Books, gifts and specialty shops

This is the browsing category. It holds the shops people wander into on a Saturday afternoon and the ones they visit with a specific errand in mind, from a phone repair to a birthday card. OpenStreetMap, the open map our directory starts from, tags close to 40 of them inside city limits. The largest groups are phone and electronics stores, art galleries and frame shops, the department stores, smoke shops, bookstores and stationery shops. Pet supply stores, gift shops, a game store, a music store and an antiques dealer fill out the list.

We have already written in depth about two parts of this category. Our bookstores guide covers every bookshop and the library sales. Our gifts and souvenirs guide covers Stanford gear and what to bring home. This hub does not repeat them. Below the guide, every shop we have verified appears automatically as a card. Above them is the context: where these shops are, what to check before you buy and how returns and shipping work.

What this category includes

• Books and paper: bookstores, stationery and card shops
• Gifts and home accents: gift shops, candle and fragrance shops and variety stores
• Tech: electronics, computer and phone stores, including carrier stores
• Art: galleries, art supply and frame shops
• Hobbies: games, toys, hobby and craft shops, trading cards and musical instruments
• Pets: pet food and supply stores
• Big stores: department stores and the shopping center itself
• Other specialty shops: antiques, secondhand goods and tobacco shops

Clothing, shoes and jewelry have their own hub, clothing, shoes and accessories. Furniture, kitchenware and flowers sit in home, furniture and garden. Veterinarians are in everyday services.

Where specialty shops cluster

Downtown

Downtown holds more than a third of the category. University Avenue is lined with phone, electronics and gadget stores, with Apple's glass-fronted store at 340 University Avenue as the anchor. Emerson Street has smaller and older storefronts, including Bell's Books at 536 Emerson, open since 1935. Art galleries sit on Hamilton Avenue, Bryant Street and Emerson Street. Our University Avenue shopping guide walks the blocks.

Stanford Shopping Center

About a quarter of the category is here. All four of the city's department stores are at the center: Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Apple, Bang & Olufsen and Going in Style Travel Accessories are among the specialty tenants. Macy's has a Toys R Us shop inside. See the Stanford Shopping Center guide.

Town & Country Village

Town & Country packs a lot of gift shopping into a small space. The center's directory lists Books Inc., Paper Source, diptyque, Framebridge, CardVault by Tom Brady and The Stanford Shop. The UPS Store is there too, which helps if you need to ship what you buy. Read the Town & Country Village guide.

California Avenue and the south side

California Avenue and the nearby stretch of El Camino Real have phone stores, a game store, a music store on Lambert Avenue and a pet supply store. Middlefield Road near the Charleston Shopping Center has another pet supply store and a stationery shop, both with easy parking.

What to know by type of shop

Bookstores and stationery

Palo Alto's bookstores are covered store by store in our bookstores guide. In short, Bell's Books handles used and rare titles, Books Inc. handles new releases and children's books and the Stanford Bookstore sells academic titles and campus gear. Many independent shops will order a book or a card line they do not stock. Just ask.

Electronics and phones

Carrier stores and electronics shops cluster downtown and at the shopping center. Book a repair appointment online where the store offers it, since walk-in waits can be long on weekends. California adds an electronic waste recycling fee at checkout on many devices with screens, such as TVs, monitors and laptops, so expect a small line item on the receipt.

Art and framing

Small galleries show and sell work by local and regional artists. Exhibitions change every few weeks, so check a gallery's site before a special trip. For framing, ask about turnaround times and whether glass and mats are included in a quote. The longtime art supply store University Art closed in 2026, so art supplies now take more searching.

Hobbies, games and music

Game, hobby, trading card and music stores are few but specialized. Many run events, such as game nights or tournaments, on a regular calendar. Music stores may offer lessons or instrument rentals. Our classes, tutoring and learning hub covers music lessons.

Pets

Pet supply stores sell food, treats, toys and gear. Ask about delivery or auto-ship if you buy large bags of food. If you are visiting with a dog, see our dog parks guide.

Tobacco shops

You must be 21 to buy tobacco and vape products in California and shops check ID.

How to shop well

1. Check the hours. Independent shops often open around 10 or 11 a.m. and close by 6 p.m. Some close one day a week.
2. Call ahead for a specific item. Small shops carry limited stock. A call saves a wasted trip.
3. Ask about gift wrap. Many shops wrap for free or a small charge, especially around the holidays.
4. Read the return policy. See the next section.
5. Keep the receipt. Exchanges and warranty claims usually need it.

Returns, shipping and tax

Return policies are set by each store. California law adds one rule. If a shop does not offer a full refund, store credit or an exchange for at least seven days after purchase, it must post its own policy at the register, at the entrance, on the item's tag or on the order form. The rule does not cover food, plants, flowers, custom-made items or goods sold "as is". The state's Department of Consumer Affairs guide explains the details. Department stores and chains are generally generous. Small independents often give store credit only.

To send purchases home, The UPS Store at Town & Country Village packs and ships parcels. On campus, the White Plaza post office closes October 31, 2026. A PostalAnnex shipping center opened on the second floor of Tresidder Memorial Union in September 2026. Price tags do not include sales tax, which is added at the register at a combined rate of 9.75 percent (effective October 1, 2026).

Parking, Caltrain and getting there

Downtown shoppers use roughly 20 city garages and lots, where short visits are generally free with posted time limits. The City of Palo Alto parking page has current rules. Stanford Shopping Center and Town & Country Village have large surface lots that fill on weekend afternoons and in December. The Palo Alto Caltrain station sits at the foot of University Avenue and Stanford Shopping Center is roughly a 15-minute walk from it. See our getting around guide.

How we check shop listings

Every page in this category follows the same process. We start from OpenStreetMap data for the name, location and any posted hours. Then an editor opens the shop's own website and confirms that the Palo Alto location is current, with a store page, current hours, recent dates or online ordering. Chain locations are labeled as part of a chain. Shops that exist only on a social profile need recent posts that show the Palo Alto address. If we cannot confirm a shop is open, we do not publish a page.

Each page describes the shop in neutral terms from its own published information. We do not publish customer reviews, star ratings or rankings and we do not quote prices. Shops cannot pay for a listing or a better position. Every page shows the date it was checked. Location data is © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.

Browse the shop listings

The verified shops appear below in alphabetical order. Each card leads to a page with the address, nearest Caltrain stop, parking notes, hours where we could confirm them and what else is nearby. More shops are added as editors verify them. For the rest of the directory, return to the directory home.

In this section

Frequently asked questions