By Guest Writer: Cindy Brenner

The town of Ojai is so charming. There is also great shopping to be had. I just love Ojai, My husband, Jonathan and I visit all the time. He wrote a cute story about a recent trip which is featured in the Stories Section; see the We Love LA Page (under the Day Trips drop-down). Kathy (the owner of this website) asked me to compile a list of all the Ojai shops that I liked the best…Here are my recommendations.

Ojai Avenue

Ojai Avenue is lined with quaint boutiques and locally owned shops, and art galleries. Whenever we travel, and shopping comes up, my husband tries to be a sport about it…pretending to be interested. He bought me a lovely necklace at Nomad Gallery (226 W. Ojai Ave. Suite 101).

Barbara Bowman Boutique (125 Ojai Ave.) sells beautiful clothing and silver jewelry – very original designs. I made a plan to meet my husband later for dinner when I spotted Rains Department Store (218 E Ojai Ave.), I knew I would loose him there…It is more of a speciality department store. I wanted to look at all the smaller stores first, before I really dug deep into my shopping hunt at Rains.  I got some good deals here. If you like consignment stores, you will want to visit the Lennon Closet (238 Ojai Ave). This store was jam packed with clothing and accessories.

Down Home Furnishings

I am always drawn to home decor shops. I love finding distinctive pieces for my home…an unusual side table or love seat. You can truly get lost, just wandering around in Down Home Furnishings (250 Ojai Avenue). Exquisite quality along with one-of-a-kind furniture.

Human Arts Gallery (246 E. Ojai Ave.) may sound like a ‘gallery,’ however, it’s an adorable shop. Here you will find more usable art. I love to support local artisans who create wearable art, or other objects that can be used in my home. My husband prefers purchasing painting, sculptures, but, I adore glassware, trinkets, and kitchen ceramics…art that I can use. I also love to collect jewelry from all over the world. Human Arts Gallery also offers custom silver and gold jewelry with gemstones by Hallie Katz…really beautiful.

I bought a great dress at Ojai Clothing Store (325 E. Ojai), which offered a wide array of lovely fashions for pretty good prices. I also bought a cute blouse at the Skyflower Boutique (318 E. Ojai), it is a charming store. Next door, you’ll find Priscilla. This store has been around since 1985. I fell in love with the owner’s dog Milo. This cute little dachshund is featured on the Home Page of Priscilla’s website – https://www.priscillainojai.com

Pricilla

You can also find some nice shops on Montgomery Street. I recommend shops such as DeKor & Co. (105 S. Montgomery St.), Hattie (109 N. Montgomery St.), and Jones & Co. (307 N. Montgomery). Another great place to to find all kinds of art – whether it be jewelry, glassware, ceramics, or paintings is at the annual Ojai Studio Artist tour which takes place every October. See the website – https://www.ojaistudioartists.org

At one point, I lost my husband in a gallery, while I was drawn into another boutique, but as always we agreed on a time to meet later for a romantic dinner. If you’d like to hear more about the galleries and restaurants, you can view Jonathan’s article HERE.

Check out the Ojai tourism site for more info – http://www.ojaivisitors.com