Soap Plant / Wacko

Read/heard about this place on the LA Times "100 great L.A. shops to find thoughtful holiday gifts" and decided to visit because they were highlighted as a great independently-owned place to find unusual, unique gifts. It turned out to be my new favorite place to find a gift. There are loads of fun, unique, hard-to-find items that range from hysterically kitchy or nostalgic to beautifully-made, unique, artist-inspired items. (It's no wonder since the store is also home to a long-running art gallery in the back.) Even more impressive is the selection of eclectic, hard-to-find books with a focus on art, culture and minority/LGBT subjects. Whoever is curating this place is doing a fantastic job! Highly recommended!

This place is perfect when you need a gift for someone impossible to shop for (or for yourself if you enjoy oddball treasures). I’ve picked up things here like outrageous socks, a weird poster, and some wonderfully quirky books. Also, upstairs they have the La Luz de Jesus gallery, which adds an art-show dimension that makes it more than just a “toy/gift shop.

Great place for avant-garde edgy and wacky gifts, books, toys and tchotchkes. Always fun to look around the shop and the gallery is always worth visiting.

Your workers are amazingly friendly and helpful!! This store is very excepting as well which I love! Prices are very accurate to the real websites. Also, if you are looking for sonny angels or smiskis this is the place to go! They are very authentic and have great prices.

This place has it all! It has so many things that it's impossible to see it in one trip. Great gifts & gadgets! Nice staff. Great ambiance!

Found this gift shop when I originally planned to visit La Luz de Jesus Gallery. The art gallery is actually inside the shop. You find some interesting gifts or books in this shop, I got some fun designed bottle openers, nicely tin packed French soap and semi-gemstone bracelets for my friends, even a Shark block book for my 3-year-old nephew. You will definitely find something you like in this shop. Oh, and the staff are super friendly also helpful :)

One of my favorite places to spend idle hours but sadly now the gallery is closed so no new art exhibits and restrictions are pretty tight on how many people can be in the store. Employs followed you around making sure your mask is on the entire time and the air does not work well so it makes for an uncomfortable experience just being in there with the heat.

If I was a film/rock/bit coin etc millionaire, I'd end up spending half my loot in this place. All the cool cult posters/books/kitsch items you need in one shop.

My daughter spends her birthday money here I love the eclectic atmosphere and the curiosity shop vibe The best emporium of its kind The books The artwork The do dads The thinga-ma-bobs The odor of incense and exotic oils The cool t shirts And the super mellow and friendly staff Don't miss out on this groovy shop

I've loved this store for decades. Great/unique gift ideas and fun collectables. I can't visit without spending 30-60 minutes just going down every aisle. The staff is always helpful and friendly. I usually replace my wacky oven mits (because why not giggle everytime I cook) or some fun socks. I space out buying Doctor Who or Godzilla finds. My only problem is that my place looks just like this place. Seriously. It makes me upset that I am not the store. Thank you.

First time here. They have a large rubber chicken in the front and the workers allowed me to squeeze to make it squeak really loud. They also have these wind up toys they let me play with. Felt like a kid in a candy shop. This place has soo many unique items that I was overwhelmed and I didn't get to look at everything. I could spend more half the day inside jus playing with the items if they let me. This place has a pretty good collection of Godzilla from books to toys and figurines. They have items from ghibli mostly totoro, frida khalo items as well. I really liked their wind up toys. They even have a small museum inside. There was frank forte and Die Sugoi exhibit. I would come again and take my niece and nephews here... to get them godzilla items.

My kinda store, filled with a wide range of fun and interesting merchandise, including Edward Gorey puzzles, bunny themed items, books, kitchenware, clothing, so much stuff perfect for gift giving, and quirky products galore. Unfortunately, the art gallery in the back of the shop was closed when we came by this past Monday. But we got some sage incense and an adorable bunny art card before leaving. Service was fast and friendly, and street parking was difficult in the area but not impossible to find.

