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10 Harlem Shops with Irresistible Gifts

  • The Curious Uptowner
  • Dec 2
  • 3 min read
The Studio Store is on the ground floor of the Studio Museum's new building on 125th Street.
The Studio Store is on the ground floor of the Studio Museum's new building on 125th Street.

Getting ready to tackle your holiday shopping?


Here are 10 Harlem spots where you're sure to find loads of irresistible gifts—and they're all in the neighborhood.


From south to north:

 

52 W 116th St between Fifth and Lenox Aves

Lined with vendors selling goods from all across sub-Saharan Africa, this lively open-air market on 116th Street is the perfect destination for gifts like shea butter, beaded jewelry, head wraps and colorful Senegalese baskets.


300 W 116th St between Frederick Douglass Blvd and Manhattan Ave

This bohemian cafe on 116th Street doubles as a small gift shop lined with items like handmade knit hats, palo santo incense, body butter—plus what is probably the neighborhood's best selection of greeting cards.


183 Malcolm X Blvd between W 119th and W 120th Sts

This plant shop located in a Harlem brownstone has a lot more than greenery on its shelves: Look for environmentally-friendly candles, books for plant parents, plant plushies, and a creative selection of gift boxes.


9 Harlem Shops with Irresistible Holiday Gifts
NiLu is located at 191 Lenox Avenue in the heart of Harlem.

4. NiLu

191 Lenox between W 119th and W 120th Sts

This treasure-filled gift store with a focus on Black and brown makers offers a little bit of everything—from luxury candles to writing journals. You may even find the perfect vintage home accessory, sourced by owner Katrina Parris.


2217 Frederick Douglass Blvd between W 119th and W 120th Sts

Grab a graphic Harlem-themed tee or two—in a range of colors, styles and sizes—at this friendly neighborhood shop that's been around since 1998.


Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 W 125th St between Lenox Ave and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd

The Studio Museum in Harlem's modern new home on 125th Street, which opened in November, has a dedicated gift shop on the ground-floor that includes art books, puzzles, candles and calendars, plus chic Studio Museum merch.


248 W 125th St between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvds

The first licensed cannabis shop in Harlem—expect to be carded at the door since you have to be 21 or older to enter—has something for everyone and any occasion, including recreational flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrate, and gummies.


515 Malcolm X Blvd and W 135th St

This light-filled shop inside the Schomburg Center is the perfect place to find books and gifts related to the Black experience, from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson enamel pins, puzzles featuring the art of Alma Thomas, and biographies of the likes of tennis legend Althea Gibson, who grew up just a few blocks away.


2363 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd between W 138th and W 139th Sts

Resembling an elegant Strivers' Row parlor, this small chocolate shop specializes in truffles in flavors like red velvet, sweet potato pie and D'Usse cognac caramel, plus chocolate bars molded to resemble Harlem brownstones—one of Oprah's Favorite Things a few years back.


9 Harlem Shops with Irresistible Holiday Gifts
The Oma Shop on Amsterdam Avenue.

• 1707 Amsterdam Ave between W 144th and W 145th Sts

• 2754 Frederick Douglass Blvd and W 146th St

Grab a latte at either of these two cool little cafe-meets-lifestyle-shops while you check out the eye-catching wares on the shelves, from Moroccan glassware to inclusive beauty and skincare.


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