Nathan & Co

If you are looking for some fun decorative or whimsical items for your home this place is worth a stop. A very nice eclectic assortment ranging from stationary to candles and funky bric-​à-​brac. Shopkeeper is friendly and cheerful and price points are reasonable.

My favorite home & stationery store in Oakland! Everything is soooooooo cute! This place is my to go to when I need to buy a cute gift or I want to buy something unique for my home. Also, this is the only store that I know carries the «I HELLA LOVE OAKLAND» t-​shirt. Honestly, this store is the best in town– but not only because of their exquisite taste in inventory but for their excellent customer service! The staff is sooooo sweet and helpful! Nathan and Tom, the owners are beautiful in the inside as well as the outside! Oh wait! And they’re dog friendly! You can walk-​in, say hello and they will have treats for your dog! My dog loves going to Nathan & Co. I loooooove this place!

Came across this gem when the BFF and I were walking around Piedmont area… en route to Smitten :)
Saw the typography stuff they had outside… was hooked!
Really cute and affordable items… very creative and so creative that I ended up getting a gift for a friend… paddle to go shot glass.
Well worth checking out… for all those unique gifts that you want to stand out for :)

If you need a hostess gift, this is the place. The staff are friendly and helpful. And the owner clearly has worked hard to find beautiful housewares, jewelry, scarves and the merchandising is exceptional, which allows you to explore the merchandise. I find that many gift stores are overcrowded with merch and confusing to navigate. Late hours around the holidays are much appreciated!

Really, anyone can get me anything here for my birthday or Christmas and I would be totally happy! This store has such great things for entertaining, home décor, children, and people of all ages. They have such one of a kind things from bags, to cards, to pillows that you will find something here that would make a great gift for a special someone.
I’ve been inside here a few times and have purchased cards, cookbooks and entertaining pieces. Today I went in there even though I really didn’t need anything and ended up buying wine paraphernalia and birthday candles for the party I’m going to be throwing for the hubby in a few weeks. These candles spell «Forever Young,» so they’re perfect for the hubby who’s not very happy with entering a new decade in life. Haha

I literally live for these kinds of stores that carry unique, personal, well-​made oddities that you will either treasure for yourself or give to a loved one.
You will find:
— Candles
— Cards
— Stationary
— Décor
— Some clothing
— Art
— Books
— Journals
— Trinkets and odds-​n-​ends
— Jewelry
— Cookware
— Cook Books
— Children’s Toys
— Games
— Soaps
— Buddha
— Garden Décor
And a super kind, happy staff. Just walking through the shop makes you happy. There is much to see, much to smell, and plenty of little gifts to buy for that somebody in your life who is quirky, fun, and loving of one-​of-​a-​kind gifts.

cute. great procurement of beautiful and thoughtful products. great place to browse and discover that little something for that someone special

I love this store but what sets it apart for me was the GORGEOUS holiday wrap they are doing right now! By far the most beautiful and creative I’ve ever seen for any store here in the Bay Area. With alot of detail and care, gorgeous colors and even a gift card for each! I hope they’ll always keep doing this. I’ll keep coming back just because of this!

Such a cute store. They had a bit of everything. A lot of the items made me giggle. Love the Oakland and Bay Area flavor they display.
Great place to find gifts that you can’t find in a traditional store.

In both Rockridge and Lafayette, there’s a lot of competition from botique stores, and even on the same side of the street to N&C I think there’s at least 3 more nearly identical ones.
They all sell oddities, and things you probably wouldn’t ever consider buying for anyone. The difference in N&C I think is that their stuff is just a little bit better. There’s weird stuff for sure, and you should defintely go in and look, but do they carry stuff which I-​might-​just-​buy-​one-​day, and not very much of the I’d-never-get-that-for-my-worst-enemy-because-it’s-so-odd.
Go take a look. No beer, but pop into Ben & Nick’s close by.

so I am so obsessed with this adorable store!!! they are always super friendly and let me just wander around the store and smell every candle in the store. Also it’s the perfect place for an amazing quirky gift for someone. today was the first time i actually purchased something, it was a little pricey but i was taken away by the scent of this candle, i needed it. Then they have free gift wrapping which was ideal since it was a gift haha. I want to go back and buy everything!

Great location if you don’t have a car/​bike, located in Rockridge part of Oakland (nice area) and easily accessible by BART/​bus. I never noticed this store before until their window display caught my eye. There was a peacock display (see picture.) My friends and I chuckled b/​c where I currently live, we have wild peacocks roaming around the streets. That display prompted us to at least check out the inside.
Upon entry, there’s a lot of cool trinkets and such. Some items are a bit pricey, but there were also reasonably priced gifts. In fact, I made a purchase. I bought a small make-​up bag made of tape measures for $ 11. They also have free gift wrapping.
Next time I’m in this area, I’ll stop by and support this local small business. There’s also another location located in the Piedmont area of Oakland (also nice area.) Side note: Sometimes I feel that Oakland gets a bad rep, but there are actually a lot of hidden gems!

