Dava

Dava has an interesting selection of unique jewelry, clothing and other items that are ideal for not «run of the mill» gifts. It’s a tad pricey but for occasional gifts it’s a good choice. One gripe; they have ‘frequent customer’ cards that are stamped after each purchased. Once the card has 10 stamps (one stamp is given for each $ 20 spent) you receive a 20% discount on your purchase. Well if you are like me, you end up with several of these cards since I don’t typically carry them around with me. I assumed they would just combine the cards and honor the discount but was told they don’t combine cards. I have never experienced this with any other store. Seems like a needless way to tick off a loyal customer.

SOOO friendly and helpful! Great selection of clothes and their winter sale was amazing! will be going again!

Great little spot in random old Hamden. The place to get your Nag Champa on along with other items that will feed your spirit.

I use to really like Dava but the last couple times i’ve went in I haven’t made a purchase. Usually anything I really like is way out of my price range, I’m not talking like a little splurge but I could never spend $ 45-​$ 60 on a scarf. A lot of their goods are local which is awesome but the pricing just doesn’t seem to match. This is a good place to go during holiday’s though for some kind of neat gift.
I hate the clothing here though, I think a lot of it is quite ugly and way overpriced!

This is a one of a kind place. I love their cute, fun gifts that you will not find everywhere else. It really suits the «hippie» or «vintage» type girl, and you can really get creative here. What I love about this store is they are very eco-​friendly (not like I am but you know what I mean) and they allow you to wrap your own gifts.
They have a huge selection of rings (I never buy any rings anywhere else) and big sizes if you are looking for any thumb rings.
Their childrens section is also great if you know somebody who has a child that is having a birthday, a unique gift from Dava is in order.
I love this store because it is unique, and the staff is friendly.

This is a unique, fun, little store. All sorts of funky items from natural fiber clothing to jewelry, pottery, toys. It has a great atmosphere, nice employees and they are very community minded. Shop local, shop DAVA!

Dava has a little bit of everything. The shop is a really fun place to browse around. And, the employees are friendly to boot.
Dava can cater to your every need if you:
are a lover of all-​things vintage
find yourself in need of a gift for someone that has everything
are looking for a secret santa gift and/​or a gift for someone that you don’t know that well
have a jewelry fetish
want to pick up some neat-​o knick knacks
are into artsy stuff
in love with fat, hairy cats
During the Holiday Season, Dava teams up with AIDS Project New Haven to raise money for the services that they provide by selling unique, gorgeous holiday ornaments. APNH is an amazing organization… the work they do for the greater New Haven community would blow your mind. I couldn’t be happier that Dava carries these ornaments… I pick one [or ten] up every holiday season. I will continue to support the shop, as I appreciate Dava’s support for the community.

Unfortunately it’s past it’s prime…
Inventory has hit an all time low-​what used to be a large array of interesting jewelry, now is just cheap imported silver stuff you can get less expensively on ebay.
The ceramics haven’t been updated in years-‘the same old same old’.
Clothing is hippie stuff at ridiculously high prices. Who is paying $ 100 for a cotton top?
They discontinued the Folkmanis line of stuffed animals for the Ugly Dolls line trying to be trendy.
Appealing mainly to teenagers, they haven’t a clue as to what a 30 – 50 year old woman wants to buy.

While I was in college, Dava was one of my favourite stores to go to. They have a huge collection of silver jewelry and gemstones, both new and vintage, clothing (vintage and homemade in many cases), awesome soaps, perfumes, and body products (many are organic/​natural), gifts galore, stationery, pottery, etc. A little bit of everything.
A lot of their stuff is pretty expensive, but at the same time… everything is so unique, and many times hand-​made by local merchants, so I feel it’s worth the price most of the time. Also, I love that they support a lot of local merchants and craftspeople, as well as carrying a lot of really unique/​kitchy merchandise which is great when you’re shopping for ‘that special gift.’ I always make use of my «frequent buyer card,» of which I’ve filled a few over the years.
Beware, if you have cat allergies, they DO have a cat (the name escapes me at the moment — Jill? Jane?) that they let wander around the store, but there is a sign on the front door warning you of it. She’s the sweetest cat ever, and so affectionate. I remember several times when she sat on my shoulders as I walked around.
Also, if you are handcapped, it’s going to be nearly impossible to get around the store… sorry. It’s relatively small, and so full of cool stuff, the passageways are pretty tight.
Overall, nice store, and super friendly people that work there.
PS: if you’re looking to find it, it’s in the Shaw’s/Marshall’s Plaza, near Payless and Hallmark Store.