Such a fun spot! I could spend a lot of time here. So much to see. Great place to grab wacky gifts for your wacky friends. Friendly service. Decent value for a big city.

Soap Plant Wacko? More like wack customer service. I'm from out of town visiting LA for a day. I chose Soap Plant Wacko to checkout and see if they had Smiskis in stock. The place had good reviews and looked pretty cool inside. I called beforehand to ask if they had any Smiskis in stock and the person avoided my question and kept repeating "please, please follow our instagram" and that's it. I get that it is a well followed collection so they probably get multiple calls about it but it wouldn't hurt just to answer the customer's question. We ended up visiting and turns out they had nothing in stock and we basically just wasted our time. Don't recommend coming here, go to Little Tokyo or Koreatown instead.

Such a fun and funky store. Great for gifts you can find pretty much everything here! I was looking for something specific and the staff was so helpful! Love it here

One of my favorite spots in Los Angeles. I love their gallery and the shopping selection is THE BEST! Definitely my happy place. The staff is always great too!

I love this place, it's really cool and you can probably spend quite a bit of time here and not get bored. A few times I came right when they were changing the gallery so I didn't even get to explore it but I still had fun walking around and exploring everything they had. From books, to stuffies to posters and candy, they have a lot of cool, interesting, weird and funny things to look at and buy. I love when the gallery is open though, and seeing the art they showcase. It's truly a cool little gem in the area

please never let this store close down, probably the BEST store in Los ANgeles for gifts and bizarre/fun/cool knick-knacks.

I first visited Wacko when I was an impressionable high school goth kid who didn't get a lot of exposure to goth and alternative culture beyond the internet. Back in my teens, I fell head over heels in love with this place because I felt seen and validated and loved the books and items they carried. I still have my copy of "Art that Creeps: Gothic Fantasies and the Macabre" from my very first visit here! They carry sooo many books from various pop surrealist artists such as Mark Ryden, and a lot of books from gothic and alternative artists and photographers. There are many knick knacks, toys, and plushies geared towards people interested in these niches. Before my most recent trip in May 2023, the last time I paid a visit to Wacko was was 10 years ago. I'm SO HAPPY Wacko survived the pandemic! I felt so nostalgic walking through the store aisles again. Now that I'm a corpo goth working professional, I feel forever thankful to Wacko for being a safe space for younger me. The staff and customer service was so welcoming, and I really enjoyed having conversations with them too.

This place has it all! It has so many things that it's impossible to see it in one trip. Great gifts & gadgets! Nice staff. Great ambiance!

This store has been around forever and has everything from gag gifts to shelves full of strange and well... Wacky things. Perfect for giftgiving there are also some nice art books and other Gifty items. There is a gallery inside that has interesting exhibits well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Wacko is a novelty shop located on Hollywood blvd and Rodney dr. Wacko is relatively huge store with copious amount of stuff from books, toys, pop vinyl, retro lights, mugs, etc. Also, they have a mini art gallery at the far end of the store. I like wondering around Wacko and browse their cool bizarre stuff. Staff were cordial and professional; I never felt followed or anything like what other customers experienced. Prices are fair. Parking is limited. Overall, I had a good experience and I recommend this store.

I was met with racist undertones at this shop. I loved this place dearly for its funky books and artwork but my last visit was a very unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. Will never come back again !!! It's really interesting and ironic how some of the wall artwork sold here is sourced from Mexico however, the employees didn't treat me, a Hispanic customer, with the same respect or kindness as they did others. It really is a funny thing to profit off of a culture while discriminating against them all at once!

SoCal needs more shops like this one! Take a break from the mundane/same 'ol/everyone has it kind of retail shops and come to this one!! If you're a art toy/blind box/plushie kinda collector or enthusiast, this is your place. If you love books. Art books, reading books, look books, good energy books, this is your place. If you love puzzles, wanna gift a puzzle, maybe thinking about doing a puzzle, this is your place. The entire shop was filled from back to front, side to side, row to row of fun, cutesy, interesting tchotchkes. Satisfies the likings of hippie-esques and artsy eclectics.

