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Categories: Cards & Stationery, Jewelry
Neighborhood: Davis SquareDavis (Red)
Mon-Wed. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
"The most under-rated jewelry store yet. Don't be deceived, just because they're located in Newton Center doesn't mean they are over-priced…" read more »
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Magpie is a cute little crafty store that, as I understand it, sells things made by local crafters/artisans. It's almost like a walk-in etsy.
They have a rather eclectic variety of things of various appeal to an assortment of people. I'm partial to the knitted squid I saw in there recently.
The thing i like about the place is that they don't carry junk. Everything they have seems to be of good quality and made by someone with some level of mastery in their given art. A church bazaar this ain't.
I am hooked! This place is so cute and just became a staple in my shopping repertoire.
This place has awesome shirts, bags, unique trinkets, and tons of cool little gadgets for your house/office. I had no idea what I was going to find when I walked into this place, but I am so glad I did!
The sales staff was super friendly and polite. The atmosphere and vibe of the place is great too. It has the trendy off the wall appeal of Urban Outfitters but on a much smaller scale and a lot less pretentious.
The only downside was finding the perfect shirt and them not having size I needed.
I'm a total sucker for market-type places, or places that support local artists in general. I move away from Davis Square and all these cool new places open, Magpie being one of them. Took me forever and a half to get there, but I finally made it!
Love Magpie, absolutely love it. yeah, some of the stuff is a bit hokey for me and a bit too crafty, but it also feels like a treasure chest at the same time.
I ended up only buying a card and a couple of cheap-o $4 rings that wouldn't stop calling my name. Sure, I could've made everything I bought, but there's a reason why I'm not an artist trying to sell my shit. And that reason is because a) I don't have the time to, and b) really? not my gig, I'd rather pay other people to be creative.
I nearly bought a very expensive bracelet, but in the end I was a good girl and put it back. Because while my jewelry box explodes anytime anyone goes near it, I'm just not a bracelet kind of gal.
Magpie, we will meet again.
It's important to support local artists and Magpie (whose owner created the oh-so-awesome craftster.og) helps you do it. Since the inventory changes, you should check in often. You will find something you didn't even know you wanted! A wonderful spot to pick up some unique gifts.
I travel to Davis Square for the sole purpose of browsing this store.
My limited edition Queen Bee vinyl tote came from here. The bulk of gifts I give to others comes from here: cool buttons, jewelry, creatively packaged herb seeds, screenprinted tees, Taza chocolate -- I prefer the 60% bar, nifty cards, cute cases, etc. Another thing I really, really like about Magpie is that they carry locally-produced crafts, many of which are unique to particular tastes.
Magpie: it's my Davis Square fave.
Magpie is an interesting place. Although similar to its competition across the street at D-Squared, their approach in my opinion is distinctly different. Magpie pushes the handmade angle while D-Squared sells unique items that aren't necessarily handmade. While shopping at Magpie I noticed there were a lot of really cute items and I was especially drawn to the handmade bags and wallets. While slightly out of my price range, if I felt like splurging on myself I would definitely grab one of these bags, because you know you will be the only person in the WORLD that has one. The T-shirts displayed were also really cool, however I refuse to pay $24 for ANY kind of t-shirt, handmade or not (unless I absolutely could NOT live without it).
Magpie is kind of like D-Squared in that I wouldn't find myself coming here to necessarily shop (unless it's just to browse really), but instead to find a unique and original gift for someone. I didn't look too closely at all the prices, but they are definitely on the expensive side which I respect since they are probably painstakingly (most of the time) made by hand, and supporting the locals is pretty awesome in my book.
My only real complain is that the size can be claustrophobic, especially if there are more than 5 people in the store. I didn't encounter any nasty employees, in fact, while pondering out loud how much a T-Shirt I was looking at was, the girl on the other side of the rack who I didn't realize worked there politely told me how much it was. So while I wouldn't come out of my way to come to Magpie, if I find myself in the area, I would definitely pop in.
After a few more times at Magpie, I have to say that this place is way overpriced. It seems to have gotten worse than last year.
I hate to say it cause they have some funky and cute stuff. I understand it is all hand crafted, but I don't really spend serious $$$ on stuff I don't need. Especially if it looks like I could make it myself.
It has come to Magpie not even being my go-to for a unique gift, cause frankly I don't want to spend that much on a gift where I feel that I could get something better quality at the same price. Sorry Magpie!
So last weekend I was walking around Davis with the BF wasting time before a movie. I look down the… Read more »
Magpie is my favorite place to go for unique, inexpensive jewelry, stationary, bags, magnets, screened Ts and other cool stuff made locally. It's great for finding unique gifts, the staff are friendly, and it's totally affordable! Right by the Davis T, too.
