Artful Handcrafted

This place has the most genuine customer service, welcoming aesthetic, and unique merchandise. Everything in the store is unique and handcrafted, a perfect place to get a gift! Tons of jewelry, candles, and pottery at a reasonable price. Nancy is a great store owner who knows the story behind each piece in the boutique. She really knows how to translate the artist’s message to the buyer. It’s a true gem in the south side of Santa Monica, worth stopping by!

I love Artful!!! Every time I go in there Nancy has new and interesting handmade art/​jewelry/​crafts made by local and regional artist. This visit I bought two beautiful heart clocks and the beauty of it is they are one of a kind! The prices are so reasonable and often they have artist open house so you can meet the person behind the creations. Looking for unique… then you’ve found the right place!

Yesterday I received this heartfelt message from Nancy Lombardi, owner, curator of Artful:
«Our beloved Alice
became very ill over the past two weeks and is now at peace. Alice had many friends and was a source of joy for so many… and she so enjoyed all her friends and the attention and love she received. She was the star of Artful and the star of my life. We will all miss her. I hope we can all soon think of her not with sadness but with a good memory of her wonderful nature and personality and the fun she had with her many toys.»
I’ll be stopping by soon to pay my respects, pick up a few more incredible greeting cards and perhaps more…

I was the first person to review Artful and I just wanted to say that I still love this shop more than ever! As one customer said today, it’s a lovely shop where the prices are reasonable. Men, I don’t know of a single woman who doesn’t go into Artful and start oohing and aahing. You can’t lose if you buy someone a gift at Artful. Save yourself the misery of being malled at the mall! Go to Artful. You won’t regret it. (I know it sounds like I work for the store but I don’t. I’m just a happy and loyal customer.)

This is my dream store to have as my own… someday. It’s packed with the most delightful little things. I don’t believe I have ever come in here to buy a gift without getting at least one thing for myself. It simply can’t be helped! I am forever getting compliments on my jewelry and I would venture to say about 80% has come from this lovely little store — note to boyfriend: bookmark this entry.
Kind owner Nancy discovers the most talented artists and you can always find something unique, different and interesting that you won’t see elsewhere. I have earrings made out of old typewriter keys with my initials on them! How cool is that? There’s an amazing collection of clocks that I’ve had my eye on for some time now — one of these days I will break down and make that purchase I’ve been longing for. It truly is the best place to come for a gift, so the next time you need something, pop over here! The prices are very reasonable as well. There are cool wall vases, picture frames, baby items, candles, bookmarks and the list goes on and on for a variety of artisan wares.
Hopefully Alice the beloved bulldog will be here when you visit. She’s just about the cutest thing ever. Ever. Ever. Ever, I say! :) I’ve been known to sit on the floor and play with her when I visit. She’s too sweet and funny for words.

This small storefront on Ocean Park is run by a lovely woman (whose name I really need to learn next time!) and is brimming over with lovely, eclectic and unique jewelry and gifts. Many if not all of the items in the store are made by local artisans, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. This has become my new go-​to shop anytime I want to buy a gift of jewelry. Highly recommended!

i’m so glad to see all of the positive reviews of this great store. in this day and age it’s hard to find merchants who truly care about their customers and the products that they represent. nancy not only does both but has preserved the integrity of her ideas on all levels. she carries only american made arts/​crafts by american artists. she has given so many small artists a place to show their creations with the respect that they deserve. and it’s all so affordable! at a time when all of us are watching our spending. she has many great gifts for around the $ 25 range. it’s nice to walk into a store and know that you’ll be remembered and appreciated. try doing that in a mall. support the little guy, shop at «artful» and you’ll soon be adding your own positive review.

I found out about Artful because my friends gave me a gift from this spot. I went in a few weeks later to get a couple gifts for birthdays of friends. There are a lot of different types of things – beautiful bookmarks, nifty nail files, great jewelry, candles, picture frames, and lots of other items. And the cost is very reasonable. The owner, as others have mentioned, is very nice. And you have to see her bulldog companion:)

Great gift items, amazing selection, all amazing artists. Supporting this store, supports the owner, the artists and alice the bulldog.
Truly a special place that carries something really creative for everyon!!!

artful is a sweet little gem of a store on ocean park blvd. the store sways towards very feminine taste and specializes in handcrafted jewelry, «functional and decorative art» as well as miscellaneous gifts.
what i love about this place is not only alice, the sweet bulldog that is as much of the store as nancy lombardi, the owner is, but the fact that nancy carries very pretty jewelry lines. artful features jewelry from local beach designers, including jennifer northrup from long beach; precilia galang from tarzana; shaan edlrich from venice and julie vo from santa monica. by the way, nancy is incredibly helpful, attentive and will do what she can to find just the perfect gift you are looking for.
you will find works in glass blown art, ceramic tile, magnets, accessories and beautiful wood clocks. a really cool line that is featured are ceramics created by 80 year-​old venice artist magdalena suarez frimkess who, nancy tells me, rides along the venice canals daily and paints images she sees from her rides onto her work.
my personal favorites in the store include the tasteful and unique jewelry from kevin n anna and the very sweet dancing lady papier maches from artist sarena mann. i’m going back next week to get my mom her birthday gift!