$25 Challenge: Fun finds at Tucson's classic Blue Willow gift shop

This week, the $25 challenge takes on the Blue Willow Restaurant & Gift Shop.

Blue Willow, 2616 N. Campbell Ave., has been a beloved Tucson staple for almost 50 years, offering delicious brunch and dinner options and a wide selection of gifts and novelty items. I could go on and on about how much I love their crepes and their paninis, but one of my favorite things about Blue Willow has to be shopping in their gift shop.

Does your devotion to a celebrity or musician border on worship? Do you have a friend who’s obsessed with Ice Spice, Lizzo or Olivia Rodrigo? For $24, why not grab one of the prayer candles Blue Willow sells with images of famous musical artists such as Miley Cyrus and Tupac, or pop culture figures like Steve from "Blue’s Clues." They sometimes even have Taylor Swift candles.

If you’re a fan or collector of Jelly Cats, you’re in luck, because Blue Willow has a whole rack of adorable, food-themed plushies, including donuts, croissants and pretzels.

While most of the Jelly Cat items cost a little more than $25, their cute little croissant retails for exactly $25. Or, if you have a little more cash to spend, you could buy one of their pistachios or peaches.

No Tucson gift shop would be complete without a selection of locally made art, and on Blue Willow's shelves, you’ll find ceramic cactus magnets made by Tucson artist Laura Duncan, who specializes in creating hand-built modern mosaics and functional ceramic pieces. Each magnet costs $9.

For lovers of anything retro, weird and Western, they also stock beautiful prints from Lady Kady Art. Her collages, illustrations and cyanotypes feature a blend of vintage and futuristic themes with desert landscapes and Western iconography like cowgirls and saguaro cacti. You can pick up one of her prints for $24.

I’ve said it before, but I personally love mugs for my coffee or tea, and Blue Willow has many mugs in different shapes and designs. Fringe Studio makes vintage-inspired dog and cat mugs which retail for $18, and Danica Jubilee has a line of mugs and bowls adorned with lemons, cherries and strawberries. Their mugs cost $16, and their mini bowls cost $9. They also have ceramic berry cartons for $16.

There are also dozens of unique stickers, including some from Turtle’s Soup, a Tucson-based business known for its aesthetic pastel designs, stickers and accessories. All of the stickers are priced at $4 each.

Some of the other goodies I found are butterfly design hair clips for $10 and rows and rows of adorable socks — you’ll find socks with coffee, cats, saguaros, decorative floral designs and even pairs featuring cereal logos. Most of the socks cost between $12 to $20.