Felting, stenciling, knitting... yeah, I done it. I was into it all. But after a few months of intensive shock therapy, I no longer have the uncontrollable impulse to hot glue crap to everything I own. Before I sought help, I thought if I only crafted for "good" (e.g., church functions, kids parties, gifts), the voice in my head would stop. But the voice only grew louder. It wanted me to do ungodly things with bottle caps.
Well, as a crafter, I fully appreciate the time and artistry that is involved in making a handmade item. For me, a busy gal on the go, giving a handmade gift is really about giving of myself. It's about saying, "Hey, you're totally awesome and worth my valuable time." This isn't something I can buy at Magpie. So, for me, Magpie is mostly a source of inspiration.
I have purchased the odd item here and there, but maybe I'm too exacting--the quality of their products just doesn't seem to be in line with their asking price. Some of the silk-screened shirts look sloppy. Some of the paint jobs on their notions and such appear rushed. Handmade items are not perfect, but even at the relatively small scale with which their items are produced, the quality of the finished product really seems to suffer.
We went in here looking for giant squid themed crafty arty stuff. No such luck. But I did get an octopus hand-carved, glass magnet. And it was pretty fun to look around.
We need more giant squid crafting in this world, and they should encourage this.
When I need a gift, I come here. Only problem is that I usually walk out having bought several "gifts" for myself as well! I especially love their jewelry selection.
I think the prices are usually very reasonable, though there's a couple times I'm left scratching my head. Also, if you join their email list, you'll be sent coupons for 20% a couple times a year.
I love the staff! They're great about knowing the different artists and helping you find the perfect gift. Plus I really appreciate that when I've tried on clothes and been kinda iffy about them, they've been totally honest if I shouldn't buy them. I think this fits with their overall vibe of not taking themselves too seriously and being open to every type of consumer -- even if you yourself don't look artsy/indie/etc.
Only downside are the dressing rooms. I wish that there were mirrors inside of each room -- I always hate having to come out to check out if what I have on looks potentially terrible.
Bf and I happened upon Magpie during a 20% off everything sale for the Honkfest. (He actually saw it first and suggested going in because it seemed like my kind of store -- what a guy!) I really love animals and this store is like hipster animal crafts heaven -- birdie rings, deer trivets, elk wallets, you get the idea.
I actually didn't find it too overpriced, especially with the sale. I got the awesomest Queen Bee bag, black and green vinyl with a seatbelt strap and birds stitched on the front. I'm not much of a bag girl but I love this bag so much, and I got it for $20 less than the online price. Yay!
Bf got a fun journal bound with covers from a 1950s casserole cookbook. People ate really horrifically back then.
Magpie is a neat store with scads of cute stuff . That said there wasn't one item I looked at that I would consider paying the tagged price for.
I heard about Magpie because the creator of http://Craftster.org [one of my favorite websites] is one of the co-owners of the store, so naturally, I expected the store to be filled with lots of cute, homemade items. Back when it was at its old location, it took me forever to find the store, but when I finally did, I was quite pleased to find that the store met my expectations! The store was small, but filled with lots of homemade jewelry, accessories, home goods, etc. The store's new location [right in the center of Davis Square] is a delight to those who lack any directional sense.
As a craftster myself, I really treasure this store as a source of inspiration and a means for me to support other craftsters. They have some great gift items here - I usually get earrings or pins for my friends. I have a really cute pair of tiny bible earrings here, which were amongst a bowl of other kitschy plastic charm earrings. Because these items are handmade and probably on consignment, the prices are understandably pricier than mass-produced stuff you could find at Claire's or Girlprops.
Magpie is always a delight to check out whenever I'm in the area. The last time I stopped by the store, I spotted a series of plastic acrylic pendants that were stylized to look like pixelated images of Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and Space Invaders. They were cheaper than similar necklaces designed by other jewelry designers who work with acrylic plastic, such as Alex + Chloe. Definitely one of the coolest things that I've seen lately.
Magpie is like the indie craftster's version of that Chappelle Show skit where the internet was a real place that you could go to. It's like the cream of the crop of the Bizarre Bazaar/Punk Rock Flea Market, everyday.
Magpie is that mixtape you had in your car when you were a teenager that your friend made that you listened to all the time, except its made out of crafts and you have to pay to take it home. Magpie made that mix for you to enjoy. And it's only got one sucky song on it. But the rest of them are awesome.
