Collected Works

Cute spot with lots of unique gifts mainly for mature females. There’s not much for men & the prices are not cheap. The handmade jewelry & imported cloths are my favorite items. There’s also a nice card section in back — item of note on the cards is they don’t have anything with any ethnic appeal. I come here for gifts for my 78 yr old mum and she’s usually very happy.

I posted a review of Collected Works quite a while back and thought that maybe it was time to give them a second chance. Unfortunately, nothing has changed. The staff chats while customers wander without assistance. How do they stay in business? I hightailed myself out the door and down the street to Parkside Pharmacy, where they love their customers and sell equally beautiful things.

Great little shop and variety for that gift for that special friend and yourself! Street appeal not so great but go inside. Gifts, (cards too) for women, home, for your man, and for kids too that you won’t find elsewhere. Or just enjoy browsing.

Very clean, friendly, and helpful! Went in to pick up a donation for work (they’re also charitable) and was treated very well. When I asked for help picking out a special item, staff was great with suggestions!
Quite the treasure trove.

For years I drove past this place always thinking it looked interesting and that I should check it out sometime; but always being on my way somewhere else, I never did. What a pity, because finally I did make a point of stopping in, and now I know what I’ve been missing.
They have a lovely assortment of items from kitchenware, purses, papers and cards, baby clothes and toys, jewelry, art glass, and much more. The staff is always pleasant to deal with, which is another good reason to come here.
The first time I stopped I bought a broach. The second time, I got two sets of earrings, because I couldn’t decide which pair I liked better. The third time I went in I got another two pairs of earrings for the same reason as before. Now I’m wondering what I will get the next time, because I always find something I want.

My mother recently introduced me to this place and I adore it. The inventory is above average, with plenty of unique and cute gifts, books, jewelery, accessories etc. Even better, they have great customer service (sadly, so rare these days). I recently needed to get a gift for a friend who graduated from college, and I needed to get it quick. We arrived a few minutes prior to their posted closing time, yet they stayed open so that I could look around and find my gift. They also let in a few customers who arrived after me as well. One of the SA helped me choose a lovely necklace for my friend, and then gift wrapped it (in my friend’s favorite color) at a very reasonable price. I hope this place stays open!

Not what I expected… in a good way! The words «gift shop» typically bring me visions of knick knacks and built-​in-​China babbles and enough accessories to choke Martha Stewart. The reality is that Collected Works ain’t so bad. Good place for gifts for the family, free gift wrapping and the ability to get in and out fast,

Been shopping here for years. Staff are always friendly and helpful and they have great boutique items including jewelry, holiday items, kitchen, bath, books, and more. Beautiful wrapping, reasonably priced.

Great stuff, great people, great gift wrap! We buy virtually all our gifts here. Why go anywhere else?

The items they sell here are almost all really beautiful and unusual. Odds are, if you buy a gift here, the recipient won’t be getting another one. The store can get crowded (with merchandise) sometimes, especially around the holidays. But to me, that makes it fun, almost like a treasure hunt. You literally never know what you will find here. The jewelry selection is big, and in all price ranges. They have all sorts of fun little things you never knew you needed until you saw it there. They also have some neat things for kids also. And the gift wrapping they do is gorgeous. I thik there is a charge for it, but it’s minimal, like 75 cents or something. Macy’s will charge you $ 5 for something that looks like my blind grandma wrapped it.
OH, and do not miss the chocolate/​caramel covered popcorn they sell. It has milk and white chocolate, and nuts in it also. It is to die for. It is a little expensive, but then most addictive substances are.

