BEST PLACE TO BUY UNUSUAL GIFTS

Deckers Fine Gifts & Collectibles
17350 E. 17th Street, Suite G
Enderle Center, Tustin
(714) 832-7074
Zito's on 17th in the Enderle Center has a great happy hour from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., with a dollar off pints of beer, $4.50 well drinks, $5 house wines and $6.50 specialty martinis and perhaps most importantly, $5 appetizers. Try the Crystal Cosmo, rated Best Cosmo by Tustin Magazine.

Now there's a lead that would disturb my journalism professors, because it has nothing to do with the point of this story, Deckers Fine Gifts & Collectibles. But it was because of the fine happy hour at Zito's on 17th that I had the good fortune to come across Deckers, while returning to my car.

What a great and unusual little store. As the name states, the store sells gifts and collectibles, but what makes it different, at least in my experience, is the heavy and advanced emphasis on whatever season or event is upcoming. I'm writing this on July 11, and Deckers is already all decked out for Halloween. And I'm not talking plastic pumpkins and cardboard cut-out cats here. The entire center of the store is packed with Halloween stuff that I've never seen or knew existed. But even if you are not yet, or will never be, in the Halloween spirit, the display cases along both sides of the store are stuffed with more traditional gifts and collectibles. The store specializes in the Walt Disney Classics Collection and other Disney collectibles, as well as other fine gifts such as Annalee Dolls, Bejeweled Boxes, Lladro, Swarovski Crystal, Wee Forest Folk, Lori Mitchell, Deb Canham and Seasonal Home Decor.

If you are looking for a gift for a hard to shop for recipient, forget the malls, skip the department stores and drive over to Deckers Fine Gifts & Collectibles in Enderle Center, kind of between Zov's and Zito's. Deckers' website can be found here.

Winston's Estate Gallery
Another fun place to shop for the unusual and not so unusual in Enderle Center is Winston's Estate Gallery. This store collects and sells items from estate sales. On the day secret shopper ST and I were there, we were very impressed by the number of impressive pieces that were displayed in this small store, including large artwork, metal sculptures and armoires, to name a few.

Winston tells me that the items in the store are just a small portion of what he offers. Many items are sold directly at the estate sale without ever reaching the store. He suggested that people should check the Penny Saver for upcoming sales.