Magpie is the personification of all the neat ideas you always thought you could create, but never had the elbow grease to finish. They are the magnet that brings that elbow grease together, from many corners of the world.
Magpie is awesome, run by awesome people, filled with awesome stuff that awesome people made, that will make you awesome in the eyes of awesome people.
I don't think I should be allowed to go in here because it makes me want to buy everything. It's a crafty, crafty place with all sorts of goodies. They have awesome funky one of a kind jewelry pieces, lots of t-shirts, and funky home decorative accessories. If nothing else, it can give you some good craft project ideas. The price point is really decent, and I managed to not buy the cute silver octopus necklace somehow. So adorable.
The service is nice and not overly pushy. Support the crafty folks and buy awesome things here!
Y'know, I had heard SO many whispers on the wind about this place that my curiosity became too much to handle. "Magpie, Magpie, Magpie!" People were always going on about this place, what was the deal? So I finally checked out the site, and something seemed all-too-familiar. Wait a second.. it's in Davis? I actually do know this place!
I happened upon this little store during earlier days, when as someone who was a Tufts student I felt the need to explore the Davis area more thoroughly. Somewhere between the time before Poor Little Rich Girl opened up to it's new, spacious and prettified location, and after Pixi (a really cool clothing store I loved upon discovery) closed down, I found myself wandering into this curious little shop.
Everyone's descriptions pretty much sum it up - full of really interesting, fun and unique pieces, a fantastic place to buy gifts, and any random-yet-fun craft you could think of.
Due to the nature of stuff that can be found here, I avoid such shops as regular-pitstops but instead keep them in mind for special occasions and browsing-days. Why? Because otherwise, I'll buy all those cool-but-unneccessary things that so fascinate me, and I'll end up with even less space in my little apartment. When I shop, I tend to evaluate if something is a "Need" or a "Want." If it's the latter, I have to decide if it's a real "I can't live without it" sort of lust, or just the "oh but it's just so cool and unique!" kind of want. This place is like a black hole for the "want.. just 'cause!" type of thing, which can be dangerous. So I limit my visits strictly to days of aimless browsing, or when I actually *am* in need of a gift or knick-knack.
I love the fact that they support so many local artists here, and that the merchandise really shows peoples' creative sides running wild. Definitely worth a visit at least to check it out.
Magpie is an inspiration. Really.
I'm a crafty girl and I like to do wierd art projects (while drinking wine alone in my room... don't judge me), but like any other artist, I sometimes get a little lazy, a little uninspired, a little bit of jeweler's/ knitter's/ bike decorator's/ seamstress' block, if you will.
Magpie can cure that!
After my first visit to Magpie a couple months ago, I saw so many truly unique, creative items made by people JUST LIKE ME that I went home, took out my 5 boxes of art supplies, and got to work. Miracles happened that day. I'm wearing one of them right now!
Buy gift items (does your boyfriend need a weird t-shirt with a robot on it? does your best friend need a bike chain bottle opener? does your mother need a fuzzy tote bag?). Buy yourself presents (do I really need this resin pendant with a sexy lady emblazened in it?). The answer is always "yes."
When it's not Bizarre Bazaar day, show local artists some love here year round!
Side note: visit http://www.etsy.com to buy more stuff you NEED from crafty people, both local and national.
What a fabulous little store! I was tempted to buy much, much more, but I limited myself to two smaller items: a sticker that says "Reading is Sexy", and a locally made Taza chocolate bar. However, I could have easily dropped a lot of money on great gift items and some cool stuff for myself.
A friend of mine brought me here since I'd never heard of it and she thought I'd love it. We are both crafty and our gripe with Magpie is the same:
We looooove the cute stuff, quirky and whimsical designs and unique gifts, but we feel we could make these things too, so why pay so much for it at this store??
The space is small, but packed with merchandise. We were there for a long time and didn't get to inspect everything. Their collection of cards was really cute. Unique items that you wouldn't have the patience to do yourself. We did buy some of those.
They had a collection of wallets that were really cute but WAY out of my price range (which, granted, is quite limited).
I loved the baby clothing - nothing too cutesy or stereotypically boy/girl.
Again, a great place to get ideas for your own crafts. If I had more money, I'd love to spend it here on frivoulous trinkets to make my soul feel like an excited anime character.
I don't know what happened. This place has gone down hill in service and up hill in price. I was SO disappointed....The store that once had so much charm and mystique is now just another store with silly things and over priced items. BOO to YOU
P.S The guy behind the counter need and attitude adjustment. Peace out Magpie Hello D2!
I dare anyone to one star Magpie. Dont do it. You have no ground to stand.
