Kards Unlimited

Kards Unlimited is a book nerd’s heaven! They not only sell a ton of really cool and hilarious cards for any occasion, but they sell all kinds of knick-​knacks like posters, toys, coffee mugs, beer glasses, t-​shirts, (some of which may be appropriate or inappropriate) and SO MANY BOOKS. Since there are not many book stores or other gift shops like this around Shadyside, I often end up getting gifts and cards for friends, family, etc. from this place.
Since bookstores are not the cheapest place to purchase books or other souvenirs, you will end up spending a little more money than if you would order the same item on Amazon. However, you go to Kards Unlimited not for the prices but for the insanely cool and geeky atmosphere and to loose yourself in all the wonderful things in this shop!

This place is great! I stumbled in here while trying to kill time before a cooking demo down the street. I was blown away by the amount of stuff they were able to fit into this little hole in the wall. The cards are hilarious, and certainly unique. With quips about pop culture and just general hilarity. I could spend hours just reading them. They have a lot of novelty items as well, and some beautiful books that I have never heard of before. They have pop culture jewelry, quoting everything from Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog to The Wizard of Oz. If your in the area this place is an absolute must.

Really unique gifts and great cards. Staff is friendly. Prices are slightly high.

This place is terrific! I used to go often when I lived in Pittsburgh, so I stopped in on a recent visit home! They have a really cool selection of everything, but their Christmas ornaments caught my eye!
I got back to Virginia and thought, «I should’ve picked up two of the ornaments I liked on Saturday.» Well, I tried to find an e-​commerce website, but they don’t have one. I did send a message to them on Facebook and pretty quickly they were able to find out the two ornaments I was interested in, they photographed them and got the prices for me to verify they were correct and I’m going to order them in a minute here!
Bravo, Kards Unlimited!

Lots of collectibles. They have cards and humorous knick knacks. I bought some t shirts and they have fictional places travel posters that are awesome.

I feel like the best description for this store is «knick knack heaven.» The variety of stuff that you can browse through during a visit here is pretty cool, and most of it is quirky in nature — which is a huge plus in my book.
Let me give you a brief overview and guided tour of Kards Unlimited. When you enter, you’ll immediately see an array of gag gifts, pop culture t-​shirts and the like in the main area of the store. If you turn left after entering, you’ll be able to start browsing through the book collection. Most of the books here are fantasy, sci-​fi, comics, YA books — things of that nature — although there’s also often some classic literature pieces and other genres available as well. (But in my experience most of the books are more modern or at least relate to modern culture trends, i.e. certain superhero comics appear more often when a certain superhero movie hits theaters.) Keep going past the bookshelves, and you’ll start to find stuffed animals, Harry Potter house scarves, and similar doo dads that will satisfy a little kid you’re shopping for (or even just your own inner kid). Keep going further, and you’ll start to find the calendars, note books, journals and even ornaments.
And finally at the back of the store, you’ll find the enormous collection of gift cards that the store name presumably refers to. As others have mentioned, the cards vary in nature from traditional to wild in nature — so you’ll most likely find something here for any friend or family member, if you give yourself the time to browse. Personally I think the stock in the rest of the store is just as much fun to browse through and explore, because the variety of stuff they collect and sell is just fascinating — there’s everything from ordinary stuffed animals to «Wizard Of Oz» figurines to «Star Trek» toys… and so so so much more.
That’s the basic tour and overview of Kards Unlimited, and I honestly don’t think it does a good job explaining just how much different stuff you can find in here. I know that sometimes stores that try to cram too much onto their shelves can seem chaotic and disorganized, but the set-​up this store has really works for them, somehow. There’s something here to appeal to traditional, wacky and geeky personalities alike, and because of that they’re definitely worth visiting again and again when possible, just to see what other items they’ve added to their stock. I admittedly don’t buy a ton here because of the prices, but I do still love them as a window shopping store and will absolutely jump at the chance to splurge on anything unique I find here. Who knows — maybe I’ll make another great find during my next visit here?