Nice store but they will make you feel like a shoplifter watching your every move which made me super uncomfortable to shop so I left. I haven't been in a while so I was looking forward to checking it out again and I was so disappointed. I used to spect a lot of money there and maybe would have again but no thanks due to the way I was treated.

One of my favorite gift shops to browse through. So happy that that this store survived the pandemic. I always make an effort to stop by this shop when I am in the area. Such wonderful and quirky stuff under one roof. I always have to stop myself from purchasing the books which range from the occult to pop culture. Plenty of gag toys and trinkets available for kids. I also love the art pieces in the la luz de Jesus gallery. Street parking can be frustrating at times, but it is worth the hassle to see this one of the kind store.

Cool shop with trinkets, but the customer service was horrible. If you're looking for sonny angels, check their ig before you drive over. One employee with short hair dogged me when I smiled at them. Okay, that was weird. I just kept looking around when I realized my friends were later being followed by that employee. When I was looking at the stuff behind the counter the same employee, very loudly, said something about checking the store cameras. As if they wanted to check if someone stole something. My friend bought a $1 sticker and we talked about our experience as we walked to the car. That short hair employee was definitely following my friends. Really weird to not follow the white patrons, but follow the non-white patrons around the store.

This place has everything.....seriously, it's like a Stefon recommendation from SNL! Lots of stuff you never knew existed before and never knew you needed.

Any time I have a visitor and they want to buy gifts, I send them to Wacko. So much great stuff, some truly odd stuff, and a couple "what-the" things. A big space with a nice sense of adventure to it. Books and seasonal stuff tend to be my favorites, but there is plenty of other stuff too. Doesn't matter the age or background, everyone with find something that's cool here. The staff is ok. Not especially helpful, hence it being a 4/5 star. But, don't let that stop you. Wandering around here is rather fun. Try it. Let me know. Street parking.... Give it a free extra minutes.

The antidote to the blandness of Amazon shopping culture! This store has a mind boggling assortment of crazy and fun items, including a really interesting and diverse book section. By fun I mean sexy, silly, profane, juvenile, sacred, and downright naughty. I visited before Christmas this past year and their seasonal stuff was just as interesting.

Went today and asked for Sonny Angels and noticed the dramatic shift in customer service between me and the previous customers. I went in politely and excited but the cashier gave me attitude as well as insincere comments. She was rude and disrespectful without reason. I'm not sure if it matters but the previous customers were white and once she saw us (Latinos), her demeanor changed and placed my change on the counter despite me handing it and practically slammed the paper bag onto the counter when I asked for one more. She seemed so bothered to even hand me a bag but for the previous customer, she was eager to help them despite them taking their time (which is fine, I can wait.) I know I wasn't the only one who noticed too, my siblings and the people behind me all seemed and felt weirded out by her sudden change. I've never felt this way with any other retailers. I usually don't leave a review like this but this interaction was very wild.

Such a fun and wacky store! Did not know what to expect when I walked in, but I was impressed. A very fascinating shop that offered many different things to catch the eye! I walked out with a beautiful preserved beetle, and a couple of nick knacks. Wish I could've stayed longer, but will be back again!

Very fun and whimsical place to browse through. Very interesting items. A lot of it vintage inventory, takes me back in time. Wish they had more of the whimsical stuff and less books. There are too many books taking up great shelf space. Prices are not as competitive as I'd like but you're paying for novelty. Got a pair of funny socks. Great socks!

Sometimes I come here when I'm down or depressed to cheer myself up. Quintessential special Los Angeles place. You name it. If it's weird they got it. Monster figurines, naughty magnets, stuffed Cerberuses. Architecture books, sex books, strange books. I like checking out whatever cool art show they have in the gallery. People who work here are cool and helpful.

