Black Ink

You will never leave this store!!!
So many interesting objects and the products are from many places in the world.

You don’t need anything from this store, but if you like funky, awesome, or funny trinkets or games or books, it will make your life better if you at least make a visit.

Black Ink saved my 2014 Christmas shopping! Tiny store filled to the brim with unique items that are guaranteed to make you earn an award for being a great gift giver!
I loved their selection of holiday cards (as well as regular cards) — they had some really original and pretty ones. Also love the fact that they sell some Korean and Japanese stationery items (like cute stickers, sticky notes, erasers, etc).
I will definitely go back and drop some more $$ at Black Ink — I’ve been charmed!

Black ink is my secret weapon as a gift giver. I always find something cute, funky, offbeat, and best of all, UNIQUE. I hate giving boring, predictable gifts, and this store makes holiday shopping so easy for me. Somehow they manage to pack so much good stuff into this tiny store. I managed to find the perfect gifts for my hipster brother (a mustachio’d frog doll in overalls and an Edward Gorey stickerbook) as well as my conservative mom-​with-​two-​kids cousin (a funny book with parenting games) and my mom (a Japanese racoon faced ceramic tea cup). There are lots of drink-​related items and books, TinTin stuff for francophiles, and cute little Japanese toys. The people who work here are hilarious and sweet, and full of great recommendations whenever I need help. (When I bought the frog doll, the guy behind the register agreed with me that it was totally the best! And made sure the little guy was protected so he wouldn’t get squished in the bag.)
This place is also great for hipster eavesdropping. Heard a couple of them discussing an event they were going to throw called «Catapalooza,» where all incoming partygoers would have to dress as famous cats. I wasn’t sure whether to mock or steal the idea. :-p

Cute, little stationary store near Harvard! Reminded me a lot of those Japanese stationary stores you see around trendy shopping spots. I bought my sister a godly smelling candle here for around $ 14. A little on the expensive side but a great souvenir while in MA!

Wow — teensy tiny store chock full of wonderful items, both whimsical and practical. Whoever is the buyer is doing a great job finding mostly off the beaten path items that have a design-​y or retro or fun flair to them w/​o being mass market like Fred branded crap.
I wish I could shop online as I only get to boston 2x a year. This time I bought:
Two glass carafes (1L ea) that can be sealed — perfect for picnic cocktail concoctions for 2
A metal 3d Empire State Building kit for my ex-​nyc design-​y father in law
2 very unique rubber stamps
Several sheets of beautifully printed 17×30 paper (to frame)
I would have spent more time but my hubs was getting restless.
Definitely worth a stop.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Black Ink sold to me:
Twelve cool erasers,
Eleven silly note pads,
Ten yards of ribbon,
Nine kitschy knickknacks,
Eight books for reading,
Seven cards for sending,
Six games for playing,
Five napkin rings;
Four sewing kits,
Three French maps,
Two baby toys,
And a cute ornament for my tree.
*Bonus points if you sang a bit. *

Lots of items from my home sweet home, Japan! Love the goodies. Great place to visit when you are looking to get inspired :)

What a charming shop in a charming neighborhood.
Explored it briefly and bought lots of mementos for my cute nephews from here.
Some very unique and clever gifts for all ages and groups under one roof.
Definitely pay them a visit if you are ever on the Charles Street.

This place is loaded with all sorts of fun knick-​knack type gifts. Perfect place to go for stocking stuffers!
Nice people — and the merch here isn’t the cheapest, but it’s sure to keep people happy and entertained when getting it. Check this place out.

Love the quirky items sold here… knickknacks and gifts galore, all packed into a little shop space along of commercial stretch of Charles St in Beacon Hill neighborhood. Lots of fun and sometimes obscure kinds of items, I’m a fan of their cute chopstick rests, little spoons and dishes. I also love the handmade cards and small notepads and notebooks.
Very small space… this is not the place for strollers, grabby kids, or even if you’re wearing a puffy coat and prone to knocking things over.

I love popping in here when I need to buy a gift for a friend or a treat for myself. They are stocked full of fun, playful, charming goodies. Every time I visit I feel like a kid in a candy store.
They have Baggu leather pouches and grocery totes, planners and greeting cards, chopsticks and teapots, origami paper and more. The staff has always been great and they give you plenty of space and time to browse at your leisure. They also offer free gift wrapping.

Love Black Ink!
I stopped in while walking around Beacon Hill somewhat-​making-​my-​way to the Red Line to get to the Blick art supply store in Central Square. As the name implied, I thought it would have stationery supplies. Although I was wrong, I did take the time to browse and I’m really glad I did.
There are lots of great cards and really unique gifts. If you’re looking for a gift for the hard-​to-​please person or the person that already has everything, definitely check out Black Ink. There’s a lot of vintage gifts and interesting books, so it’s worth checking in. Beacon Hill is a fun walking area and certainly worth an afternoon.
The woman working that day was really nice and helpful and even gave me some recommendations as to where to find art supplies that I needed.

I never even knew this place existed… in Harvard Square (where I go all the time) or Beacon Hill.
I stepped in and wowed instantly by the number of cool things in this store.
Actually I was in here to get quarters for the meter. but the girl was SOOOO nice. I started browsing.
I love everything here. and if you’re looking for something unusual to buy your friend. this is where you go.
Love it. will return when I am shopping on this street again.

