Blooming Art Gallery

The lady who runs this gem in Little Tokyo is a gem herself. So much character, she is so sweet. I love coming here for gifts and random Japanese collectibles. You can make 5 laps around the store and still miss little surprise items. Gift fun.

I really like this shop. So many beautiful things. I’m a bit bummed though cause the last few times I’ve gone down there they weren’t open even though I went during business hours. Anyone know what’s going on?

This is one of my favorite boutiques in Little Tokyo. It has many Japanese items and gifts. I’m not too sure why it’s called an Art Gallery since it really isn’t. They usually put things outside to lure you in. Make sure you step in since there are a variety of things inside that are not represented with the items outside. Biggest problem is that it’s a really small shop and very tight. It gets crowded quickly and hard to manuver around. It’s hard to walk out of the shop empty handed.

Exceptional Japanese gift store. Exceptional owner.
Nikki-​san truly helped me in a time of need. I came to her store to find everything I needed to create a beautiful Japanese shrine/​honorarium for a beloved friend’s memorial service.
Nikki went out of her way to offer not only the right way to do it, but was incredibly heart-​felt and generous in her guidance. It’s rare these days to be able to walk in to a place one has never been & be able to find such compassion, Ai, (love in Japanese) and assistance at a time of deep sadness.
The store itself is amazing. It has everything!
Nikki has impeccable taste in what she chooses to sell– from collectible, brilliant & unique pop-​art of #HelloKitty to Japanese Kanji Banners, to (my favorite) incense (stick and cone) holders. I bought a beautiful matching set of a lotus blossoms– one for multiple sticks of Japanese incense for the alter along side one for a candle/​tea light. The mediation bowls sold here are lovely as well– with a pitch perfect healing ring to them. I bought one and will be going back for another one as a gift for the holidays. I’ll also be going back to pick up more Maneki Niko, or Lucky Cats. There is a great variety of these sold at The Blooming Art Gallery & they’re not just cookie-​cutter manufactured ones. All the ones I found in the store are with intricate detail and I know will make my friends smile to receive one.
Who wouldn’t love to have their own lucky yōkai?
I haven’t even begun to cover the vast amount of things that are here in Blooming Art Gallery– it’s a definite visit for anyone visiting Little Tokyo as well as anyone in Los Angeles who would like to learn more about Japanese fine art which Nikki is an expert on and travels back and forth to Japan bringing art with her as well.
Thank you for being a great person with a great store.
You have an apreciative-​repeat customer Nikki-​san!

When I first moved to LA, owner Nikki-​san (Naoko) assisted me in both decorating my apartment and Japanese garden, plus got me into my career of choice by both encouraging me, and offering support.
She is a super amazing lady and her eye for creative, stunning art and artifacts from Japan and here is without parallel. She carries original Warhols, Bob Kane, Peter Max and Sean Danconia. In addition, beautiful Bonsai imported from Japan and China at prices that are 10% or less of what you pay at Yamaguchi, etc.
She is a one-​man show and many people come here and steal her merchandise. Her attitude is very zen-​like, I must say. And she shrugs that stuff off to their karma.
If you are looking for Asian or Japanese gifts, art, etc. at excellent prices — Nikki is the person to talk to. If she seems abrupt or busy, just give her a few moments and she will make time to chat with you.

love knick knacks? cute shit? small cute shit?
keep sakes? unique and cute things?
come here.

After walking throughout the entirety of the Japanese Village Plaza, I’d have to say that Blooming Art Gallery is probably the best store in that area for the cutest little knick-​knacks and décor!
My friend and I were drawn in my the huge amount of items on display outside the store. The variety of Japanese and Asian decorations was really good AND we were surprised that everything was relatively cheap!
We went inside and they have a ton of merchandise everywhere. Everything ranging from toys, to stationery, to photographs/​paintings, to cute mugs/​bowls, and even a Beatles tribute corner in the back left of the store! It was really fun looking at all of the different things they had!
The lady working in the store seemed to have ears like a hawk. Like literally my friend would be talking about a product like, «How much is this? Do you see a price tag?» and from all the way on the opposite side of the room, the woman would answer us. I was like «whaaaat how did she hear me?» Hahaha.
The only reason why I can’t give Blooming Art Gallery 5 stars is because it’s SUPER cramped. It’s really hard to navigate around the store with all of the products everywhere and lots of people going in and out.

I really liked this place. In a sea of tourist traps and cafés, this place wasn’t too bad. It was a mix of modern and traditional.
I loved the atmosphere but the place is a bit small and cramped.
Not a bad place to visit.

Very nice eye-​catching shop.

This is a good place to look for gifts or knick-​knacks for around your house. I came looking for a last-​minute Christmas gift for one of my relatives and I was relieved to find they had many things that would make a great present for her. They even have a pretty prominent Beatles section, which I found surprising and sweet. The staff is a little brusk but maybe I just got them on a bad day.

