Tortoise General Store — Local services in Los Angeles

"When we visited one of the islands in Hawaii in 2007, we came across a “general store”. It was very local and community-based, which we rarely saw in Los Angeles."

-Taku and Keiko Shinomoto – Tortoise General Store owners

I was looking to buy my girlfriend a matcha set and stumbled across Tortoise General Store. I added all of my products to the cart and went to checkout, which seems to be administered through Shopify. Shipping came out to $18, which I'm pretty used to at this point coming from Hawaii.

Two days later, I received a call from a California number. I didn't answer, because there are too many scammers these days. Within the hour, I received an email from TGS asking for an additional $8 to cover shipping.

I was pretty irritated, because I had already paid for the entire, nearly $200, purchase and they were asking for more money. I returned the call from the California number and spoke to an employee. I told him I was pretty disappointed having to pay an additional $8 for Hawaii shipping. He gave me a deadpan apology, citing that their shipping calculator isn't always accurate for "international" shipping. Hawaii, the inspiration for TGS, is not international...

Still giving 4 stars because the items came in very well packaged and...

My husband and I always wondered what "Tortoise General Store" was, so we felt the need to pop in over the weekend. What IS this place? A 7-Eleven type store, a liquor shop, a small grocery store?

Never mind the kimono I was wearing, I had no idea how appropriate it would be....

Upon entering, a curation of Japanese goods welcomed us as we perused the shelves. Clothes, pottery, watches, shoes, lights, décor and more at this trendy yet cultured store. The lady behind the counter was friendly and said it'd be no problem to take some photos, wahoo!

With LA's incredibly diverse population, it's normal to walk into a store and feel like you've been transported to that country. That's what happens in Tortoise, you're transported to Japan. The store feels like a museum as well, with pottery and items on display that are so pretty you don't know if you can buy them or not, (but guess what, you CAN)!

If you dig culture, minimalist style, items for your home and love to shop locally then you must stop in Tortoise! Support Local Stores!

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This is one of the coolest store in L.A. Located in the center of the rising local street called Abbot Kinney Blvd, among many hip and fav stores and restaurants, this one is always welcoming whether you are looking for something fabulous gift for your friends or loved ones, or just looking around for fun things, you can always find something special, especially if you love pottery, this place has many “one of a kind” pottery stuff in the back of the front store. Just be careful while cruising in the store because it’s isles are...