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Gas Station in L.A. with a Gift/Souvenir Shop?
I don't know if I'll be able to drive too far. Maybe an hour or two at most, so I can't go out towards Joshua Tree or Vegas (I know that there are some really impressive ones out that way). Any recommendations or hidden gems?
Been down this road before for a white elephant thing. The best actual gift section I've found is at the 76 on Ventura Blvd in Studio City near Laurel Canyon, they've got a random case with Route 66 magnets, mini license plates, and these lil California bear figurines. Not huge but it's real merch not just snacks. Also the Shell on Lincoln in Venice sometimes has a rack of boardwalk stuff like keychains and lil surfboard magnets, though it's hit or miss depending on the season.
If you're willing to head south instead of north, the 76 off the 405 at the Getty Center exit has a tiny rack of museum-ish trinkets, postcards and little brass landmarks. Not a real shop but it's something. Also check the Shell at Fairfax and Pico, they keep a rotating bin of cheap LA stuff near the register, hats, keychains, snow globes. No food or booze, so it fits your rules.
The Chevron on Sunset in Echo Park, right by the 101 onramp, has a genuinely weird little gift section with Dodgers shot glasses, shot glass keychains, and those ceramic LA skyline figurines. It's not a full souvenir shop but it's more than most stations carry. There's also a 76 on PCH in Malibu that stocks beach towels and postcards in summer, though I'm not sure what they keep in December. For a guaranteed haul, the Love's travel stops out near Barstow are worth the drive since they have actual gift aisles with Route 66 merch and trucker hats, but that's pushing your two hour limit depending on traffic.
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How can I find mobile hot dog vendors for a private event?
honestly the SGV has a ton of licensed cart operators who mostly do private stuff now. look up "hot dog cart catering San Gabriel Valley" on Yelp and you'll get a handful that are fully permitted, which matters if your venue needs a health permit on file. expect around $400 to $700 for a few hours plus a per person minimum, usually 50 or so. the ones based in Alhambra and Rosemead tend to be cheaper than Pasadena because they're not paying that rent.
fwiw the county health dept keeps a public list of permitted mobile food operators, its searchable by city on the LA County Public Health site. filter for "pushcart" or "MFF" and you'll get vendors cleared for SGV zip codes, which saves you the headache of a venue asking for paperwork later. also worth checking with the Old Town Monrovia or Alhambra farmers market folks, the carts there are usually booked solid but they know who's free and they'll pass along names. just dont wait till the last week, good ones book out 2 to 3 weeks in teh summer.
You could try hitting up the folks who set up outside Home Depot or the DMV in El Monte on weekends, a lot of those carts are owner operated and they'll do private gigs if you ask. Just walk up and grab a card, they usually have one taped to the cart.