The absolute coolest, most…
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Magpie is where I go if I'm not really sure what to buy someone.
Reasons are as follows (I know you love it when I itemize):
1.) you are supporting local artists with your money and therefore making the word a better place to live
2.) they have an assortment of merchandise ranging from typewriter key necklaces and recycled sweater stuffed animals to wall hangings and vinyl wallets
3.) if you can't figure out anything else to buy for someone, get them a t-shirt with a picture of a lobster playing with a ball of yarn
problem solved
I lurv love luv Magpie. I'm not crafty in any way, so I'm all about supporting other people more talented than myself.
I really love their shirts and hoodies, although I wish there was a larger selection! I did find a Derby Dames hoodie here, but it was a small. :( The last great shirt a friend of mine bought was one of those week pill boxes with the S(aturday), M(onday), and S(unday) lids lifted up and WTF (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) down. I don't know if that makes sense just reading that, but it was a clever idea to me. I usually pick up earrings (IE my keyboard keys that say escape and page down) or pins. I love the record artwork/trays/clocks even though it hurts a little bit to see them mutilated. I think the staff is great. The girl that I usually see is always really nice and very, "Whoa, I love this too!" but not in a fake way.
I heart magpie. Cool. Kitchy. Crafty. The owner, Leah, also runs http://craftster.org- the place on the interweb to be a cool, indie, chick into crafting.
I can always find something for my mom, mom-in-law, or girlfriends in this place. Tons of cute jewelry, bags, journals, and other handmade gifty-type things.
Easily one of my top 5 favorite stores of all time.
This place is perfect for unique and wonderful gifts of any kind or for just buying yourself a little something amazing! Not only is this place wonderful for giving crafters a place to showcase their wares, it's an active business in the Davis Square community!
I urge everyone to take a peek, oogle some incredible finds, and support crafters who make all these wonderful things themselves!
Yay for Magpie!
Quite honestly, I can't see myself buying much from here, if anything. Sure, it's the much adored vintage-inspired necklaces and obviously-recycled thrifted items, but it's not as welcoming of a place as you might hope. I think it gives off weird over-priced-tendy-junk vibes. It might just be the area of Somerville.
Though everything is super cute and takes a little piece of my heart with it, I'm pretty sure I could make most of it myself for way cheaper. But, that's just the craftster in me talking.
I'm giving it 5, just because I want to support this sort of movement.
CUTE!! with exclamation points and then some, but I think I prefer the online version of stores like this such as http://cutxpaste.com or fredflare where the range of inventory is wider since there are more participating... what's the word... crafty people selling their things.
But still, I welcome being able to view the actual trinket in my hand rather than as a 300x300 or so graphic.
Love the concept, not impressed with the goods.
I am in here quite a bit, and it's just sort of a bummer that the inventory doesn't seem to rotate much.
I like to spend money, and it's consistently hard for me to find items that I feel are worth the really overblown prices.
Not gonna lie, I thought there would be more going on here to speak of. I walked in with an auto-5 star review spinning around in my head after all the exciting things at the Bizaar Bazarre, but something just didn't click with me with the store.
It wasn't the price...because as someone who dabbles in art...people don't realize how expensive materials are, let alone time and energy expenditure spent on things that it is difficult to appraise. However, I was hardly impressed with record bowls which I can/have made in my oven with a can of creamed corn during a commercial break and what appeared to be thoughless mass produced kitch shirts. Well-and their accompanying price tags in those particular situations.
The size of the store was actually on the smaller side for me as well, I was under the impression there would be a lot more to speak of. In terms of the items, it felt as though there were just a lot of things that I "want"ed, but nothing that compelled me to purchase.. or that left me with an inescapable longing which happens sometimes. Many items drifted into the "cute" category, but honestly, the last thing my room needs is additional clutter like a tiny yarn smiley face cinnamon bun. But just because *i* don't want it, doesn't mean this place was chock full of gift ideas for other people.
On the subject of ideas, I have to agree with the masses that this store served more as a way for me to get ideas of things I could produce with my own two hands, or to see what other people in the region are dabbling in. And as others have said, kind of like an etsy storefront, but without the bang/edge/or stretching boundaries that I personally look for when spending what little disposable income I have.
I applaud Magpie for it's unique venue that supports local artists and screenprinters. The products are unique, bold, quirky and visually stimulating. Some of the t-shirts are comic relief and parody familiar places and things; Boston Police shirt with the same arrangement as Dunkin Donuts, to a love for cats and bicycles.
