ATYS

This store is full of the most interesting and unique stock of items in San Francisco. It is a bit pricey, but the quality of everything they carry is top-​notch.
It is my go-​to shop when I need to get a present and my boyfriend’s go-​to shop when he wants to get something nice for our home or for himself.
I have bought everything from paper napkins to wooden nightstands here. Scissors, bottles, candle holders, notebooks, on and on, such nice things!
They have really wonderful service, too. They are very, very helpful in helping find what you want or need.

This is the BEST store in San Francisco to buy gifts for others (or for yourself) if you’re seeking quality, tasteful merchandise you won’t find anywhere else. In particular, this is my «go to» store for Christmas shopping – especially for those on my list who are challenging. The owners (Paul and David) make me want to give this store a 1,000 star rating because they are simply the most wonderful people you will meet. They are helpful, knowledgeable, kind, funny, and super warm – not to mention impeccably tasteful. I’ve been shopping at ATYS for years and can’t believe it’s taken me this long to write a review! Thank you Paul and David for contributing to SF’s uniqueness. You and your store are #1 in my book!

ATYS is spectacular. They have unique and fantastic design items here. If you’re looking for the perfect gift, ATYS is the place to shop.

This store is AMAZING. Why? One reason.
They sell QLOCKTWO products.

ATYS is THE place to go when you need a great gift for someone with excellent taste. (Yourself.) This Union Street shop has a nicely curated collection of modern artisanal wallets, watches, clocks, frames, coasters. The owners are as charming and delightful as they are sharp eyed about finding excellent, modern design items.

This is where I get my Lamy pens from and if you don’t know of Lamy already, do please check them out because they make awesome German writing instruments and often work with leading designers to produce unique designs, too. I have Lamy pens I’ve owned over a decade that still write perfectly. More innovative and sleek designs than their peers at Montblanc or Waterman, too, for that matter.
Aside from the Lamy pens, they also carry other pen brands – mainly Recife of France – and a variety of gadgets and personal items (fine razors, watches, wallets) for men. This is seriously a great source for gifts for any hard-​to-​shop-​for gentleman in your life. They also have some interesting home goods.
Overall, it’s a wonderful little store. .. the only reason I cannot give it a full five stars is, well, it’s small: I wish they had more in stock and a more expansive selection of Lamy’s range. However, that’s just me and my desires: if you’re searching for a gift for someone who appreciates nice homewares or the like with a modern aesthetic, this is a great store to know about.

In a world that has gone to a Made in China mentality… what a breath of fresh air this beautiful store is! Every last item they carry is made in Germany, Denmark, Italy etc. Sophisticated and functional items, ideal for shopping for that person we all know that does not appreciate crappy cheap gifts, but a thoughtful-​well designed-​intelligently crafted gift. The next time I need a gift of superior quality and design I know exactly where to go.

can’t believe that I found all the stuff I have been looking forever.
brush stainless soap dish
brush stainless lotion pump
stainless dish for whole smoked salmon
serving set
cake server
OMG I m coming back for the stainless clock as soon as I figure out a place for it

I’ve always wanted to find a store like this with so many unique practical items. Will definitely furnish my office with a lot of stuff from here. Everything is on display to play with, so it’s easy to lose track of time while having fun shopping here. Store owner is very helpful without trying to sell. I had a very pleasant experience here.

An inspiring designer boutique that I have been going to since high school, my dad and I always pick out a gadget or two.
1. All my wallets are bought here. They carry Lodis and more
2. There are lots of kookoo clocks available ~$ 300, uniquely traditional yet trendy
3. I love their pens, letter openers and other stationeries
4. They even have Jewish prayer boxes in delicate silver
You get the idea — the boutique is filled with gadgets and inspirations of new trends. The shop is a sleek design of a central counter that you can circle around, really maximize the space, with a green covered backyard wall too.
The shop people are friendly but often not too helpful. They may ignore you first, but do ask them questions, then they become friendly. Sometimes you have to follow up on your orders. Small shop, small number of staff, sometimes you got to do the extra work. But it’s so worth it!

