tchotchkeria

A place that sells tchotchkes. From Yiddish tchotchke, meaning useless little object (knicknack), and Spanish taqueria, meaning a restaurant that specializes in tacos and other Mexican fast food.

Usually found in quaint towns, usually patronized almost exclusively by middle-class females of all ages, usually exuding a stench of potpourri all the way out to the sidewalk.

Variations: New Age tchotchkeria, a place which sells candles, incense, statues of goddesses, meditation cushions, etc.; and upscale tchotchekeria, where you can buy Waterford crystal collectibles, Lladro figurines, and the like. The towns of New England are simply rife with tchotchkerias.

1. I bought a clarity crystal at that New Age tchotchkeria in Harvard Square.

2. My mother wanted a lead crystal dinner bell, so I referred her to an upscale tchotchkeria in the Chestnut Hill Mall.