Toko Baru

I LOVE TOKO BARU!!! When we moved into the area a year ago I was enamored by all the little shops and boutiques. Toko Baru from the outside looks like a fun, vibrant shop with one of a kind gifts, and inside doesn’t disappoint. I would compare the store to a Local Francesca’s but it is so much more. There are the fun and lighthearted gifts like the ManaTEA loose leaf tea infuser and the local crafts like our new Drink Local, Ohio Made pint glasses.
They also carry some Wild Berry Products, incense and random things in each nook and cranny. If you are interested in signing up for their free rewards program, you get $ 10 back for every $ 200 spent or check out their facebook page for coupons.
I swear every time I go into the store I find something new that I have to get. If you are looking for a unique, one of a kind gift that will be cherish and remembered, come over to Toko Baru!

Love this sweet little store! They have a variety of things from jewelry to clothes to candles. Even just dropping around and looking at all their stuff is fun. OH! And it smells really nice.

I always love going into this store — there is so much to check out. I just wish the prices weren’t so high.
I have gone in here several times over the years. I love their range of items: from cheeky magnets or socks to handmade clothing, Indian tapestries and a variety of scented candles and incense.
For Small Business Saturday this weekend, they only had deals on clothing (shirts and pants) at 20% off. I was looking for gifts for the holiday season. It seems like though every time I go I only ever get candles! This time I got a library/​author themed candle, about the size of a deck of cards folded like a hotdog. They were $ 7 each…
I’ll likely keep going back because I love looking through their changing selections. I would buy more regularly if they were better priced though.

What a cure store! It reminds me of the Purple Monkey in Bellevue, only larger.
My boyfriend and I stopped in to look around and we spent quite a few minutes looking at all of the cool stuff. We found a really cool candle holder that I couldn’t live without and the price was reasonable.
If you can’t find a gift for your mom, cousin, bff or whomever, you’re not looking hard enough.

One of my most important clients currently lives in Delaware but is originally from Ohio. He is hard to find a gift for, and believe me, I’ve tried. It seems like the «old standbys» i.e. liquor, scented candles and restaurant gift certificates don’t «cut it» with him and once he even complained to a colleague of mine about how «unoriginal» I was, in terms of gift giving.
Toko Baru, which coincidentally means «Knockout Store» in Indonesian, hit it out of the park for me. They sell a line of buckeye soaps which are advertised as «Smells good enough to eat» and they were a hit with my client. I think he really appreciated something that reminded him of Ohio and they really do smell good enough to eat.

This store is always a nifty place to find a little something for someone.
The merchandise is eclectic but all seems to fit together — incense and Japanese place setting and Chinese tea pots and then some toys and then some jewelry and then some magnets.
On my most recent visit I was happy to see a relatively large and diverse display of Burt’s Bees products. Not just the chap stick stuff but varieties of it and lotions for all kinds of needs.
The one charm I like about this place is that — except for the Burt’s Bees — anything you buy for someone here will not be easy found anywhere else. You’ll be giving an original… or close enough to it.
Oh, and the staff is always very nice.

A window shopping wonderland. I try to pass by every month to see the new window look. Best place to find gifts and trinkets on Ludlow.

Toku Baru is probably the most adorable store Clifton has to offer — and that says something, because it seems every new store trying to out-​cute every other-​store.
There’s just something neat about Toku Baru (besides the fact that the name is fun to say.) It’s this eclectic store of everything eclectic — unusual but fun jewelry and toys and art and clothing and anything else you’re not going to find in the area.
The place has incense floating through the store, which, again, is typical for Clifton, but doesn’t seem to make you go insane like the other places. Still, if this has known to bother you in the past, just know what you’re getting into.
Toku Baru is a great place to buy a gift for a friend or family member or really even for yourself. If you’re walking Ludlow (and why wouldn’t you be,) it’s really worth it just to stop in and check it out — who knows, you might find something you love.

I have been shopping at the ‘Pangea’ stores for years for my self, my kids and when Spirit House was opened, my home. I recently went to Clifton to buy some wind chimes and lanterns at Toko Baru and the manager (Jen, I think) and another girl were in there own conversation (unwork related) and USELESS. I have never felt so disrespected and have a lot of respect for Jocelyn Williams (the owner). My feeling were hurt! I still made a large purchase, but didn’t want to!

Need some gift ideas? Check out Toko Baru on Ludlow Ave and you’ll find something for almost anyone. The leave soaps are a creative gift pick. They look like crispy fall leaves but are great for scrubbing up before a night on the town. Another cute gift for the environmentally conscience are the boxed «grow a tree.» You can choose from cherry, pine, and buckeye. If you’re looking to drop some extra dough, Toko Baru also carries beautiful teapots and crystal décor. They have a great card selection and complimentary gift bags are available for the last minute shopper.

Right next to Toko Kidz and obviously connected (though, not physically) is Toko Baru. Toko Baru has a lot of unique items, many of which would make for great gifts. The first two things I noticed when I walked in were the smells of incense and the sounds of music, both appropriate to the type of store it is. They sell incense, as well as other peaceful items such as candles and the unique and cool night lights.
Toko Baru also has what seemed to be a full line of Burt’s Bees natural body products, while one of their main focuses is on their unique set of hand-​made jewelry. Other merchandise they have, showing its wide range of options and versatility, includes Asian dishes and chop sticks, a lot of journals, and a ton of bumper stickers and pins, many of which had political messages and of course many that did not (example: «Coffee Slut»).
Overall, Toko Baru is a neat little store, especially with its proximal location just off the UC campus. They definitely had a lot of unique items, from their jewelry to their items for the home or campus apartment, and most would make for a nice gift.