Alphabets

Great store for random sh! t. Need a gift?! Don’t know what to get?! Come here and you’ll find something unique and funny! I wish I knew someone I could give a «Cat Lady» action figure to… bathrobe, fuzzy slippers, and came with like 12 cats. :-) … Cool selection of unique tee-​shirts and old school toys, gag gifts, books, cards… Prices not bad. Helpful staff.

Admittedly nifty gimmicks are the thing to procure here.

Coolest random place ever for cards, random toys, and just general gadgetry. Great for fun Christmas or birthday gifts, and the staff are super friendly and the music is hip. Definitely coming back for some of their birthday cards!

I think every neighborhood in every city should have a shop like this! It’s perfect for last minute greeting cards and to take out-​of-​town guests for some retail therapy. I especially love their local EV items and they always have great gift options for those tough to shop for.

Of all the shops I’ve been to that sell pointless shit I don’t need, I wanted to buy the most stuff here. seriously this place is SO COOL. Perfect for buying gifts, whether it be for an 8 y.o. or an 80 y.o. Ended up spending 30+ minutes playing with all their cool toys and browsing through some neato books. Came away with a dope «CFO» pouch purse (please see below).
SERIOUSLY, stop by alphabets for all of your gifting needs!

I too was quite attached to the old Alphabets location; it was my last-​minute Christmas gift spot for 10 years and always came through with literal, actual, something for everyone! After the shock of the new location set in, though, I actually like the new store better. It feels less crowded, and I think the selection might be bigger now. You can find most of the stuff here for cheaper online, but if you like buying actual things you can see and touch, or need a dope and weird gift today, or generally want to be a good person and keep alive the pre-​corporatized East Village, this is the place.

Right at this very moment, I am busy making a voodoo doll of whoever bought out this store.
The doll will most likely be in the shape of giant real estate bully NYU or whoever dared buy that old theatre on Ave A bet ⁶⁄₇^th St. and sacrilegiously decide to turn it into an incredibly ugly block of flats instead of restoring it. I notice 7A and part of Odessa are gone also, so it is most likely some evil tentacle landlord looking to buy up the last bit of cool in the East Village in order to hammer the final nail in the coffin. I’m sure the new construction will be just loovely. SARCASM.
You know how realtors are always giving asinine new names to neighborhoods? I will save them the effort: I hereby rename Alphabet City as Stepford Village. (and the sucky Nicole Kidman/​Glenn Close version, totally, not the better Katherine Ross version).
This was a great store and I am heartbroken. If you were never here, I’m not even going to describe it to you, suffice it to say that every time I needed a gift for a small child, a crazy postcard to send my mother or a silly gift for an adult I came here and never left empty-​handed.
*cries*

Did the other Ave A location close? Not sure, haven’t been to the one across from Tompkins Park in awhile. This one just opened up a few weeks ago.
Same stock as the other store. Less claustrophobic space though. Nice location nestled alongside Croissanteria, Lancelotti, Mast and Ink Magazine shop.
Very cool place with great gift ideas. I always come here or Exit 9 when I’m looking for a unique gift.