There’s nothing I hate more in life than stupid holiday parties where everyone brings a $ 10 gift and swaps it. In the northeast, they’re called Yankee Swaps. Down south, they’re called Dirty Santa. In the midwest, I’ve heard them called White Elephant gifts.
No matter what you call them, you always look like a jerk with your gift and its near impossible to find a good uni-​sex gift that isn’t a candle or incense burner.
Enter Black Ink.
With a random collection of «vintage» toys, eco-​friendly random things you’ve never needed or wanted and tons of specialty cooking items, you’re bound be that person whose gift will be fought over.
Prices range from cheap to OMGWTFBBQWhatAreTheyThinking!!!, but you’re still going to be okay.
Oh yeah. They have an unhealthy obsession with TinTin. I find it incredibly creepy and unnerving (but Snowy is damn cute).

If this store were a person, I’d probably try to marry it, or at the very least, knock it up with my illegitimate love child.
If you’re like me (read: a manchild), this is the store for you. Toys and gadgets and all sorts of weird things you had no idea you needed. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked into here and found something that I didn’t know existed and don’t know how I can live without.
Whenever I’m looking for a gift for someone, I go here (especially if that gift is for me!). I have no doubt I can find something unique, thoughtful, and reasonably priced. They have a nice selection of weird cards, cool household products, and all sorts of fun books. Plus, if you’re a fan of Tintin, you’ll probably love this place. I also really love that they have a lot of LEGO merchandise without actually selling any LEGO.
If you’re around Beacon Hill, this place is totally worth a visit. They’ve also got a great second location in Harvard Square that sells much of the same merchandise, but also has different stuff.

Loved the amazing variety and selection for gifts here. They literally had something for everyone and had a ton of really unique ideas so I was able to get a bunch of Christmas shopping done. They also have a great selection of wrapping paper and ribbon so you can «wrap it up» in a unique way. Some of my favorite sightings from a recent trip there were a tube with different varieties of salt and this fab little horse hair brush that removes animal hair from clothes and furniture, definitely picked up a bunch of those for myself and my friends.
I do wish they would gift wrap though, most of the other stores on Charles street do cute little gift bags, and that is one of the perks of shopping local for me so adding that service would be a huge plus!

My favorite quirky shop in Harvard Sq!!! It’s a small space with a whole lot of personality packed in.
*Handmade cards, TinTin cups, chop sticks, weird message pads, cases, children’s toys (from «alternative hipster» parents), NEAT-​O jewelry (rubber shapes, rulers, porcelain), and some other knick-​knacky stuff. Definitely my go-​to place for unique cards for friends.

My husband and I have a tradition that started when we were about to be married. We had lots of friends and family who traveled here for the wedding from out of state and stayed at a local inn.
For each guest we made what we called «comfort baskets» and had one of them delivered to each guest’s room at the inn so it would be waiting for them upon their arrival.
Each basket was different but we included some basic things like champagne with two flutes, locally made chocolates, a favorite brand of hand lotion, scented candles, and then a couple of more individually personalized tokens, all meant to welcome them and to show our appreciation for their coming to join us.
We had so much fun making up these wicker baskets that we continue to make smaller versions for any houseguests that come to stay with us.
It was with the idea in mind of making up one of these baskets for friends that are arriving to stay with us soon, that I popped into Black Ink recently. I think of Black Ink as the perfect store to go to when you’re looking for something fun.
This has long been a favorite store of mine where I can easily spend a long time browsing at an incredible array of items, none of which anyone really needs but many of which most anyone would enjoying having.
It’s a little hard to describe Black Ink except to say that the items are unique, often quirky, and mostly leave you smiling. I think the owner must have the best time searching out the merchandise.
On this latest visit, I found a book of color photographs of commercial signs taken throughout the U.S. each one of which has winceably bad grammatical errors (sad but funny and the perfect gift for grammar buffs), fireplace matches in beautiful boxes illustrated with gorgeous paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses, The Belgian Adventures of Tintin books and related Tintin items, quirky rubber embossing stamps, copies of my favorite vegan cookbook called Veganomicon, pretty porcelain creamers in the shapes of animals, interesting barware, a box of architecture cards depicting and describing famous Parisian buildings, and it goes on and on.
There are new products on the shelves all the time so you’re almost always able to find something you haven’t seen before that would be perfect for someone you know.
I found a couple of items that will be included in the current comfort basket I’m creating. I’m pretty sure our friends will feel welcomed and to top it all off we’re having fun anticipating their arrival while putting this together.

Thank you Black Ink for another visit during which I had a smile on my face the whole time I was there!

Black Ink really is the best thing on Charles Street; it is the perfect little shop for gifts that you know will be met with delight and surprise. No one will re-​gift this stuff. AND you can give it in a can.
You can circle the shop about 7 times and still see something fun and new you didn’t see the other times around. It’s packed full of great things. And it’s not outrageously expensive either — some times a little on the pricey side, but never so much that you’d say no if you loved it.
Especially awesome: hard-​to-​find and interesting kids toys, rubber stamps and quality ribbon, Hobo bags, the awkward green cafeteria trays, endless awesome cards. Don’t pass it up!