BEAUTIFUL STUFF!
I go there to get inspiration for decoraton and I rarely buy becasue they are expensive:)

Located near Rockridge BART station, I often will stop by this place just for fun or when I’m on the hunt for a gift. At Nathan & Co., you’ll find random kitchen nicknacks, candles, soaps, glassware, wine accessories, greeting cards (adorable, really nice ones), little kids’ stuff & toys, jewelry, stationery, and many more… Definitely a place to find something nice for yourself or your loved one. Also, free gift wrapping — just ask them. They do a great job wrapping up your gift!

Never come here when you are in a hurry. Came here to pick up a birthday gift. Took me ten minutes to shop and now I’ve just been waiting for the past 25 mins at the counter to pay and it be gift-​wrapped. No line. Had to go out to plug the meter while waiting. Friendly but Incompetent staff.

Oh, you know, this is that kind of stylish modern store that carries candles, soap, cookbooks, glassware, serving utensils, olives, wine accessories, greeting cards, scarves, trivets, coffee mugs, clocks, stuffed animals, and pillows.

Every time I am in the Rockridge area, I can’t help but go into the College Ave Nathan & Co store (mind you, this is quite often as it is on my way home from work!). This is hands down the best store for buying gifts of any kind, and not trinkety tschotke gifts, but actual decently priced items that my friends and family love. I also have a weakness for their childrens toys, and my son reaps the benefits. It is obvious that each item in the store is thoughtfully picked out, and is always great quality. I have never once felt that something I purchased was unsatisfactory.
A major plus to going to this store is the customer service. Whether it’s Nathan himself working in the store, or one of the other wonderful employees, I always have a good time and leave with a smile. They do not treat me like a customer, or a stranger, but a friend. I seem to laugh with them every time I’m in the store. They are incredibly friendly and honest about their products. It’s everything I’d want in my employees if I was the owner of a retail store.
The location is great, convenient for people who commute by BART or vehicle. It’s across from Market Hall, which I cannot complain about either. You can’t miss it. The store name is clear as day, and the front window will surely be designed in the best way possible.
Items I have purchased there that I LOVE:
Childrens Items: Maileg mice and pixies, children’s books, uncle goose wooden blocks, hot hair ballon models (turned into baby mobile), plush toys, musical umbrella, vintage design wrapping paper (now framed in baby’s room), baby shoes, rattle.
Household Items: many tea towels and dish towels, bottle opener, wine opener, cookbooks, mugs, holiday stockings, candles, soap, measuring cups, wooden iPhone alarm clock base, light up willow branches, decorative scissors.
Gifts: scarves, watches, earrings, cookbooks, tea towels, childrens plush dolls, ornaments.
Items I have purchased that have gotten negative reviews: NOTHING!
I also follow them on Facebook and they are great about posting new items (inciting me to stop by) and also providing you with information on the items. They are quick to respond to questions as well!
Around fathers day, my husband and I were in the store and they let us draw tokens out of a bag, offering deals. We got 25% off that day! And just today I bought some stocking stuffers and I was given a token for 10% off my next purchase! Such a great way to make customers feel appreciated.
I love supporting a small business and I love even more when they make you want to come back.

This place appeals to my oh-that’s-cute-but-I-don’t-need-it side but conflicts with my cheap, practical side. If you’re coming to buy a gift, it’s a great place with a unique selection of kitchen gadgets, darling kids’ items, home décor and other things you don’t quite need but would like to receive. On the other hand, if you are looking for a particular wine decanter or wooden bowl, I would suggest going to other places unless you’re ok with paying a premium price. I purchased a birthday card ($ 3) and a book ($ 30) as gifts.
But don’t get me wrong– it’s a great place to browse if you’re in the area.

Holy Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer! Buyer be advised…
I love browsing in this store, and I usually walk out with some cute knick-​knack that may or not have a use that I may or may not need. It’s a nice place to spend a bit of time, buy a gift or a unique card, etc. The employees are very, very nice.
I can’t write an honest review without mentioning the fact that although I found a soy candle for under $ 20 the other day ($ 17 to be exact), which though still overpriced, isn’t easy to do these days, some of Nathan & Co.‘s items are EXTREMELY overpriced. Specifically, the Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer. We purchased ours at Kamei Restaurant Supply in SF for under $ 15. Nathan & Co. sells the exact same one, priced at… can you believe it… $ 58! That’s nearly 400% of another retailer’s price!
This sort of mark up gets under my skin. Selling a useful plastic kitchen gadget in Oakland’s yuppie, indie-​Stepford Rockridge neighborhood (which I love, BTW!) doesn’t magically make the item a rare, hip and expensive essential. Uggg. I like to feel respected by my local merchants, not taken for a fool… this feels dishonest. Especially in this economy. Not okay.
In short, Nathan & Co. a great place to kill 10 – 15 minutes and pick up cute stuff you don’t need when you can afford to pay unreasonable prices for stuff you don’t need.

Ping is a little off base with his review. The selection in Nathan and Co is varied and can fit the need of anyone. I have liked this store since I moved to the area (a year and a half ago) and I am glad to see a new location open!
The customer service was brilliant! Friendly, helpful and wrapped my gift for free! I found a gift for every member of my family and I am very pleased.
May this store live long and prosper.