Where This Entertaining Guru Finds Kid Gifts in Calabasas

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Los Angeles has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around LA that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.

Image via Cubpack721

Beth Le Manach is the VP of Programming for Kin Community; a YouTube Channel dedicated to high-quality lifestyle videos across food, style and parenting. You can also catch Beth appearing on Kin as a host, demonstrating her quick and easy recipes. Or on her spinoff channel "Entertaining with Beth" for easy-to-follow tips on hosting with styles. Little known fact: she claims to have the best spot for picking out awesome gifts for children's birthday parties, and after she pointed us to this obscure and off-the-path destination, we'd have to agree.

One of my favorite places to visit in my neighborhood is the Leonis Adobe. It's a restored ranch house from the 1800s that's dedicated to preserving ranch life of the Old West. It's tucked away in Old Town Calabasas and most people with kids know it for the animals they have on the property because it's a great place to take the kids to visit with cows, goats, turkeys and ponies. But what most people miss, because they don't take the time to actually go in the house, is the darling gift shop. It's only open a couple of days a week, with a few hours on Saturday, but if you are lucky enough to catch it open, inside you'll find a wonderful assortment of children's toys. Unusual pieces that are well-made, sometimes by local craftsmen, educational, and just plain clever. If you have kids under 6, then your weekends are usually packed with birthday parties and instead of buying the same old plastic toys that most parents come to expect, I like to take the time to drive out to the adobe and find something special. The kids love it, the parents appreciate it, and best of all I like knowing that my purchase helps support an organization that relies on donations to keep it running. The Leonis Adobe Gift Shop is definitely a secret gem in my book.

· Leonid Adobe Gift Shop [Official Site]
· Kin Community [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked LA]

Leonis Adobe Museum

23537 Calabasas Rd Calabasas, CA 91302