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Too Precious For Words
While walking in one of the several neighborhoods I frequent the other day, I spotted a lovely new toy store. It was only a few days old and absolutely exquisite.
All of the toys were handmade (or looked handmade) and the whole place was decorated with some sort of fantasy sensibility so that even now as reach back to recall it, I have this image of the place being covered with rolling waves of astroturf (which couldn't be the case because it would surely violate the ethos of the store). Anyway, it was really appealing.
And the toys were all safe, non-toxic, made locally, nothing much to disapprove of (though they wouldn't fit in with the Montessori curriculum). I have friends who often reject toys because of aesthetics and/or materials and this place would be a safe gift spot for anyone...
Except that it is one of those toy stores where every two or three feet there is a "DON'T TOUCH" sign and the person behind the counter seems a little put out that you came in and really wishes that the young octopus wiggling around in the stroller you had the misfortune to have to drag in is threatening to grab something off the floor or from a low-hanging shelf or play with one of the really cool looking music makers.
This I don't understand. I DO understand and appreciate this store's contents (even if it all is a tiny bit twee, it is really really lovely). I also understand (to a lesser extent) the extremely high prices, but even though they make me less likely to buy things there, I respect the craftsmanship and the fact that one pays a premium for locally made, indubitably safe products.
But what I don't get is why, especially in this economy, it seems like a good idea to open a toy store that is completely hostile to children and their tendencies to want to touch things. I can go further and wonder why the person working in the place seemed to find kids so distasteful.
I wasn't offended really, and my visit was super short because I was afraid that the Sebastian would stop being patient and want to pick up something attractive to see what it could do.
But what is the point, really? I won't name the place because I do hope it survives . I just also hope it loosens up a little. I'm guilty of dodging it, though. When I walked in I was hoping to find something for the daughter of a close friend who had a birthday recently, and this seemed the spot to get something truly novel. In the end I bolted with Sebastian and we found something more plebeian, but still absolutely fun a few blocks away, where our presence didn't inspire so much anxiety.
posted by Elise at 11:37 AM
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