Five New West shops with incredible gift ideas

Whether it’s for yourself or someone else, you can’t go wrong visiting these local stops

Author

Ria Renouf
August 01, 2022

Melt chocolate bars sold at Good Omen in downtown New West

Gift giving can get pretty bland real fast if you tend to visit big box or department stores for your goods. Fortunately, there are a couple of shops in New West that can help you take the guesswork out of the practice. Our five suggestions sell goods that think outside the box all while supporting local.

Good Omen is full of cheery cards, crystals, mugs, plates, and gorgeous jewelry that’ll put a smile on your recipient’s face. There’s also a fantastic selection of grooming products for men, and you cannot sleep on the chocolate bars by Melt, which offers flavours like cardamom and honeycomb.

A stroll down 12th Street would not be complete without a visit to Renaissance Books. Might we suggest a classic cookbook or a book by a New Westminster author? The store is great for finding hard-to-locate rare books, so there may be a gem or two to pass along to friends and family.

It’s a two-for-one stop with Baby Nook and Local Nook right next to each other.

Baby Nook has been my go-to for baby showers and first birthday parties—I’ve bought stuffed toys for kids from here and they’ve absolutely loved them. You can find one-of-a-kind accessories, toys, and even lollipops for cleaning baby’s teeth.

Immediately next door is Local Nook. If you’ve got someone who loves mugs with funny phrases or sayings on them, then you need to check out the selection here. The small geometric animal planters (think succulent-sized) are a ton of fun, and most of the goods here are from BC.

Some of the candles you can buy through Essential New West/Essential New West

You’ll need to place an order in advance for any of your purchases, but the wait is worth it. The giving with an Essential New West purchase is two-fold: the giftee can get a beautiful made-in-BC candle, while a portion of the sales goes towards local animal sanctuaries.

They also sell wooden toys, personal care goods, and clothing made from hemp, including some pretty warm looking toques. Essential New West currently offers contactless pick-up.