Books, cards, calendars, and candles galore (and not just the run-​of-​the-​mill ones). This novelty store has many things you might want and might not have thought of wanting but will want after you take a look. Are you in a witty mood? Their wide selection of tongue-​in-​cheek, politically (in)correct, and sexually (in)appropriate cards will cater to your whimsy. Just looking for some normal books? They have cookbooks, contemporary fiction, and old literature for your perusal. Are you celebrating a special event? They have a large selection of cards in the back for occasions ranging from Thank You to Mother’s Day to Happy Birthday to Christmas. Looking for something to satisfy your or a friend’s geekiness? They sell products with themes ranging from Dr. Who to Harry Potter to A Game of Thrones. Just looking for laughs? They have an assortment of interesting little thingamajigs that may pull a chuckle out of you and others.
I think you find something there for any occasion. I even purchased Thank You cards here for me to give to my interviewers after my interviews. I also got a relatively normal To-​Do list here, but you can opt to choose for something more entertaining. You’ll just have to come here to see what they have.

4.5 stars…
I love stores like this! It’s got a little bit of everything funny, geeky, and cool. They have the most random things for all ages, especially if you’re into topics similar to Star Wars, Dr Who, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, bacon (yes, bacon), and so on. Aside from random knick nacks, gifts, collectibles, they do have an extentive card (greeting cards) selection, lots of books, and oddly enough an aisle of Yankee candles.
If you’ve ever been described as quirky, dorky, funny, or geeky, this is a store for you. If not, I’m sure someone you know is and this would be a great place to find a couple stocking stuffers for them. The only reason I rounded down on the rating was that the prices were a bit high on everything.

Overpriced, so I wouldn’t really buy much, but gosh I love the experience of looking through everything. It’s worth popping in for twenty-​thirty minutes and seeing all of the cools things you could read (or play with haha)

This is a gem in Shadyside. I make sure to stop in here every time I’m in Shadyside. It’s a perfect little novelty store equipped with funny quirky cards, books, T-​shirts, and little stocking stuffers and the like. To be honest, it’s a little expensive and I generally don’t buy anything while I’m here, but it’s the perfect little place to browse on a Sunday afternoon stroll on Walnut Street with a coffee. I lived in Shadyside for a while and grabbing coffee next door at Tree Roasters and walking in here for a peek became a part of my weekend schedule.

It’s stocked with little knick knacks and other random items. I would say this place is perfect for buying gifts for a quirky friend.
I like to check this place out every once in a while because I just like window shopping. I don’t think I’d buy anything here due to the fact that it’s overpriced but I do like to appreciate their merchandise.

Awesome serivce

I found myself in the Pittsburgh area this Christmas season on a quest for an ornament to exemplify our trip and mark the year. Of course I immediately turned to Unilocal for help and Kards Unlimited popped up to the top of the list as a place to find ornaments. A quick read of the reviews, a tap on the directions button and I was on my way.
I was there two days before Christmas and the store was all a buzz. There was a line halfway through the store which moved quickly.
This store has tons of choices. Books, cards, toys, jewelry, knick knacks and — ornaments. The first one to catch my eye was two turtle doves. It wasn’t what i was looking for but it did satisfy another quest I am on. I also liked a set of decorative yet functional measuring spoons. I thought it would make a nice ornament.
They displayed their collection of ornaments with fishing line tacked to the ceiling with plenty of «ask for assistance» signs. I also noticed a sign that explained the meaning behind their pickle ornament but unfortunately they were out of these. Had they had these in stock, I suspect my quest would have been complete.
The sales Team was helpful and polite without rushing even when the store was full. The shelves were neat and the store had a pleasant atmosphere. If I lived in the area I would definitely be a regular.
[On the Second Day of Christmas my true love gave to me… Two Turtle Doves
December 2102 Unilocal Challege]

The store is really fun, just know it gets crowded quickly, especially around the holidays. Don’t recommend going with a stroller in tow!

Going into this store is like going into a vacuum. You loose all track of time. That’s not a bad thing.
I started in the traditional card section and slowly made my to the homemade, more explicit card section. I didn’t even take time to examine all the calendars and knick knacks they had because I was too enthralled with all the cards to choose from.
Between here and Wildcard, I doubt I’ll ever step foot back into a Hallmark store. Better quality in cards and the staff are excellent.

This place is so quirky and cool I love it. Darren and I spent hours in here just looking. Of course, Darren had his face in the graphic novels (him and his comics lol i like them too btw). I was gawking at everything else including Cat Lady action figures and all kinds of silly stuff. They also have a nice book selections and of course greeting cards galore and t-​shirts and so much stuff! Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s fun to just look around.