I love walking around shops such as this! It showcases eclectic items from different eras. Our friend who was dog sitting suggested we come here to pass the time. So glad we came in here! Walking around, we get a sense that some of the stuff have been donated or even purchased from the Salvation Army, and other thrift stores. Some of the clothing collection contain looks ranging from goth to the classic Chinese mandarin collar dresses to the cute sailor dresses. This will be a dream for someone who loves clothes! Casually glancing around the aisles, we find little collectors items. I can imagine these can be found in someone's home. Maybe an eccentric aunt who collects the oils or imagine items that can be found at a museum. The store sells cool stuff. I finally got a boxing nun! I wanted that doll for the longest and finally I found it at Soap Plant Wacko! When in Hollywood, come to this place. Have fun browsing around. Stroll around the aisles and see what comes up as serendipity. Come and have fun.

Really fun store with a great inventory. It's kinda like a Spencers + head shop + Art Gallery + Collectibles + Clothing + Costume Shop + Toy Store. Yeah all that. You can find some random stuff there you haven't found for years. We had a couples store like this growing up but they were eventually replaced by some watered down corporate version. Like one random item my wife found was a boxing nun puppet. She always wanted to when she was young and she found one here. They're had cool clothing options and toys and collectibles I loved. This would be an awesome place to check out if you're into cosplay or comics.Lots of games and like joke stuff you would find in an old school magic shop. We came around closing time but I could definitely spend a few hours in here.

I just love this store, although it has been a few years since I've been there. I got some amazing vinyl cloth that I used to upcycle an old Cosco stepstool into a very imaginative piece that graces my home. In fact, it is now trending on a Facebook page and people are asking where I got the vinyl!

Had this place bookmarked for a long while and I finally made the effort to drive out and go on an adventure! Really cute gem of a spot. This large offbeat shop offers an eclectic range of pop-culture ephemera, novelties, housewares and gifts. I was surprised to see that they sold Ghibli Studio items!! I love Kaonashi (no face). They also have a gallery of trippy art works to look at. I appreciated the tons of unusual cool books about psychedelics and horrors which I took my time to read through. You can spend the whole day in here window shopping or splurging if you really wanted too. This place is THAT DOPE

Such a bizarre name for a shop that certainly caught my attention. First visit was over five years ago with someone else; I clearly had no business being here but he was in his element. As I walked the aisles, I began to understand this seemed to be a straight/geek/hipster/guys/gals dreamspace. All the toys they never got-or the ones they forgot about-were situated throughout the many aisles. I actually saw myself spending time in their soap area (hence part of their name) and they had plenty of different scents to choose from. Some I actually found appealing, although I'd probably break out from most of them due to my stupid sensitive skin. The store had a weird smell otherwise, so that is probably why I spent to much time in this area. A really cool lady chatted with me as I wandered over to the essential oil area as I went sniffing about. I'm not sure if she was doing this out of boredom, but I actually enjoyed talking/listening to her. Up front is where you'll find books; they had some fun titles that would add something to your coffee table besides the empty bottles/mugs/bongs that you most likely already have scattered about. You're bound to find one to your liking that screams 'YOU' to any guest-or delivery person-that may enter your domain. The art gallery in the back was random and cool, most of the art wasn't my style but I did find one I enjoyed; I posted the photo here. As I made my way out, I think I began to understand what brings people back in over and over again. I know everyone had to smile at least ONCE while in-store. Whether it brought back a memory or made a new one, it certainly happened somewhere within these walls. Parking is awful-metered street-but I was fortunate to grab one with money still on it which made this an even cooler visit.

