When my friends have babies, I am tempted to them a sweater. Or a necklace. Or something to say “Congratulations for shoving this watermelon out…It must have hurt! And since everyone is swooning over little Ethan (or Mason, or Madison), I’d like to give some kudos to you.” It turns out, however, that this simply isn’t done. (It’s kind of like giving someone jewelry or a t-shirt or a scarf at her wedding shower. I’ve done it before and everyone looked at me as if I had eaten all of the tea sandwiches.) So it’s baby gift or bust.

I’ll do anything to avoid Babys R Us (leave the years’ supply of diapers to a more practical friend), but since discovering Pink Olive, I’m actually pretty excited for the next time someone pops out a little Peyton (or Riley or Morgan). A former contemporary and denim buyer at Barneys, owner Grace Kang opened Pink Olive to pay homage to the art of gifting. Since she couldn’t find an appropriate retail space, she first launched online in late 2006, opening a store in the East Village in 2007 and another in Park Slope in early 2008. Her concept–a charming and meticulously thought out selection of gifts geared towards not only baby, but also grown-ups and travel–has caught fire.

Each and every shelf is so addictively merchandised, with gifts for all types playing off of one another with humor and charm. Here, I can scoop up the stuffed piggy and check off the baby gift, stumble upon a keepsake jar for mom’s blond moments, and reward myself with a Cool Change coverup and zebra flip flops for a job well done.