been holding out buying a replacement because I wanted a Frida Kahlo business card holder. I know that sounds really specific, but she’s one of my favorite artists and I had seen some Etsy things that were close to what I wanted… but not perfect. Meanwhile, business cards are flying around un-​held in my purse for months.
Enter Avalon on Grand. I briefly wandered in to kill some time before the Unilocal dinner club and ended up finding exactly what I wanted. This store is full to the brim with Frida Kahlo stuff! My only regret is not buying both of the card holders that were in stock, because it would have made a great gift for my intern’s graduation (she and I share a love for Latin American culture). I went back closer to Christmas time and they were all gone. Sad face.

This is a very cool locally owned gift show on Grand Avenue. This is a store to buy something you want, not something you need. I just love the whole vibe of this place. They sell many cool cards and journals. They also sell lots of Day of the Dead jewelry from Mexico. I love their jewelry– the sell the Sweet Romance line of jewelry which is a vintage inspired design line. They also sell several items from the Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild– cards, dolls, refrigerator magnets.

Been going into this place intermittently over the years and always enjoy this place’s «browsability». So many cool things! The other day I went into the shop to ask for an envelope that would accommodate the greeting card I wanted to send. I’d purchased the card elsewhere, and then messed up addressing the envelope. The woman behind the counter pulled a box filled with stray envelopes and asked whether I’d like a white one or a colored one. I chose a white one, and after showing her the card I needed the envelope for, she readily picked one out that was the perfect size. I asked her how much, and she said, «it’s nothing, just go ahead and have it.» How cool is that ?! And I merrily went on my way. I’ll be back!

Eclectic little card and tchotchke store. The vibe is Minnesota nice with a certain liberal political tone – but not too heavy-​handed. They have a wide range of cards with plenty of off beat humor for all the main occasions. They have all the fixins to wrap a mean package. Besides that, there are buttons and pins and coffee mugs and republican convention memorabilia, and, and… stop in and see for yourself