I used to be a Collected Works devotee.
Birthday gift for the world’s most lovely 49 year old half Mexican half German Jew fellow English professor and poet girlfriend? Collected Works!
Gratitude gift for Norris Mailer, sixth wife and (now widow, RIP) of Norman, ex-​model, novelist, made of fire with everything a red-​headed force of nature could desire? Collected Works.
Now, I used to rely on my weekend jaunts across the Lake Ponchatrain bridge for gifts purchased deep in the NOLA French Quarter, so imagine my delight to find one little shop, in my new neck of the woods, where I could purchase all kinds of artisan-​made treasures? I loved it so much I even high-​tailed it in there when my divorce was final to purchase something for myself. (No, the stars did not fall from the sky that night, nor did every manly man covert to veganism, but you get the idea…) And sure enough, I scored a lovely chain-​maille-​esque sort of wrist wrap. Other girls might call it a bracelet. And wore it, every day, for months. Until Halloween, when the scary big kids in Curtis Park freaked out my littlest, who kept leaping into my arms in alarm, and the lovely snap-​on delight came popping off, never to be seen again.
No problem, right? I went marching into Collected Works to collect another. The hitch was, they didn’t have one. They had some other from the same artist, but when I inquired, the response was:
1. No, we won’t call him to ask if he has another. We take what he sends.
2. No, we won’t tell you the artist’s name. We don’t give out that information.
3. No, we won’t tell you his website address. If you knew who he was, you’d order from him and then where would we be?
Uh, you would have been sitting pretty with a loyal customer for life. Instead you’ve accomplished a miffed former (heartbreakingly bracelet-​less) devotee who will never come back, and who will tell everyone far and wide about the questionable practice of Collected Works. Not only is insulting a customer bad for business, refusing to give out an artist’s name is downright bizarre.
Now I buy my gifts elsewhere. Reviews to follow. Oh dear. .. do I sound bitter?

*Great cards
*Super knick knaccky things like travelling picnic/​wine backpacks and loads of indie made jewelry
*Good kids selection and kids party planning stuff
*As the others said, great gift wrapping on the spot
*Check out the magic truffles on the counter, they sure looked good!

Quoting Gretchen’s review:
‘They have on-​the-​spot gift wrapping for when you are really in a tight squeeze. (Pssst. Guys — you can probably shop here for anniversaries or other forgotten occasions and be outta here in 15 — 20 minutes.)‘
Adding this to my bookmarks, I didn’t think I’d need to use it so soon. SURE enough, on the spot gift wrapping was required for a party starting a few hours later. I hate malls, so this is a great choice for people who don’t want to deal with scarce mall parking, the mall thugs, ETC
While the gift I had on hand was being wrapped, I took a quick glance around the store. Many of the items there ARE unique, including gift bags that were crafted with extra detail. For a small store, there ARE alot of items in there. You’ll just need some extra time to look around. In addition to Gretchen’s list, there were a few high tech clocks I spotted that maybe gear geeks would be attracted to.
Since the gentleman helping had to pay attention on wrapping my gift, he made sure his assistant didn’t just work on one thing but to pay attention to everyone. This is in contrast to what I’d find in major mall stores + Home Depot… the staff normally hides from you. I was outta there in 10 minutes.
The girl I got the gift for, did like my gift but I also found out that she liked gift wrapping too… she kept the box, ribbons and the craft items that came along WITH it LOL
Guys! Add this store to your bookmarks. I’m SURE I’ll be needing this store again: P

Very nice boutique gift store with non-​Hallmark cards, special interest gift books, kitchen gifts, toys/​books/​stuff for kids/​baby, jewelry, breakable dust catchers, gift wrap, handmade goods, tchotchkes, and holiday stuff. One of the few stores in town where you can buy Judaica. Plenty of items to choose from in every price range.
Conveniently located near another favorite gift store, Capitol Nursery on Freeport.
Some of the items in my opinion are overly embellished and are not my aesthetic. And I believe during the holidays the displays can be too cluttered. If you can see past this, there are plenty of good things that can be found here. They certainly fit the bill when I’ve forgotten to get that special gift or card and all of a sudden it’s the day before I need it. Collected Works has saved my hide plenty of times when I have been up against it and a special occasion has crept up on me.
They have on-​the-​spot gift wrapping for when you are really in a tight squeeze. (Pssst. Guys — you can probably shop here for anniversaries or other forgotten occasions and be outta here in 15 — 20 minutes.)