Man. Alive. What a store. What a fun, fun, edgy, edgy, cool, cool store.
Spencer’s has been rendered impotent for as far as novelty inventory goes, Kards Unlimited just goes on and on and on… quite literally.
Exactly at the moment one thinks he or she has seen everything KU has for sale, there’s simply more to see, KU being a pocket universe in itself with seemingly infinite, whimsical depth.
It’s a card store.
A book store.
A subversive, intellectual toy store. Action figures of lunch ladies and Sigmund Freud can be purchased.
There are graphic novels.
T-​shirts.
Posters.
Bath products.
Odd items for your pet.
Journals.
Stationery.
It is the Johnson Smith catalog come to life and co-​managed by Ivan Stang, Grant Morrison, and Robert Crumb.
Get lost in Kards Unlimited, for hours and hours, as if time can be measured in such a place.
P. S. I think Kay and I spent more time in here than we did perusing what was for sale at the Shadyside Arts Festival, which is what brought us to the area.

Every time I’m on walnut st I have to make a stop at Kards Unlimited. It’s a pretty exciting place and funny enough I have bought some great cards there. For my friends birthday i found a card with a chubby puppy passed out in it’s food bowl. I had to have it!
Its also good for those awkward Christmas party gifts, you know the grab bag ones where you always give a great present and get back a gift certificate to a grocery store whose only location is two hours away. If you’re like us and like to give cheap gifts that are nice then this place is perfect!
We bought a bunch of coffee mugs with pictures of Roger Hargreaves Mr. Men series, you know Mr. Silly, Little Miss Giggles, and Mr. Grumpy. They were fairly priced, around ten bucks each, and they were a huge hit with his work group. It’s a way better option than a scented candle.
They have wonderful tea options! i’m a huge fan of their Tea forte, Belgian Mint Herbal tea! I can’t get enough of it. It’s sweet and perfect for when your sick or craving something
chocolaty.
Overall fun place. Just be prepared to enter very small spaces. If there are any other people in there (which there normally is) it will be an awkward mess.

Kards Unlimited is, by far, the most fun and interesting novelty shop I’ve ever seen. They have tons of the most random things, and I really enjoy buying gifts there. Most recently, I found an ironic magnetic Sarah Palin dress-​up doll for the refrigerator and some very nice bath products for a gift to a very Republican family member.
Every time I’m in Kards Unlimited, I find new and exciting stuff, and I’m always surprised at how reasonable the prices are. Gotta love this store!

What if you got a scavenger hunt list that looked something like this?:
1) «Where’s Waldo?» complete collectors set
2) bud rubber duckie
3) Hippopotamus necklace
4) Food Face plate
5) Bert and Ernie finger puppets
6) I Heart Guts plushie
7) «Goodnight Moon»
8) Cat butt magnets
9) Stick-​on mustaches
10) «Family Guy» Monopoly
11) PacMan candy
12) The Dude Abides t-​shirt
13) Unemployed Philosopher Guild doll
14) «Pickles to Pittsburgh»
15) Over the Hill birthday card
You could knock the whole list out at Kards Unlimited 5 – 1.

kards unlimited is similar to pulp in dc in that it features offbeat gifts and unique cards, but adds jewelry and literature to the mix.
while i’ve found gems here in terms of cards, i really had to *search* for them, unlike other stores where i find so many awesome cards i don’t know which to pick. and end up leaving with seven birthday cards, spending more money than anticipated, and no money for food*. the back area has more mainstream cards by hallmark and shoebox (read: cheaper), as well as posters, gift bags, and ribbons.
the gift selection are great and span from make-​your-​own-​porno kits (do you like to do it yourself?) to cookie cutters, noveltees**, journals, children’s toys, and items only locals would understand and find amusing.
i appreciate the space dedicated to graphic novels, the corridor of books, n’at***, but this place is brimming with so much product, it’s damn near impossible to navigate through the twists and turns, even when you know exactly what you’re looking for and where it is.
still, stopping by is a must when on walnut.
—
*priorities, people. at least all my friends will have epic birthday cards!
**seewhatididthere.
***i’m basically a local now.

I stepped in here a few weeks ago while I was waiting for my appointment @ the Apple Store…
This is a very cute Boutique-​y shop!
Lots of cool and unique books, gifts, cards, etc.
Lots of Pop-​Culture stuff, funny gifts and novelties.
I really liked it in there a lot!
Bacon Flavored Dental Floss, FTW! ;)