With the gift-giving season right just about here, the neighborhood has a new one-stop shop to buy gifts.
Laura Loofbourrow saw her lifelong dreams come true when the opportunity arose to open her very own gifting and decoration shop. The Los Angeles native, known amongst her friends and family as the gift giver, soft-opened Giftology towards the end of September. She aims to attract customers by offering a little bit of something for everyone — including the person doing the shopping.
“I buy everyone a Christmas gift, a birthday gift,” Loofbourrow said. “I buy their kids gifts. I buy my own family. I go way above and beyond buying gifts. I love to shop and it's not about spending money, it's about really understanding a person and knowing what they need or what they like and figuring out what that is.”
The small shop is jam-packed with hand-made jewelry, vases, puzzles, kids' toys like plush cats in purses, handbags, treats like artisan chocolates, dishware, cards, journals and more sourced from small-brand wholesalers and businesses. Prices range from as low as $4 to over $200.
The array of considered offerings.
Loofbourrow’s landlords are the owners of the Check-In Lounge, Geoffrey Stott and Rich Lugo. When Loofbourrow, a longtime patron of the bar, pitched the idea to use the space next door for her business endeavor, Stott and Lugo jumped at the opportunity since it had long been their vision to see more storefronts open on the lower section of Ocean Avenue.
“For us, Laura opening at 209 Ocean Ave. has been a very rewarding opportunity to see the vision we initially had shared be and enhanced by her,” Stott and Lugo said in a statement. “With Classy Creations and Deliman across the street, it's great to see these commercial spaces all open and invigorating the community.”
Though she hasn’t been in the space for long, Loofbourrow has already given back to her community through charity events like one for the Mission Science Workshop, where 10% of proceeds went to science museum non-profit and other neighborhood events like Sip and Shop that happen every Wednesday.
“[I hope] people enjoy it as much as I do,” Loofbourrow said. “I love it and people do. I have gotten the best responses. It’s just so fun to hear people’s responses because I have something for everyone. I have such a good selection. I have a little bit of everything.”
Giftology
Address: 209 Ocean Ave. Hours: Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 415-506-9936 Instagram: @giftologysf
Anne Marie Kristoff (she/her) is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University's journalism program. She enjoys writing about the arts, entertainment and nature.
