Inside Astoria

I always come here for unique gift shopping! This is the place to go if you need to get someone something no one else will get. Great quality and decent pricing. Owner is very nice!

It’s a very cute store but I’ve encountered 2 people with rude attitudes, which makes the experience in the store unpleasant. In particular, a young girl with a winter hat. There is only one lady (with glasses) who is always nice and welcoming. It’s unfortunate because it’s a great store but not wasting my time, energy and money here. There are other cute, new stores in the neighborhood who are way nicer to customers.

Its nice to still see this kind of store thrive despite the fact that they have unfortunately become an endangered species in NYC, consumed by Duane Reades, Rite aids, Starbucks and banks.
This mom and pop type store sells unique hand picked items from local NYC artists.
Its the perfect kind of store for a last minute gift because of the quality of their selection. They have everything from cool creative kid gifts to modern home décor. Also, their coffee table book selection is worth a look, especially for those with a soft spot for four legged companions.

Nice little local shop with a lot of gift options – books, candles, soaps, Queens– and Astoria-​themed gifts, baby/​kid stuff, etc. I think the stuff at SITE is a little cuter, but I’m sure I’ll be stopping in here again, especially since they’re just a couple blocks away from me. Check it out and support our local small businesses!

Last minute shopper here – and I am so grateful to have Inside Astoria in my hood. Great selection of cute & cool baby gifts/​gifts for little ones because the selection is unique and there aren’t many actual kids in there running around, which if you are like me and get headaches dealing with any of the «R Us» chains is a HUGE plus. It’s also nice to be able to shop local instead of defaulting to Amazon for everything, and whenever I have a gift need I seem to have always been able to find something appropriate at IA.
Nice selection of candles and coffee table books, and great host/​housewarming gift options. Their gift wrapping service is great and the packages are tidy and high end looking, which always gets the desired «Oooh“s and «Ahhh“s. The owner Andrew is nice and cool to chat with, and he is good at giving you information about the shop’s offerings without being pushy or leading if you’re just browsing.
Another great small business in Astoria– I hope Inside Astoria is around for a long time!

I love this place. Between the staff and the adorable mostly local goods, I could spend hours here on the weekends. I bought my cousin an adorable recycled wine glass cheese plate here, and have purchased some really cute Astoria-​themed magnets and greeting cards, too. Today, I bought my boyfriend a silver bottle opener, and he loved it.
This store makes it easy to want to buy and support local businesses with its quality goods and really knowledgeable and personable staff.

I went in here today to inquire about the Astoria Map Pillow I saw in the front window.
The assortment of local Astoria goods is what really enticed me in to this store and will keep me coming back.
Inside Astoria is a lovely, clean, well organized little store. They sell lots of little chotchkies and home décor items, candles and incense, books, t-​shirts, etc. The normal assortment of goods you’d find in a gift shop. The only price I looked into was the pillow, which was a little higher than I expected, but everything else may be more reasonable.
The gentleman in the back was very kind and helpful. He was forthcoming with good information when requested, but was not pushy in any way. I couldn’t have appreciated that more. I’m the type of shopper that likes to look around and browse without being bothered too excessively, but I will always ask if I have a question. The customer service here was absolutely PERFECT.

Inside Astoria is an adorable little store that sells small home goods, books, gift items, cards and various other things. These are my favorite kind of stores to browse through, actually… a little something for whatever mood you might be in!
What’s really cool is they sell Astoria-​themed stuff! Brooklyn always get so much love when it comes to that sort of thing, so it’s awesome to find a store that showcases Astoria like that. There are t-​shirts with the Hellgate Bridge (among other designs), magnets highlighting various Astoria/​LIC logos (they’re made from used bottle caps), and greeting cards designed by local artist Jill Anne (
). The greeting cards were my favorite find… buying stationery is already one of my weaknesses, so I was like a kid in a candy store when I saw all the different designs.
I’m really happy to support a local shop like this, and even happier that they’re repping our neighborhood so well. Shop here for your Astoria-​themed needs!

