$24
Little Italy · San Diego
Gift wrap always free
Hand-picked goods you'll actually brag about.
We're a little shop in Little Italy stacked with things we love — ceramics, candles, linen, jewelry, and gifts from San Diego makers. Come in for one thing, leave with a story.
Fresh this week
New arrivals
A few favorites that just hit the shelves. They move fast — call us at (619) 555-0145 and we'll hold anything for 48 hours.
$24
$32
Sunrise Stoneware Mug
Handmade
$58
Gold Tide Ring
Local maker
$86
Harbor Linen Wrap
One of a kindMore than a shop
What we do in the shop
Driftwood is small on purpose. Everything here gets picked by hand, wrapped by hand, and half the time delivered by bike.
🎁
Free gift wrap, always
Every purchase leaves wrapped in our signature plum paper with a hand-tied ribbon — birthdays, thank-yous, or just because. No minimum, ever.
📦
Gift boxes, built to order
Tell us the person and the budget and we'll build a curated box from the shelves — candle, ceramic, something sweet — ready for pickup same day.
📞
Call-ahead holds
Saw something on our Instagram? Call (619) 555-0145 and we'll pull it off the floor and hold it for 48 hours under your name.
🚲
Downtown bike delivery
Free same-day delivery by bike to Little Italy, the Marina District, and Bankers Hill on orders over $50. Order by 2pm, at your door by 6.
💍
Private shopping hours
Book the shop before we open for anniversaries, engagement surprises, or bridal parties. Coffee from our neighbors at the corner roaster included.
🗓️
Maker pop-ups
First Friday of every month we hand the front table to one San Diego maker — meet them, watch them work, shop the pieces first.
Made nearby
Over 40 San Diego makers on our shelves
More than half of what we stock is made within 20 miles of the shop. When you buy here, your money stays in the neighborhood — with the potter in North Park, the candlemaker in Barrio Logan, the jeweler two blocks up the street.
- Ceramics thrown in North Park and Ocean Beach studios
- Hand-poured candles from Barrio Logan
- Jewelry cast right here in Little Italy
- Letterpress cards printed in South Park
- Every maker gets their name on the shelf tag
Our story
Hi, I'm Lena. I opened Driftwood because I kept giving everyone the same gift.
For years I was the friend who showed up to every birthday with a candle from the mall. In 2019 I quit my buying job, emptied my savings, and signed a lease in Little Italy with one idea: a shop where every single thing is something I'd genuinely want to give — or keep.
Six years later, Driftwood is still just me, my sister Gia on weekends, and a rotating cast of the most talented makers in San Diego. I still pick every piece myself. If it's on the shelf, it's because I held it, loved it, and probably bought one for my own house first.
— Lena Marchetti, owner
Kind words
What the neighborhood says
We'd rather let our regulars do the talking.
★★★★★
"I don't buy gifts anywhere else anymore. I tell Lena the person and the budget, and twenty minutes later I walk out with something wrapped and perfect."
Priya Bankers Hill
★★★★★
"The free gift wrap alone is worth the trip, but the fact that everything is from local makers is what keeps me coming back every month."
Marcus North Park
★★★★★
"Called ahead about a mug I saw on their Instagram, and it was waiting at the counter with my name on it. That's how a shop should feel."
Dana Little ItalyCome say hi
Visit the shop
- Address
- Little Italy
San Diego, CA 92101 - Phone
- (619) 555-0145
- Parking
- Street parking on India & Fir, or the Little Italy garage half a block south. The trolley stops two blocks away.
Shop hours
- MondayClosed
- Tuesday – Friday10am – 6pm
- Saturday10am – 7pm
- Sunday11am – 4pm
Open late until 9pm on First Fridays for the maker pop-up and the Little Italy art walk.
Need a gift by Saturday?
Call us, tell us who it's for, and we'll have a wrapped, ready-to-go gift box waiting at the counter — or on your doorstep by bike.
Call (619) 555-0145