Lots of cute stuff, I especially liked their prints. It’s a very eclectic assortment of things that they sell here — books, prints, tea sets, origami paper and stationary, bento assembly essentials, good luck charms, small plushes… all very kawaii though, which seems to be the prevailing theme. Prices are reasonable and they accept all credit cards. Win!

they have all sorts of cute stuff. It is hard not to stop by every time we visit Little Tokyo

Great Little Tokyo place to get traditional Japanese stuff: chop sticks, tea sets etc
A Buddha altar welcomes you at the door:
The size of the store is really small, so you have to be extra-​careful when walking around. During the weekends it gets too crowded, they try to make more room taking some merchandise outside, but still it gets hot and uncomfortable.
Both times I have been there I was afraid of knocking off something (some of these little things are quite expensive, you don’t want to knock off ANYTHING over there)
In the back they also have nice John Lennon artwork and memorabilia. As well as books and posters.
Cute store, kinda overpriced but you find unique/​hard-​to-​find stuff.
Recommended if in the area :)

I feel like this place has many items priced fairly, while some are a bit high. Good selection, and nice display.

It’s a cute, kitschy shop to browse and wander gingerly through. Be very careful if you’re carrying a big bag of any sort, so you don’t knock over their wide assortment of giftables. It’s amazing how many little knick-​knacks they have stuffed into the small space. There are a lot of overpriced import goods and imitations, but there’s also a lot of products you probably wouldn’t find elsewhere and are worth looking over. They’ve done a good job of laying out their wares to catch your eye too, so beware if you’re on the impulsive side.

Love coming to this place when I frequent Little Tokyo. It’s like I’m in a cute Tokyo gift shop with all these high quality figurines and random stuff.
Shelves of unique kimono material coin purses, figurines, and purses. Little ninja charms, good luck cats and frogs. Random books for bentos and origami. Stamps. It’s just an all around cool place to look at.

Cute shop here for sure. The prices aren’t the best but it was able to help me and my beau out! My roommate helped him out with his proposal and of course we had to thank her for playing such a huge role for us! Thus we went around Japan town looking for the perfect present for her. I was getting frustrated because nothing I saw made me think, this would be perfect for her. Then we randomly went into this tiny shop and saw the cutest tea cup set! they had a good variety of gifts but nothing really stood out except for this. I was able to drink out of it during the cold winter with her and I could tell how much she appreciated it. Good thing we ran into this place or else she would have ended up with a parasol!

Have you ever opened a Where’s Waldo book and just felt completely overwhelmed by the sensory input from all the contrasting colors, varied shapes and planned confusion?
At Blooming Art Gallery, my Waldo was a little Maneki Neko, or «Waving Cat.» I usually walk into a store and move directly to the item I wish to purchase, leaving the lollygagging to my better half. This time, I entered the store at Mach 2 per usual, but like an unstoppable force encountering an immovable object I was immediately captivated by all the glittering, shining, colorful, tiny, large and otherwise completely distracting merchandise.
After twenty minutes walking in a circle around the central display table, I shook myself free of the evil grasp of the Blooming Art Gallery and swore I’d be back in an hour after the impulsive shopper feeling crept away from me.
Then, there it was. Little pink Maneki Neko piggy bank, beckoning with its lucky paw. I stopped once again and grabbed it, because this is exactly the item I was looking for! Smooth, round, pink. This Maneki Neko was so cute, and best of all, it was only $ 8! I quickly paid and got the hell out of there before I became lost in the sauce.

Friends and I walked into this tiny Little Tokyo spot one afternoon — it’s one of the tiniest in the area, if I’m not mistaken. This store has quite the collection of striking and hard-​to-​find Japanese goods inside, if you’re looking for an eclectic gift. (Of their books — of which there is a more mainstream selection — «Useful Japanese Phrases» was a highlight: we got a laugh learning how to say «I’m coming».)
Unusually, there’s a corner full of John Lennon-​related memorabilia like a toy doll in his likeness, books, etc. which apparently aren’t for sale (a friend asked). At the end of the day, a few of us emerged from the Blooming Art Gallery slightly poorer, with bags full of artsy stone animals and super stationery sheets.
Worth a visit. Oh, don’t bring rowdy kids in the store, as they might knock something down.

This cute little Japanese store is my latest discovery of cute little gifts. I love their stuff so much because you can’t find anything like theirs very easily in regular shopping malls. They have Japanese cell phone charms, jewelry, purses, clutch handbags, fans, etc. I was in there for a good 30 minutes, and I still couldn’t decide which item to get because I actually wanted to buy them all. Everything was cute and unique.
This store accepts credit card for a minimum purchase of $ 8. When you shop here, you have to be careful when you walk around because the store is quite small, and they have A LOT of items on display. I had to be extra careful with my huge purse because I didn’t want to knock anything off the shelf.