UES Gifts $15 and Under

Well, it’s that time of year again: time to get stressed, crazed, and panicked, scrambling all over town to find the perfect gifts. Wait, scratch that. It’s time to take it down a notch, cuddle by the tree, and wear pajamas as much as possible. Perhaps bake some cookies and write out a few cards with Frankie crooning “White Christmas” in the background. That’s more like it.

Still, it’s nice to pick up a few treasures for friends and family then wrap them with the funkiest paper and bows you can rustle up. But I want to believe this can be accomplished at a sane, leisurely pace, by sauntering just a few blocks or doorsteps away, right here on the Upper East Side, and without breaking the bank.

I’ve long been a proponent of the gift bag, in other words, giving everyone a few little gifts rather than investing in that one big ticket item. It certainly takes the pressure off: hey, if there are three or four things in there, the chances are that they’ll like something. (Besides, I’m a compulsive wrapper. If I decide to put a piece of coal in your bag, rest assured it will be cloaked in style.)

Don’t worry, I’m not resorting to coal quite yet. The search for economical, yet unique trinkets is why I put on my proverbial elf hat and headed over to Lexington Avenue this week to visit two of my favorite gift stores.

The first was Pylones at 64th Street. This is a French company that now has five locations in New York City, including one in Grand Central Station. The location on Lex was their first one in the city. The emphasis here is on the word unique. The store’s interior is an explosion of color and everywhere you look there’s something fun or funny (and also useful) to buy your girlfriend, your coworker, your teenage cousin, or your mom. In fact, I guarantee that, while checking out these kitchen products and other housewares, you’ll chuckle either out loud or to yourself at least 42 times per visit. Where else can you find an ice scraper depicting a penguin, a cheese grater double-shifting as a lady’s skirt, or a crumb vacuum in the shape of a hamburger ($12)? They also offer all manner of quirky accessories and toys.

Santa could stuff a lot of stockings by popping into this place. There are Lady Pens for $8.50 in the likenesses of proud graduates, buck-toothed brainiacs, or sporty jump ropers. There are business card holders for $15 covered with stripes, blooming with flowers, and one even has a little man holding what I can only describe as paisley-shaped balloons.

I think my favorite, however, is the chicken corner. Last year, I showed a few cherished people in my life how much I cared by giving them the chicken timer ($10). There’s also a chicken stapler ($10) and who can live another minute without a chicken tape dispenser ($12.50)? For the fisherman in your life, there is a similar collection. Surely he sits at a desk every once in a while (or maybe there’s a desk on his boat?). In case he needs to fasten some papers together, there are fish staplers for $15. You can ask him whether you ended up snagging a trout or a mackerel.


After picking out some good stuff there, I headed less than a block away to Pan American Pheonix, on Lexington between 64th and 65th. This shop, family owned and operated for 50 years here on the Upper East, has been in this location for 13 years. Owner Mary J. Bartos says that most of the items are handmade in Mexico or in Latin countries. This boutique is also rife with rich colors with a huge selection of vibrant clothing, linens and jewelry.

They have beautiful tiles that can be used as trivets, designed by artist Gorky Gonzalez ($15). Cotton scarves a.k.a. chalinitas, are also $15. My favorite is probably the wall of tin ornaments for only $4. There are all the usual suspects: angels, reindeers, stars and moons, and even some turtles and geckos, all with a Mexican flair. You can give your friends a festive trifecta of tequila shot glasses, or caballitos, for $4.50 each or how about a huge, crepe paper flower that will never expire ($5.50)?

The point is that there are a lots of cost-effective gifts just on this one block and probably also right around your corner. I myself picked up a few choice items, (the exact particulars of which are currently top secret) and am on my way out to pick up a few more. After all, I hear that heading to the stores and making purchases (even if you’re still in your pajamas) is supposed to help this ailing economy. Now…where did I stash that uber-stylish, extra-goofy elf hat…?