Soap Plant + Wacko is legit, my kind of store - you can peruse to your heart's content through the various items that they have: books, greeting cards, tarot/oracle decks, vintage items, decals, music, movies, gadgets, small gifts, bath and beauty products, toys, novelties, clothing, accessories, home décor, prints and posters, collectibles, school and office supplies, and various knick-knacks. I picked up some fun greeting cards for my collection, but this is definitely a place where you can find unique items for gifts or for yourself! The staff members are there, but they usually leave you alone for you to explore, which I liked - no pushy sales here! There's some street parking in the area. +fun and unique gifts +great greeting cards +limited street parking in the area

This place has everything! There are random Knick knacks that'll make you say "that's cool". They also have books, toys, masks of all kinds, Funko Pops, stuffed toys, socks, healing stones, candies, purses, and a lot more. My favorite thing is that prices aren't terribly expensive. There's street parking available and staff is great.

I love this store! I could spend hours perusing everything they have for sale. So unique and creative! Plus, it's connected to the La Luz de Jesus art gallery, that's always a treat. Short drive from the Griffith Observatory!

As you walk into Soap Plant Wacko you are given a little speech; masks are required at all times, keep shopping to 30 minutes & no cash. There is hand sanitizer provided and the aisles are blocked off to keep customers flowing. Soap Plant Wacko is a unique store. There is a little bit of everything! Some unique finds I have found bare; several books ranging from memoirs to magick books, Simpson figurine vinyls, T-shirt's and some of my favorite pens. Every time I always find something new!

Been shopping here since my teens I'm in my 30s now and the last two times I've been in I've been followed around. Like it's almost comically obvious. Not coming in anymore. I liked the vibe originally being into the tiki stuff and the art and book selection but it's not worth being followed isle by isle.

One of the most unique shipping experiences you'll ever have. Perfect for browsing but also perfect for any kind of gift. They've got it all and it's never a generic item. Staff is super knowledgeable and always on top of what's out, what's next, and what to recommend. The selection is unbeatable. The pieces and prices are superb. A locally owned family business for decades; it's a true Los Angeles institution. You have to experience it at least once.

One of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Cali. The staff is super nice and the gallery is always a pleasure to look at. Great prices too!!!

Haven't been back since the early 2000s and just wanted to pay a visit and support the business in these covid times. Did some early Xmas shopping, picked up some fun books and a calendar. Still looks like how I remembered the spot in my 20s; you have to rsvp online to see the art exhibit in back - probs to distance attendees. Otherwise still a great shopping experience to get some unique books and tchotchkes.

Perfect for gifts and love their small art shows every month. THE AMBIANCE: Soap Plant Wacko is a medium-sized gift shop/book store/accessories and clothing/art space on Sunset Blvd. located on a corner adjacent to Goodwill. THE GOODS: I really like this store because it has a lot of fun, interesting stuff. I have purchased ceramic cacti from here and I absolutely adore them. THE ART SHOW: Soap Wacko has an art show every first Thursday of the month (last I heard). They have beer/wine and snacks in the outside patio. On my first visit to the shop, I saw an art exhibit where the artist made art with different items. I saw toothbrushes, newspaper, buttons, noodles, etc. So creative. I loved it. On my second visit, the art was somber/evil, and very well executed. On my third visit, there were aliens and paintings showing social constructs and "female revenge" - Dave Lebow. Love this store!

It's not for everyone to be certain, part novelty shop, part bookstore, part art gallery of a unique flavor and part curiosity shop. If you don't like the strange, sexual, sensual, thought provoking and conversation starting content... do not come. Now, if you like that stuff, this could be the spot for you! You can find some fun stuff for nearly anyone and it's absolutely perfect for white elephant gift exchanges. The art gallery is very unique, some strange some beautiful and some you're drawn to for reasons you won't understand. Come check it out and have fun with your experience.

