Geographica

Love this place, stopped in last week — great selection of quality and very fairly priced items. I bought a couple of cool bookends and a mid century lamp. The owner was very friendly and not at all overbearing, he just let us shop. I will be back for sure!

I love everything about this store. There is a wonderfully curated collection of maps, antiques, book and souvenirs. It sounds stuffy and boring but it is an adventure to walk around. I bring my daughter in frequently and we marvel over the books and the owner explains the origins of a lot of the pieces. I shouldn’t say this as I buy gifts there regularly, the prices are really low. I have picked up huge flags for $ 30, a vase for $ 20 (which I later discovered is worth a lot more) and books from my childhood for under $ 10. I found a map of where my husband was born, Mark the owner, blew it up, highlighted the name of the town and framed it beautifully. It was the best gift I ever gave. Please check out this gem, I guarantee something in this store will invoke a memory.

Stopped in with an urgent framing project. Mark Anderson, who opened the shop last December, was helpful and congenial. Had me on my way shortly and at a very reasonable cost!
The shop feels almost like a gallery or the oversized study of someone who’s travelled and collected. Very well done.
If you’re a baby boomer you’ll quickly recognize artifacts that’ll bring back find memories — high school graph chalkboards, vintage 50s tables, a canvas water bag and more. Lots of cool items you could use in your living room or den. Prices seemed quite good, and Mark is definitely in it for the enjoyment of his shop.
Check em out!

Found this shop by accident when walking down J Street. At first, I thought I was in someone’s office. You walk down a small alleyway (watch your footing as it slopes!) and go down a small corridor. Through the door you’ll find an airy yet quaint space that houses Geographica.
This place reminds me of a museum with beautifully written descriptions on cards with a price. I found prices to be reasonable. Some highlights:
* An old blue glass bottle from a chemist in Sacramento circa 1900, only $ 9
* Beautifully framed humongous oil painting of tulips, $ 125
* Huge map of the US showing the Oregon territory, Louisiana purchase and other historical events, Not For Sale
* Glass bell jars and other glass domes, ranging from $ 7 and up
* Tons of old framed maps, old globes and the like
Globes are interesting — not only do they show the political boundaries of countries, but countries themselves change names. I think I even have an old globe that is pre-​East Timor! It doesn’t even exist as a country yet.
I hope this place does well — love unique finds like this! The merchandise changes every week, according to the owner. I walked away with wooden blocks with gold lettering for a $ 1 each.

We stumbled upon this store when Koukla Kids happened to be closed. What a great store! We could decorate our whole house with the items within. The owner is extremely nice and helpful. We had him frame a picture of my great uncle from 1927 and he did an amazing job for an incredibly low price.

Last week, while visiting the parents and fetching my morning Peet’s, I couldn’t help but be curious about the colorful A-​frame street sign and accompanying hanging sign, directing me down a short alley that is the new home of this lovely curiosity shop. Looking more at home on the trendy Valencia Street corridor, Geographica is and will please urban transplants looking for a respite from some of the more ordinary shopping in Sacramento. In my opinion, it actually fits perfectly with East Sac’s clientele. It’s perfectly curated collection of globes, maps, and vintage library paraphernalia will appeal to aging baby boomers and well-​to-​do generation x-​ers that reside in this upscale community. But plenty of design junkies and bloggers also know this area and appreciate its mix of new and old.
Billed as a store full of items from the natural world, it is full of science, biology, and biblioteca remnants to make any science nerd or designer squeal with joy. Not everything was priced when I went in since it had only been open for a couple of days and the owner, Mark Anderson, was in the process of creating detailed signage for each item in the store. If you need more information on that converted card catalog or those NASA images for the wall, just ask. Anderson and his wife have been in the process of creating this store for over a year, curating items over the course of many years, partly from his travels and work in the trucking industry. It makes sense once you see the collection of antique maps and other nature-​inspired ephemera.
It is the type of store you can’t digest at once. Frequent visits are required to really grasp the variety of items. It is by no means a collectables shop as items are meticulously displayed and highlighted with proper lighting. I can’t wait to return to see how the store has evolved since its opening days. Only someone fascinated with the sciences could open a shop like this. And as we strive to fill our living spaces with authentic pieces from the past, Geographica will serve those seeking a valuable reflection of life prior to technology, automation, and mass production.