Simply the best place to get a gift in SF. Super high quality products that people just love. I constantly turn to this store for the person I just don’t know what to get. Paul, one of the owners, will always have a great story behind every piece in the store. It’s more like a hip museum than a store, now that i think about it. It’s just in this case you can buy the art. :)

Even with the influx of design/​object stores in SF this one is still my favorite. They bring in original pieces that other stores don’t get. You can tell they’ve done their research and put forth an effort to stock well designed objects for the home or person.

theyve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. theyve got whos-​its and whats-​its galore. thingamabobs will probably cost more than twenty. but who cares, no big deal… this is still an awesome store.
no disney products though. :)

So, I’m casually leaving the Marina Apple store and headed to my car with a few friends in tow, and… there’s a glass medicine cabinet affixed to a wall, with a bunch of shiny things in it and the green Automoblox SUV.
My «WTF”-sensor goes off, and I do some investigating.
I walk through a brick courtyard, and see a quirky, clandestine little storefront tucked into the back of this courtyard, with some weirdass swiss bubble-​clock shit in the window, and I’m starting to get cool-​hypnotized. And I totally wandered in, sans my friends. *blushes*
Totally.
Great.
Paul runs a beautifully sunlit, perfectly curated gallery of cool shit to buy for the James Bonds in your life. For REAL men. He’s a totally anal retentive design snob of the BEST kind. He only peddles cool, edgy stuff. Doorbells made from wine glasses. Mathmos color-​changing LED rocks. Shiny, ratchet looking pens. Buttery soft leather slip wallets in festive Scandinavian colors. Starck watches. Strange acrylic japanese block rings. and yes, Automoblox (before they ever hit Toys R Us or Amazon.
High quality. Good stuff. You WON’T find cheapie, fakey, flakey Made in China gimmicks, bullshit or garbage here. You’ll go in there not knowing what Atys is, or what to get, or how the hell to even pronounce «Atys»… and leave with your cooledgyFUTURISTIC! quota refreshed and upgraded. And you don’t even have to spend all day hunting the blogs to do it!
Speaking of blogs, I caught him checking out mocoloco on his imac as he was writing up our receipt. I smiled inside. You’re in a good space here, dudes. :)

Excellent Modern Design Items, Well Displayed, High Tech — High Touch.
I think I first saw an ATYS featured in 7X7 Magazine and made it a point to stop by the next time I was in the City. It’s at the end of a small brick courtyard off Union Street, so you do have to look for it. And like a lot of things on fashionable shopping streets, you also have to watch your price to value ratio.
But I wasn’t disappointed. And there are a lot of really items here that would make good gifts or a welcome self-​indulgence. I also thought the owner was friendly and knowledgeable. The espresso machine was also a nice touch.

Excellent buyers, excellent taste. You can find many smaller items here that are perfect for gifts or supply those details in a civilized home. They don’t carry furniture or larger objects but rather personal furnishings, household niceties and the finishing touches. The folks working here are very friendly and personable. They’re also knowledgeable and have their eyes on the next great things.
The shop is off the beaten path as it’s in a small alcove on Union next to the ATT Wireless store. It’s worth seeking out. I’m in there at least once a week. Good stuff.
4.5 stars.

The last in my lunchtime browse, I kept hoping I would be able to find ATYS. Turns out, it was no problem. There’s a sign and it’s just in a corner of a small courtyard that badly needs a fountain and a couple of park benches.
Upon walking in I was a little unsure that I’d actually find anything, even though the other reviews were good, but after a few moments I started to take in all the cool little things they have. The gold replica of a heart, the leather cases shaped like apples (so cute!), the spider web black discs and my fav which I will be back to buy when I have a bit more time on my hands (sorry I only had 10 minutes to work with), a small silver spoon in the shape of a (not actual) heart.
The prices were good, and the items were fun and unusual and the customer service was great. I’d come back here in a second.

This place is hidden. Never knew it was there until some friends took us there and we’ve lived in SF for 20+ years before moving to the burbs, where have we been?
Anyway, it’s a cool place. Has a good variety of items at various prices — some affordable, some more high end but all very interesting and nice quality items.
I like the bags and some jewelry but there were and a lot of neat home and desk items. One item was a ‘special event’ candle with the wick in a geometric pattern — $ 349 but imagine that as a centerpiece on your dining table!
It’s a great store to just browse and kill some time but definitely consider this place for those who are hard to buy gifts for because they carry some unique items, many from European countries.

This store is another of my favorites in town, full of items I don’t *need*, but even fuller of items I *want*. And yes, I do realize that this sentence is not exactly correct, but you get the idea.
The space is small and somewhat hidden, but offers a great variety of designish items, from silverware to business card holders, pens etc.
During my last visit there, I was just browsing their latest arrivals while a woman meant serious business and was buying up a storm. At one point, she asked if they had a store catalog and the owner goes: «a store catalog? Honey, you’re in it!!». I thought for a split second that she might take this the wrong way, but nope. She paused. And then went back to buying more stuff! I think she ended up buying enough items to shoot her own store catalog at home.

I am almost embarrased to say that until this Saturday I had never been into this amazing design and household accessory store. They have something for everyone, be it desk items, a nice selection of carrying bags, gorgeous glassware. The common theme is clean yet functional design.
If you’re looking for a unique gift for a birthday, wedding, or other celebration, I’d recommend stopping in (or you can get some idea of their product line from their website).