There is something about this place I really love. It’s a combination of relaxing shopping and really thoughtful/​useful gifts. They have a lot of yoga/​meditation items (i.e. incense, Buddah statue, flowers, natural soaps).

Wow. I have shopped at Inside Astoria several times but probably won’t go again even though I strive to shop locally. The weekend before Christmas I stopped in on the way out of town for some gifts for the family. I wasn’t the only one who thought this was a good idea. The shop was filled with cheerful customers supporting their neighborhood store.
Two employees were pleasantly helping tend to the hustle and bustle. But then the Grinch returned. A man who I presume is the owner walked behind the register. Disrupted gifts that were being wrapped and said ‘I leave the store for a half hour and the whole place falls apart’. His assistant looked sheepishly at the customers on line waiting to spend our hard-​earned dough and said ‘This is good! We’re busy!’
Bah Humbug. The owner completed wrapping gifts, sliding across the counter without a Thank You.
No thanks Inside Astoria. Life is too short and NYC has too many cute shops for me to come back.
Wishing you an attitude adjustment for the New Year!

1^st off the address is actually 28 – 07 Ditmars, a bit further down the Blvd than the old location.
After talking with the very friendly and attentive owners, they said that Unilocal wouldn’t change the listing without some $$ first. That doesn’t sit to well with me, as I am sure it doesn’t with them, but that’s life sometimes. As if it weren’t for Unilocal I may have never heard of this place, and now it will be forever on my list.
As for the store, great stop for gifts for just about everyone on your lists, especially those with babies or new parents to buy for.
Great book selection for many ages, lots of gifty type books, like a weed cookbook that will always go well. Other books ranging from old new york to Dr Seuss.
Other gifts include lots of India made products which are always great for unique and hard to find alternatives for people. Got a great looking India made wallet for someone for just $ 10, and you know she will be one of the few with it.
Top notch!
Wrap up:
Gifts for the home, or the individual, this is a great place to find something small to fill out one’s gift list for sure, or a place to get a beautiful house warming gift for someone that will be unique to their home only for sure. Great find!

I really enjoyed shopping here. Great for housewares, candles, and children’s gifts. Had a nice selection of cookbooks as well. As soon as I walked in, I was asked if I’d like some hot apple cider (which was delicious)! I will definitely be back and would recommend if you are looking for a gift for someone, or want to treat yourself.

This a terrific little shop for gifts, for others and yourself. The owner is so friendly and even gave me homemade cinnamon candy the last time I stopped in!
Stand outs are the candles, a really great selection. Also has very cute kids toys.

Inside Astoria is a great little shop that I don’t visit as often as I should. I headed there in our car last weekend to try to find a flowerpot for myself, then fortuitously noticed out of the corner of my eye that they’d moved! I’m glad I realized that before I got all the way to the old location with no flowerpots in sight.
The new location is at 28 – 07 Ditmars Blvd, nearly a mile west of the old location. The layout looks about the same, if memory serves. I submitted a request for the address to be updated in Unilocal,but the fields were locked.
In short, it’s a nice store worth supporting with reasonably-​priced home furnishings. In many NYC neighborhoods, this would be nothing out of the ordinary, but Astoria has a serious paucity of such spaces. I’m glad it’s here and I’ll put my mind to remembering to shop there more often.

This is a nice little gift shop that sells nice things. Some you can buy for yourself, and some you can buy for others. They have a fun selection of fancy candles that smell good — Votivo, Seda France, and this odd tobacco flower-​scented black jar candle with a sparkly skull and crossbones (which I did buy for appropriate friends and they loved it).

Great unique stuff! Love shopping here. I disagree with Victor C’s review. How does this have «nothing to do with Astoria»?? Some Astorians have good taste. ;)

There’s no other store like this in Astoria — at least not that I have. The store has some amazing housewares, classy gift ideas and some awesome coffee table books. Jewelry too. About a third of the store is dedicated to baby items, including really cute, less mainstream type toys and outfits. Next time I go to a housewarming party, I am coming back here to find a gift!