It’s Mother’s Day. It’s Graduation. It’s Teacher Appreciation. It’s “Treat Yo Self” day, according to Tom and Donna, always. (Hi, Parks and Rec fans!) It’s also because we polled you guys on Instagram, and you blew up our poll with a resounding “YES” to this idea. If you don’t hang with us over on Insta stories, check it out. We have a good time.
We love a good Target run as much as the next gal, but there’s something special about picking up a gift locally, especially in a city like ours. There are a LOT of gift shops, and as we started doing research, we found even more. Here’s our ultimate guide to gift shops in Des Moines right now, listed alphabetically, because we couldn’t possibly rank them!
Favorite Gift Shops
Source: Adorn
Adorn Gift And Home
Nestled in the heart of Indianola is this incredible gift shop designed to help you create an environment adorned with accessories for a good life. Their curation is spot-on, and with sister stores (Feed & Foster and Gifted by Adorn), you’ll truly have all of your gift-giving bases covered here. The featured image to this article? Yeah, that’s Adorn. It’s the cutest.
Domestica
Perfect for the Gen Z in your life. If you don’t know exactly what that means, that’s okay. You’ll get a good sense from Domestica’s perfectly popped color palette and cute handmade touches. They’re currently online-only, but you can browse their enormous selection as long as your heart desires. We hope to see them in-person soon!
Des Moines Mercantile
As people who are very much embracing our late twenties, Des Moines Mercantile speaks to the depths of our souls. We have a feeling you’ll love it too. It describes itself as a modern general store with everyday goods for everyone, anchored by local craftsmanship, and inspired by simpler times. They always sell out of their curated gift boxes fast, so definitely give them a follow. Stop by in person while you’re exploring the amazing new shops in the Highland/Oak Park neighborhood on Des Moines’ North side.
ephemera
For one, ephemera has the best insta bio of all time. “We love pixy stix, peonies, a good story, love letters, & tangible treasures.” Can we hire you to write our dating profile bios?! This cutie shop in the heart of the East Village has a perfect array of gifts, paper, and “all good things.” Shop online or in-person for the perfect greeting cards, embroidery kits, and notepads that you didn’t know you needed.
give.
give. is your Girl’s Day gift shop to rule them all. Not only do they have the most perfectly curated floor, but they share a portion of their sales with local organizations that you can view on their website here. They hold their own on EP True Pkwy, giving us all the local love for our West Des Moines friends.
Happy DSM
Amy Hilmes’ decade-long dream to own a retail business turned into a reality with Happy DSM – an online shop offering curated gift boxes for all occasions. They offer local pickup at their HQ in Beaverdale for a curated gift box or build-your-own gift box, perfect for any occasion. There are also marketplace items for sale that you can buy a-la-carte style here. Amy just began this venture in September 2020 as an online retailer, but hopes to welcome walk-ins soon!
Moglea
Moglea (pronounced MOH-GLEE) is a design and letterpress studio with the cutest storefront right next to our friends at Art Terrarium. You can peep into the studio itself while the products are being made and browse the selection of goods on the floor, including the most beautiful journals, notepads, phone cases, cards, and hand-painted clocks.
Fontenelle Supply Co.
Everything you need for the men in your life. That’s it. That’s the description. Just go: 524 E Grand Ave. in the East Village.
P.S. They make custom leather goods. I mean, c’mon.
MoMere
We wanted to just list Valley Junction as a whole, but thought, we better do a full Valley Junction neighborhood guide soon, right? So for now, fall in love with MoMere. This mother-daughter team offers gifts, accessories, décor, and seasonal items while also giving back to organizations like One Iowa and Bras for the Cause. We especially love their seasonal and home decor goodies! Shop online or in-person this weekend.
Porch Light
Just a few doors down from Fontenelle Supply Co is one of our favorite shops to browse on Saturdays. Open seven days a week, there is always a perfectly handcrafted or locally made gift waiting for you at Porch Light. From planters to cards, from apothecary to puzzles, this is where we would love a gift for any occasion. Ideally, our apartment would look like the inside of their shop. Don’t leave the East Village without popping in here!
She
“She designed a life she loved.” Shelia and Gina have created the perfect environment to find the perfect gift for the women in your life. Nestled on one of our favorite corners of the East Village, She has a wonderful collection of barware, Des Moines goodies, home accents and apothecary goodies. You’ll be hard pressed to not leave with one or two items for yourself, as well.
Tandem Brick
Last, but certainly not least, is the institution that is Tandem Brick. With the perfect location on Ingersoll, pop in while you wait for your Lucky Lotus or Lachele’s Fine Foods to browse their perfect set of contemporary gifts. Established in 1977 by Kathie Anderson, Tandem Brick Gallery is known for fun and unusual gifts in addition to custom picture framing.
It was SO difficult to narrow down this list of “gift shops” and differentiate from all the amazing shops in the metro area. I mean, RayGun is perfect for out-of-towner gifts, Janes is the best for your littles, and Vinyl Studio is a must to treat yo-self. We’d like to cover them all in different categories. Is there another shop you’re obsessed with that we need to add, like right now? Let us know. New places are popping up all the time!
