Eight Stores Where You Can Buy Cool Souvenirs of Your Phoenix Vacation

Let's be real: One of the best parts of any vacation is finding goodies to bring back for yourself and others. Arizona souvenirs are some of the coolest around — you can head back to your home state with cute little cactuses, the spiciest of hot sauces, and colorful goods from south of the border (Arizona used to be Mexico, after all), just to name a few.

Here are some of our favorite places to buy Arizona-themed gifts for you and everyone you know.

AJ's Fine Foods

Multiple Valley locations

Yes, this is a supermarket. AJ's Fine Foods is a locally owned chain of high-end grocery stores that carries an excellent selection of Arizona-made food products. Head to one of the 10 Valley locations for products like pickled Sonoran spicy beans from Queen Creek Olive Mill, prickly pear kettle corn from the veteran-owned brand Kettle Heroes, hot sauces from Cutino Sauce Co., a vast array of Arizona-made salsas, and more.

Arizona Highways Gift Shop

Multiple Valley Locations

Arizona Highways has been the ultimate guide to the natural beauty of our state for almost 100 years. But what many people don't know is that they have their own gift shop. It's stocked with Arizona Highways calendars, photo prints by some of their featured photographers, plus Arizona- and Southwest-themed books, home decor, jewelry and other items. The gift shop at the magazine's west Valley office is temporarily closed, but you can find outposts at Terminal 4 in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport.

Bunky Boutique

1001 North Central Avenue, #125
602-252-1323

Bunky Boutique has long been one of the coolest stores in town, and it's got a large assortment of desert- and Arizona-themed merch at its Roosevelt Row storefront. Selections include a wooden Arizona-shaped Christmas ornament burned with the images of a Joshua tree; hand-poured soaps that look like succulents, made by a Phoenix artisan; a tic-tac-toe game with Arizona- and cactus-shaped pieces; a gold-toned "phx" necklace, and more.

Desert Botanical Garden

1201 North Galvin Parkway
480-941-1225

Our excellent local garden is a must-see just for its extensive collection of desert plants, but the Desert Botanical Garden also has a top-notch gift shop. You'll find beautiful desert plants, exquisite jewelry, local food items, books about Arizona, nice-smelling soaps, eclectic clothing, and cute stuffed cactuses for kids (and kids at heart). Whether or not you pay the admission fee to explore the garden itself, the gift shop is a destination in and of itself.

Frances

10 West Camelback Road
602-279-5467

For more than 15 years, Frances has been one of the coolest and most-loved little shops in Phoenix. Among the chic clothing and clever home accessories is a good selection of Arizona-themed merch for men, women, and children. You can bring home a crocheted cactus baby rattle for your new nephew, or a kitschy cow skull air freshener for your co-worker. Frances sells desert-themed shirts and hats from favorite local brands like Keep Nature Wild and High Jinks, sterling silver necklaces stamped with a cactus design, and prickly pear cocktail mixers from Phoenix business Iconic Cocktail Co., just to name a few items you can't go wrong picking up as a reminder of your time in the Valley.

Kactus Jock

7121 East Fifth Avenue, # 6, Scottsdale
480-946-7566

Not all souvenirs have to be cool — sometimes, you're just looking to bring home a shot glass to your Uncle Henry who collects them. Kactus Jock in Old Town Scottsdale has just the thing for pretty much everyone to whom you've promised a gift from Arizona. They've got mini cactus gardens, "But It's a Dry Heat" T-shirts for adults and kids, metal kokopelli figures, stone coasters with western imagery, and way more.

Mexican Arts Imports

340 North 24th Street
602-275-9552

You can't miss the bright yellow building covered in murals on 24th Street near Van Buren Street, and you won't want to miss out on shopping inside. Mexican Arts Imports is a third-generation family-owned business that regularly brings in new goods made by artisans in Mexico. The store is a riot of color, and seemingly goes on forever. The tightly packed aisles are stuffed with hand-tooled leather bags, embroidered clothing, cheerful housewares, small toys, wall art and other home decor, religious icons, and more Day of the Dead and Frida Kahlo merchandise than you can shake a maraca at. It all adds up to one of the more delightful shopping experiences in metro Phoenix.

State Forty Eight

Multiple Valley locations

Founded 10 years ago by a trio of local entrepreneurs, State Forty Eight has grown into one of the most recognizable brand logos in town. The company produces shirts, pants, hats, stickers, bags, and more with its iconic Arizona-shaped logo, an image that is often used in partnership with teams like the Phoenix Suns or the Arizona State University Sun Devils, or to commemorate events (yes, there is a Super Bowl State Forty Eight shirt). Besides the three storefronts, look for State Forty Eight products at cool locations all around the Valley.