Looking for unique Navidad gifts? Mexican pop culture souvenirs might be the perfect "calcetine" stuffers for that kitschy "kid" on your list.

Bryce Clark, owner of Cempazuchi restaurant, 1205 E. Brady St., travels to Oaxaca, Mexico, every year to hand select items for his Oaxacan Market, set up inside the popular bar and restaurant from Thanksgiving until after New Year's.

With the absence of the Market Place on North Avenue, Clark's interim boutique is one of a couple places left on the East Side to buy imported items from Latin America. Green Fields, 1800 N. Farwell Ave., also sells Mexican and Guatemalan trinkets.

"I choose a lot of the unusual and quirky pieces," says Clark, who went to Oaxaca in late September to purchase items directly from Mexican vendors and marketplaces.

The selection is small but fantastico, featuring a fun collection of colorful tin ornaments, dolls, small brooms, folk art painted on handmade paper, tiny bowls and a super array of plastic market bags embossed with flowers, "Day of the Dead" skeletons, Frieda Kahlo and more. Also worth noting are stickers of Maria Sabina, allegedly the "priestess of mushrooms."

The prices are fair, with most bags around $12 and many of the smaller items at $5 or less.

Clark opened Cempazuchi seven years ago. Unlike most Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee, Cempazuchi (which means "marigold" in Spanish) serves Oaxacan dishes, a Latin cuisine predating the Spanish conquest. Hence, the menu boasts a selection of dishes far beyond the usual "taco and burrito" fare at most local taquerias.

"People don't realize how varied and historical the Mexican culture really is," says Clark. "It's a lot more than just resorts."

Cempazuchi's Oaxacan Markeplace is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. Call (414) 291-5233 for more information.