Time Travel Mart

“Have you been to the Time Travel Mart?” a friend asked me, mid-conversation about being especially interested in finding and exploring Los Angele’s hidden gems. “No, tell me more!” was my response at the time, and after researching online and on social media, I became increasingly interested in visiting and writing about this unique and satirical gift shop. Our city is full of the most interesting places to explore, and my L.A. bucketlist seems to be growing by the week (if you have any other hidden gems you’d recommend to me, please comment below!). I added this store to my list to explore the next time I was in the Northeast L.A. neighborhood of Echo Park, so after a few girlfriends and I enjoyed brunch at Ostrich Farm this past weekend (which I would highly recommend, by the way), we walked just across the street to pay this spot a visit.

“Whenever you are, we’re already then” is the slogan for the Time Travel Mart. According to their website, “We are the convenience store for time travelers! No matter the era, we have just the thing to help you through your travels.” The Time Travel Mart in Echo Park is small but mighty – it’s about the size of a mid-sized living room but is packed to the gills with all sorts of bright colored posters, gag gifts, and novelty items galore. My friends and I were impressed at the wit and humor in some of the knick-knacks for sale, and my favorite items were some of the colorful, quirky T-shirts. These included a shirt for adults that stated, “former child,” a shirt for kids that stated, “future adult”, and a shirt with a big green dinosaur that stated, “All my friends are dead.” Ha!

This ain’t your average trendy or modern LA gift store, that’s for sure! This store draws you in and lets you use your imagination to explore (and laugh at) life in a different time – from either long ago in the past or far away to the future. You’ll find plenty of satirical gifts here like barbarian repellent, evil robot memory eraser, Viking deodorant, dinosaur eggs, mammoth chunks, and so much more. Other items for sale include coffee mugs, books, records, cards, posters, and all sorts of other random knick-knacks from different time periods, making for great gag/random gifts for your quirky friends or family members. What surprised me the most, and what I think is very important to mention, is that all proceeds from the Time Travel Mart help support the free programs at 826LA (think tutoring, creative writing workshops for kids, and more). 

Whether you want a blast from the past or a look into the world's future – visit Echo Park’s unique Time Travel Mart at 1714 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026. This mart is open daily from 12:00pm-6:00pm. Call (213) 413-3388 with any additional questions to visit their website by clicking here. 

Happy traveling through time, my friends!