Stumped over white elephant or Reddit's secret santa? Your one-stop gift shop carries a curated arsenal of trinkets, pop-culture references, art books, miscellaneous decor items, and humorous clothing items like historic character caricature socks and hilarious oven mits! Some of the items here are surprisingly even cheaper than on Amazon. Every few months, the gallery in the back shifts between different, unique exhibitions. There's a side hallway tucked in the corner fraught with strangely captivating paintings and artwork (but they hover around $500 a piece). My first time was a fascinating collection of hundreds and hundreds of hand-drawn, artistic coasters dotting the wall (which I'll admit I spent nearly an hour glossing the whole assembly). Then afterwards meander over to other side for weird and silly toys, and freaky signage and collectibles. Remember to check out the discount and on-sale shelves in the back room! Just a quick reminder that even if satisfied with your purchase, the store has no returns but in-store credits instead. There's also no private parking, but street parking is available. This place is perfect for a casual but memorable stroll to help you digest your food from nearby Los Feliz restaurants and bars. I unknowingly spent over an hour on my first visit browsing through its artbook and art exhibitions in the back. I'll certainly be back again and again to pick my mind over such random curiosity! Products: 4/5 Service: 3.5/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Environment: 3.5/5

I think this is my favorite store ever. They have every possible gift (or treat for yourself) you could imagine! I spent so long just looking at everything, and I wish I had the money to go on a shopping spree in here. So much fun and so many cute things! Stop in if you're nearby, you'll love it.

Talk about a fun and unique store! Right off of Hollywood Blvd, Soap Plant Wacko has a little something for everyone. A great selection of coffee table books, knick knacks, toys and novelties, clothing and more. There is also an art gallery with very unique and eclectic art displayed. One can definitely get lost looking through all the unique and fun items. Meter parking is available on the street, make sure to keep tabs on your time because the meter maids will ticket you.

SUPER fun place to do some unique shopping. Lots of various types of items including books, t shirts, masks, posters, socks, etc. Pop culture, all the way. I walked out of there with a cool candle, cards (lots of awesome, unique cards), socks and a key chain. They have some great social distancing practices in place. The gallery next door is closed right now which was a bummer. Entrance is around the back.

Truly a unique store. I've never seen anything like it. They don't really have anything that I'd buy, too quirky for me, but I like that they exist and hope it never goes away. It helps give the neighborhood personality.

This is actually quite a unique gift shop. They carry all kinds of things. When you first walk in, there is so much stuff that you don't even notice the employees behind the counter because they blend in. They carry all kinds of candy at the counter to your left hand side. There are rows of interesting books on the right hand side of the store. There are all kinds of knick knackery up against the walls and at the back of the store. There is an awesome little gallery that is located in this place, showing works of art from local artists. Even the restroom decor is fun. It's street parking only, so sometimes that can be a problem, especially since there are a couple hip and trendy restaurants located across the street that people are lined up for. But this place is worth the visit when you are in the area.

Perfect timing! One hour left before Soap Plant Wacko closes, and one hour left to kill while waiting for my friend to arrive to have dinner at Kismet (across the street). Parking: Street metered parking all around (watch for signs! The meter maids here are on it!). This place was featured on the Travel Channel many years ago, and I finally got the chance to see it, woohoo! Definitely worth checking out! Tons of fun, cute, odd, sexual, weird oddities, knick knacks and tchotchkes. For reals, a huge toy store for adults! They also have two separate galleries inside that you can check out and can also purchase the art as well. My goodness, even the inside of their unisex restroom is a piece of art! Even though I didn't buy anything, I still enjoyed browsing through the various items, and made a mental note of certain items to get next time. I highly recommend checking this place out. You'll either leave here with interesting items or walking out the door thinking "What da heck did I just walk into?!" Lol!!!

Fantastic place where you can see an art show, and shop for a unique gift at the same time. Every time I come here, I can't leave without something fun, whimsical, or odd. From girl power socks to a Nikola Tesla book, to an art piece, this place has that unique gift for that weird person in your life who is so hard to shop for. I love this place and the art they display in the back. In my opinion, better than a lot of more expensive art galleries, and worth every penny.