The holiday season is near and if you’re looking to support the local businesses that make your community thrive, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up some spots in Boyle Heights where you’re sure to find something for the special people on your list.
Whether treating an amiga to coffee and a pastry at ska/punk-powered coffee shop Café Girasol or stocking up on prayer candles and saint statues for your abuela at Botánica del Indio, we have you covered while checking off that list this season. Many are walking distance to each other, so hit them all up on foot if you’re trying to get your steps in. After all, shopping is cardio.
El Norteño de Savy Store
Since the late 1970s, this store has been the go-to for customers looking for the best vaquero threads. That’s why El Norteño de Savvy is more than just a shop – it’s an institution in Boyle Heights. Here, you can find rows of cintos pitiados, or embroidered belts, high-quality Tejanas from brands like Stetson, and Western-style shirts with intricate designs. Get your tío the Wrangler pants he’s been looking for, and while you’re at it, pick up some Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards for your nephews, as the shop started selling comics and collectible cards inside the cramped store in 2003.
- El Norteno de Savvy, 2036 E Cesar Chavez Ave Los Angeles, CA 90033
Espacio 1839
A true gem in the neighborhood, Espacio 1839 first opened its doors in 2012. Owned and operated by local “artivist” Nico Avina and his wife Myra Vasquez, the pair curate cultural books, art, clothing and other cool goodies for the socially-conscious crowd. Pick from Monjica Rodríguez’s latest must-read “Tías and Primas” for the bookworm in your life to a custom soccer jersey designed by Avina himself in support of Gaza’s Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance for your fútbol friend. Espacio also hosts CaminArte, a monthly art show and marketplace on 1st Street. Stop by Dec. 13 for the annual Kalli Arte Collective family art show and pick up a little something from the many vendors. On top of finding the perfect gift this holiday season, you’ll feel great knowing you’re supporting a neighborhood shop that hosts art shows, poetry readings workshops and even radio shows all dedicated to uplifting voices and preserving culture in Boyle Heights.
- Espacio 1839, 1839 E. 1 St., LA, CA 90033
El Mercado De Los Angeles
Opened in 1968 as a multi-ethnic market serving this one-time Mexican, Japanese and Italian community, the nostalgic three-story marketplace we all know and love as El Mercadito is a one-stop shop for all of your Mexican food, clothing and knick-knack needs. Find everything from leather boots and belts to an assortment of mole and molcajetes at this OG destination for Mexican comfort food. Fresh nuts, dried chiles and piloncillo await the food lovers in your life. You’ll also find Mexican woven dish towels and aprons for those holding down the kitchen during the holidays.
- El Mercado De Los Angeles, 3425 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90063
Other Books
Part bookstore, part vintage clothing and home goods reseller, this carefully curated Boyle Heights gem owned by Adam Bernales and Denice Diaz specializes in “other” voices in literature and small presses. Formerly Siete Books in East L.A., Other Books is the place to pick up texts created by POC, alternative comics and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. Snag the latest edition of Mexico City-born photographer Graciela Iturbide’s raw visual documentation of everything from Mexican Indigenous tribes to White Fence gang members or East L.A. native Sesshu Foster’s “City Terrace Field Manual” for those local history buffs. Librarian by day, vintage curator by night, Aura Oropeza Tellez’s thesecondhandla collection of second-hand clothing, shoes, art and decor is a must for the fashionistas in your life. Stocking stuffers abound like California bag maker Baggu’s roomy reusable shopping bags in bold colors.
- Other Books, 2006 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Café Girasol
Sandwiched between a smoke shop and liquor store, this multi-purpose cafe started as a pandemic home business and today boasts homemade syrup-sweetened Café de Olla lattes and Beetroot Rose cold brew teas in a makeshift mini music venue. Owned by former and current ska band members Patricia Hernandez-Loera, her husband Jovan Loera and brother Michael Hernández (Loera is a tenor saxophonist in Matamoska and The Steadians and Hernandez-Loera and Hernández played in third-wave ska punk band Today’s Special), Café Girasol is a perfect place to fuel up before hitting up the other shops on this list. Find Rosa Valdes’ Educated Chola line featuring faux gold hoops and Xanax and Adderall stud earrings, T-shirts, totes and camp mugs destigmatizing mental health issues, as well as DCA Toys’ punk/pop pins and locally-made candles.
- Café Girasol, 2630 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Latinx with Plants
On a mission to create cleaner air and combat environmental racism one plantita at a time, Andi Xoch founded the plant nursery Latinx with Plants with a cultural lens in mind. Here you’ll find a plant for any level of plant parent, from low-maintenance to rare houseplants. The shop also offers beautiful pots and macrame hangers in all shapes and sizes, as well as merch emblazoned with statements of positivity. Sign yourself up for one of the many workshops and events in its backyard greenhouse, from poetry sessions and comedy shows to Xoch’s signature “bootquet” vase painting and flower arranging class using, yes, a boot. What could be a better gift than an outing at this neighborhood hotspot? If that suits your fancy, you can check out events happening soon here.
- Latinx with Plants, 2208 E. Cesar Chavez Ave., L.A., 90033
Botánica del Indio
The smell of incense and aceites lure you into this 15-year-old botánica owned by Veracruz native Pablo Espinoza. Here at the Botánica del Indio, you’ll find reasonably priced spiritual staples for you and your home. Statues of La Virgen de Guadalupe and San Simon watch over a glass display of burning oils, spiritual waters and candles promoting everything from prosperity to luck in love and money. Religious figurines of Jesus and Santa Muerte (the popular Mexican folk saint believed to provide protection and a safe passage to the afterlife) are available at this religious and spiritual goods store. The shop also offers tarot card readings and limpias conducted behind a curtain at the far end of the store.
- Botánica del Indio, 2633 1/2 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Bunker Los Angeles
Formerly housed in a Compton warehouse, this vintage clothing and music store located on a bustling stretch of Cesar Chavez Avenue is a collector’s dream. Owner and East L.A. native Marco Trejo has sold at flea markets and swap meets since he was a kid. He carries a great selection of quality vintage T-shirts, jeans, accessories, toys, vinyl records, CDs, VHS and cassette tapes for the old souls in your life. Perhaps the best vintage shop in Boyle Heights, Bunker has everything from Levis and concert Tees to Hot Wheels and classic Nirvana stickers.
- Bunker Los Angeles, 2105 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, 90033
Legion Comics
This local comic book shop sells a solid selection of collectibles, from comic books, manga and anime paraphernalia to action figures, vintage WWF magazines and lucha libre masks. Originally opened in South Gate in 1991 by lifelong comic book lover and Boyle Heights native Miguel Milan, Legion moved to its current location at Euclid Street and Whittier Boulevard in 2018. Business has been booming thanks to a sleuth of customers eager to reconnect with comic book culture post-pandemic. Milan loves to connect with customers, sharing information about authors, designers, cover artists and publication dates on index cards, making it easier to shop for that special someone on your list.
- Legion Comics, 2934 Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90023
