What to Get the Soon-to-Be Barista in Your Life
It’s graduation season. If you happen to have a favorite English major about to burst forth into the hard-scrabble, AI-invested, job-scarce media apocalypse, we salute you. But mostly them. If you’d like to celebrate their accomplishments and give them a minor boost in their new life, whatever form that may take, a gift is customary. And yes, you could stick a check in a copy of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! and call it a day. But you can do better than that. And if not, we can help you. Below, a few select graduation gifts that the English major in your life might appreciate—or at least hawk on eBay.
This is technically a literary reference. Good for any newly minted grad who is about to pack in with a bunch of roommates who simply will not turn the lights off.
Sitting kills. Help them get into the habit of writing masterpieces on their feet.
The cutest stapler you ever did see.
Support the library and give your favorite grad a solid book-carrying tote. Two birds!
These funny literary postcards from the inimitable Tom Gauld are good for keeping in touch and for decorating a brand new apartment.
New grads love IKEA. But this is something their friends won’t have: a custom add-on that turns their chair into a desk. Good for small spaces!
But if you really want to support their ergonomic bliss, consider a classic kneeling chair, like this chic vintage version.
Can’t go wrong with a good mug.
Now’s the time to travel. It’ll help with their (eventual) novel.
When in doubt, some kooky book-adjacent art will brighten up their new, probably also kooky, apartment.
Or go with a classic.
Another chic and practical toting option, for the grad who needs to bring their library wherever they go (or who has a penchant for picking up free books from stoops.)
People with new degrees often have new apartments. People with new apartments often need plants. If the degrees are in English, they also have books. Everyone likes to solve two problems at once.
You know what else you need when you have too many books (and plants) in your new apartment? Shelves. Spoil your favorite grad with some chic ones.
Trust us. They’ll need it.
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