Apparently, there are more tourists than locals around Orlando. Souvenirs seem to be everyplace around Orlando, including at local supermarket chains such as Winn-Dixie, Publix, and Albertson’s supermarkets (a few of these supermarkets offer local delivery or catering); souvenirs that everybody gets and mails home. We want something a little bit more than cookie cutter cute, that is also an affordable souvenir, to bring back from our voyage to the land of Disney.
The Art Angels Market
430 East Central Boulevard, Orlando
www.artangelsmarket.com
This shop offers gifts, bath products and flowers, some of which are in the $10 – $20 price range, such as the toy gators, candles and cuddly pigs.
LogoBallz
4159 Bob White Trail, St. Cloud
www.logoballz.com
This store offers a dozen custom printed golf balls for $18.95, and a $15 custom printed cue ball for pool players. There are off-run discounts, available at the storefront, if you want a unique and really inexpensive gift that was designed for someone else.
This lovely shopping mall contains a store called Papyrus, which enables a person to make their own gift cards, or elegant notes for a fraction of the cost if purchased at one of the museum shops. There is also a Dollar Rage store here, which carries many inexpensive souvenirs, ideal for people who are undecided as to exactly who is going to get what, or who need to fill a tote bag up with trinkets for everyone.
Florida Mall
8001 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando
The Florida Mall contains a souvenir shop called Love from Florida that sells moderately priced things from local manufacturers, as well as mass-produced objects that are Orlando-logoed or themed. Plus the Simon Youth Education Research Center provides free activities and little souvenirs for young people, during some mall hours.
Tuesday Morning
12393 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando
www.tuesdaymorning.com
A great place to pick up a basket from when you have a need to make a gift basket, and no basket. Not your usual souvenir store, but nice.
If you want tee shirts at a bargain price, here is a place to go, to get everyone out of their dress shirts for a change. Great tee shirts with unusual Orlando-related slogans are to be had for a very small price, next to racks of slightly more upscale items.
Things Remembered
3204 East Colonial Avenue, Orlando
www.thingsremembered.com
If you must have something with your name engraved on it, or decide to bring a valuable to a hotel. The custom engraving service is less expensive here than it is at the theme park. There are also local businesses, the DBA’s of which change on a regular basis, within a block or two of this business.
Urban Think!
625 East Central Blvd., Orlando
www.urbanthinkorlando.com
Greyhound Bus Terminal gift shop
555 North John Young Parkway, Orlando
www.greyhound.com
Located inside the terminal by/at the cafeteria and vending machines, there are usually a few cute gifts, such as cuddly stuffed animals, Orlando souvenirs, and children’s toys, as well as the model Greyhound bus.
Along International Drive, near some nice family hotels and a few restaurants, in Orlando, are a couple of dollar stores. Going to the local dollar store, means encountering these souvenirs. Maybe they are not as trendy as the ones sold at the arenas, or at the amusement parks, however, these places work at getting the leftover inventory from the pricier souvenir shops and hotel gift shops.
Dollar Ninety Nine Superstore
7255 International Drive
Dollar 99 Superstore
7447 International Drive
There are no guarantees at what will be in stock at either of these locations, the owners do everything possible to ensure customer satisfaction with the products available, and attempt to get enough souvenirs unloaded from the local theme parks to service the regular customers.
Sea Creations
408 Bif Court, Orlando
Great prices, excellent gifts, the website states that the products are sold on-line, via web, by FAX, or by phone. The prices for the closeouts are unbelievably low, however, the availability of the item may not be there. When I checked the website, items such as frog plant pot holders were for sale for $1.50, as well as an assortment of other closeout items in the .75 cent – $3.00 price range.
This store has some nice items that you can bring home, things that are not exactly souvenirs, the sort of items that bring questions like, “Where did you get that from?”, when you where or use the item, nice conversation pieces to have around, some durable goods, some cute souvenirs, also.
Across the street from the Amtrak station is this excellent print shop right next door to this fantastic little sandwich shop, which carries scrap paper pads for spare change. Sometimes, the manager has other items, emblazoned with Orlando something or other, however, I cannot give specifics as to what will be in this shop on a particular day.
Beall’s Outlet
350 East Michigan Street
Beall’s Outlet
4410 Curry Ford Road
There is a dot system to the price structure here at Beall’s Outlets, varying from 0% off to 90% off of already discounted prices, and the tourist tee shirts are mixed in with the ordinary trendy gear and sports wear. The souvenirs and junk food are at the front of the store, the management expects tourists to walk in.
Here are a few more places to obtain souvenirs that are just a little bit different from the herd’s.
University of Central Florida Bookstore
4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando
www.ucf.bncollege.edu
The University of Central Florida has a bookshop, this Barnes and Noble college bookstore sells pens and bookmarks, all of which are emblazoned, University of Central Florida, or Orlando. The books may not be cheap, unless you have a used one, however, the souvenirs are, and the manager will love you for stopping in, and buying something, most of the summer, there are no customers. There are used textbooks available if your child absolutely must have one of the textbooks, too, a souvenir that will bring results for years to come. The best souvenirs might be things such as the pom-poms, travel cups, mini-mirrors, or travel mugs.
Flea markets are another place to go shopping for affordable souvenirs. The Orlando Tourist Information Bureau lists four flea markets in the Orlando area. These places are packed with little shops, a few of these booths will cater to your interests. If you are really serious about spending a day shopping, go visit all three of the flea markets in the Kissimmee area, instead of doing the tourist thing. There is also a flea market in Sanford, which is about a half-hour drive from Orlando, when the traffic is good, which is not usually on the day when you want to go shopping.
For those who are already over-budget
On the weekend, a tourist can even go to garage sales around Orlando to purchase a few souvenirs, the locals will get rid of the souvenirs readily, and a few even are unloading their antique souvenirs, beautiful ashtrays, salt and pepper holders, shot glasses, and other knick-knacks from the 1940’s, 1950’s or 1960’s. Sometimes there are listings posted on telephone poles, advertising garage or yard sales; if one is one the way to where you are going, and it is safe to stop, by all means go. Going to a garage sale is a gamble, there may or may not be a souvenir there for you, however, if there is, it will be a bargain.
There are many other ways of obtaining bargain souvenirs here that are not listed, as they require spending a great deal of time and effort, and may or may not be happening events when you visit Orlando. We want you to spend most of your time enjoying your visit to this lovely city, relaxing and taking in the sights.