The proprietor should put out a complimentary cheese platter for the customers that choose to whine about the price. She's the sassy bitch with a rockabilly dress rocking out to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
(minus a star for the size ratio- the sizing caters to the boobless and the petite)
I love Magpie. I very rarely give a full five stars and magpie gets it. I love that it's full of crafty things from local artists as well as gifty things that I've never seen anywhere else. As an crafter and artist, it's great to see a brick-and-mortar store supporting the crafty community.
I also am always asking the cashier what music is on. I've heard so much music in there that I've gone home and looked up later.
It's right in Davis Square, too right off the T. It's worth seeing and convenient.
Magpie is a screaming, toe-curling craft-gasm.
Pure and simple. its the good stuff. Sure, its pricey, but the good stuff always is.
When I need a birthday gift I usually come here. Well for that matter when I want some nice / funky jewelry for myself I come here too. I have some great necklaces and earrings I've gotten here.
What I love about the place is that it's local - made by local artists. I feel like I'm getting something one of a kind (especially the jewelry). It's nice not to see the necklace or earrings you are wearing on 200 other people as you walk around.
It's a bit small and cramped and there's a lot to see in here - it's packed with stuff, but that's cool with me.
Agreed with others here who say that though this place has nice stuff made by local folks, the inventory doesn't seem to change often and the prices are a little high.
The upside of this is that when thinking of a gift for somebody I can simply recall what Magpie had in stock last time I was there and be somewhat assured that it will still be there. Kind of handy until you start repeating yourself in your gift-giving and everybody rolls their eyes when you gift the same set of circuit board coasters for the 4th time. Keep records and you'll be fine.
Magpie is THE store for one-of-a-kind gifts, doo-dads and everything else you never thought you would need. Prices range from the super affordable (I picked up a pair of earrings for $6!) to moderately expensive. But most items are priced on the lower side as compared to similar stores in the area. The location is a bit out of Davis Square but easy to find, tucked down Highland Ave in a small row of stores.
EDITED TO ADD (3/3/07): Magpie moved to a larger space on Highland and is now closer the the square and you can shop withouth knocking things from the shelves! Check it out!
Magpie gives me inspiration to create my own crafty, artsy knick-knacks.
It's a fun place to go if there is a friend's birthday coming up, or you just want to window shop. I love the cards. I love the journals.
And, if you're lucky (I was!), you can find fun clothes. I bought this brown dress (or really long shirt) with birds and a tree...and the tree is made out of birds. Hard to describe, really -- but it's sweet. I wore it for at least 3 days in a row. However, every time I've gone back to Magpie to look for a similar treat, I come back empty handed.
Wicked cute stuff here.
Artsy, funky, stylish crafty type stuff and clothing (yes, I mean "crafty clothing"). The prices are typical for what they are selling and while I think it's worth it to pay that much for a few things from the store, it also means I can only afford a few things.
Jewelry, cute t-shirts, knitting supplies, glassware with robots painted on the front. It's good stuff.
..I want to go buy earrings...
Magpie is a cute little shop filled with things that you have absolutely no need for, like little art sculptures made from bike chain/various parts, duct tape wallets, stamps, little pins, yarn, screen printed American Apparel stuff, note cards, blank notebook papers, screen printed shot glasses, etc.
For this, I'm glad it exists, but at the same time, I feel like the whole place is kind of like, a grown up school fundraiser fair. Like you expect to see some pipe cleaner flowers over there, or maybe some poorly executed vases filled with M&M's.
Buying these as gifts would kind of make me uneasy because while the products have a lot of charm and very heartfelt, at the same time you kind of look at it like "Oh, you couldn't make your own duct tape wallet to give to me, so you bought someone else's?" A bit lazy if you ask me.
Still, despite these criticisms, it's a great venu and maybe you'll end up walking out with some crazy pot holders.
Maybe I should open up a store like this. I can glue stuff together and then charge $30 for it, and people will buy it because they think it's crafty and artsy. I'll make a killing!
This is EXACTLY the store that the Boston area needs. For a while I had been trying to find a store that carried the indie craft items featured in such magazines as Bust or Venus and Magpie fits those needs.
It's a tiny store, but it is JAM PACKED with clothes, bags, necklaces, greeting cards, home decor, ipod cases and homemade journals from old childrens books. The place is inspiring.
The prices are decent compared to what you'd pay through mail order from other companies. Each item is so unique and different that you'll feel special sporting your Magpie purchases.
Neighborhood: Porter Square
Category: Cards & Stationery
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Category: Cards & Stationery
Neighborhood: Davis Square
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Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
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Category: Cards & Stationery
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