Locally Crafted Goods and Gifts
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We’ve meandered, wandered, searched and scoured…

Making SLO is a year-round maker’s shop on the corner of Garden St. and Higuera St. in downtown San Luis Obispo.

We’re a hyperlocal showcase of dreamers, designers, artists, innovators, poets, authors, builders, crafters, and makers. The Roll-up-their-sleeves local creatives who make this area live and breathe.

Visit today to experience a wide variety of one-of-a-kind gifts, art, decor, jewelry, self-care, and apparel made by real people from all over the California Central Coast.

We’re Making SLO. Where locals and visitors alike can go to take a little piece of paradise home.

– April & Matthew Reeves

Find what speaks to you

Peek in through our tiny used-to-be-a-jewelry-shop windows as you walk down Garden Street toward Higuera.

Step in through patinaed wrought-iron gates and onto the absurdly-plush red carpet and do a little wandering and meandering of your own.

You’ll discover a special collection of handmade creations from all over the area, a bona fide local-treasure happy place.

Creations for the home. Creations to admire. Creations to wear. Creations to eat. Creations to gift.

There’s a little something for everyone.

Every Maker Has a Story

Every creation has a spark.

At Making SLO, a big part of our mission is to learn and share the unique and fascinating history behind the people who make all the beautiful things. What is their passion? What makes them different?
Meet Our Makers

Only Local Philosophy

Local creatives are the lifeblood of the community and the heart and soul of Making SLO.
We’re locally owned, locally run, and every maker and artist in the store calls this area home.

Local Initiatives
We’re members of multiple San Luis Obispo city boards and are part of several Chambers of Commerce throughout the county. We regularly participate in local programs and initiatives designed to help the local economy thrive and grow, such as Art After Dark, the Farmers’ Market, and SLO EarthFest, to name a few.
Learn More

More Than Just a Gift Shop

Step inside and you’ll find a thriving, year-round-open market with hundreds of beautiful and creative products featuring makers and artists from all over the Central Coast. But that’s just the surface. The majority of the work happening at Making SLO is behind the scenes.

Our makers and artists have big dreams. They want to take their side gigs and micro-businesses to the next level. They’d love to become successful enough that their products find their way into multiple stores and markets, and perhaps eventually grow beyond the Central Coast. But that kind of success doesn’t happen on its own.

This is why we’ve structured Making SLO as a teaching store, and we’ve created an entirely separate incubator studio called Creating SLO, solely focused on coaching makers and artists on the ins and outs of a successful retail business.

Our exclusive programs are designed to help makers continually improve and evolve their businesses, marketing, packaging, and even their very products in order to keep moving toward greater success.
Learn About Membership