Susan’s Store Room – Blog Stieff Bears, Books Gifts, San Francisco, CA

Happy Valentine’s Day.

We hope to see you soon and be sure and see the movie, “Midnight in Paris”  it is fabulous. ( Plus they have a party scene that takes place in our favorite store in Paris, Deyrolle.)

We have Antique Valentines 1790-1890, Vintage Valentines 1900-1960s, Handmade Valentines, Valentines for Children, Chocolate, Candy Boxes, Gift Bags, Love Tokens, and everything you need to make your own Valentines.

If you are not able to visit the store, give us a call, we ship out everyday.  We are happy to help you make a selection.  415 456 1333 or susanstor@earthlink.net

The Antique Steiff Display

Rick Emerson, Director of Product and Marketing for Steiff, chats with the Great, great, great grand daughter of Margarete Steiff.

Susan’s Bear

Customers watch the Steiff video on How a Steiff Teddy Bear is made.

One of the Steiff Bears brought in for appraisal.  A 1905, much loved Steiff Teddy Bear.

A very cute real hedgehog.

Susan with the Albino Boa.

Dean Kamazes with a very large lizard.

Susan with the Ferret.

Antique Steiff from the collection of Denis Morella.

Deyrolle is a natural history store in Paris.  When I went to Paris to work on the book, “Pansy Goes to Paris”, we walked by this store on  Rue du Bac.  My son Danny, said “lets go in”.  I was not sure, but once I saw the old wooden floor and all the antique cases filled with amazing things, I was hooked, I LOVED it.  It might seem a bit creepy to some as there were taxidermy animals everywhere, but it really was not creepy at all, it was just like being in the back room of a very old natural history museum.  My window this month is my version of Deyrolle.

We have collected Shells from all over the world.  For decorations and craft projects.   We will show you how to make a vase or memory jar, Easy and Fun.  One of our customers took a Santos and made her a shell skirt.  Spectacular.  She is displayed in our window.  We have Mermaid books, Mermaid Houses, Mermaid Rugs and  Antique Shell Art.

Vase in the back is 85 years old, the 2 in front are July 2011.  We have figured out how to make these vases.  It is EASY and lots of fun.

Antique Vase

New Vase

Everything you need to make your own vase.  We are all set up to show you exactly how to do it.  We have collected

shells from all over the world, for decoration and for your projects.   AND………….we are serving Mai Tai’s.

Another vase circa July 2011.

Joyeux Noel at Susan’s Store Room

The store is filled with Gifts from the Sea.   Shells, books, decorations, cards, mermaids,

handmade mermaid houses, Steiff fish, a giant Steiff Starfish  and a giant Sea Lion.  We have just

about any sea creature you can think of.    Dolls and Gifts from Hawaii.  Leis, vintage hula girls, a windup

surfer, and more.  Come take a look.

If you see any items in our window photos you are interested in purchasing just give us a

call.   415 456 1333.

We are getting ready for the Fourth of July and our BIG SUMMER SALE.

Every year around the Fourth of July we have our Big Side Walk SALE.

Everything on Sale is 50 %  off the marked prices.     Sometimes I buy

too many of one item, something is just too expensive, its shop worn or it has just been

around too long.  So…….it goes ON SALE.   We will post the dates of this sale AS SOON

AS POSSIBLE.  This year we have to work around the San Anselmo Street Fair, the birth of

my second grand daughter,  the Fourth of July Holiday, and the Los Angeles Gift Show.

The Teddy Roosevelt Family Exchanging Christmas Gifts.   A Typewriter for Teddy, A Bear for Quenton, Binoculars for Kermit, A Book for Alice ……….

I just put several rainforest animals on the online shop.   I also put a Ghurka Backpack.  I found several in the back storage room.  These are hard to come by.  They  were made by Ghurka 10 years ago when the Ghurka Company was owned by Marley Hodgson.  Marley Hodgson sold the Ghurka Company in 2001.

I always take my Ghurka Backpack on my travels.  It is just the right size.  When I went to Africa to do the book, “Safari, My Trip to Africa” with Reggie the Steiff Bear, I took him in the Ghurka Backpack.  After I published the book, on a whim, I sent a copy to  Steiff, asking them if they wanted to make a replica of the Bear Reggie.   Much to my delight, they said yes.  Then I started  to worry about the Ghurka Backpack.  I wondered if I was going to get in trouble for using the backback in the book with the logo clearly visible.   I  had already gotten a letter from Ralph Lauren for using one of his cups on one of my greeting cards.

So,  I wrote  a letter to Ghurka and sent them a book.   Next thing I know Marley Hodgson arrives at Susan’s Store Room.   He loves the book and buys them for his employees.  I was thrilled to meet him. When Steiff produced the Reggie Bear, Ghurka sold backbacks to Steiff for their luxury edition of the Steiff Reggie.

If that wasn’t enough…..The Steiff Reggie Bear appeared in the window of the Ghurka Store on Post Street in downtown San Francisco.   One day I was walking down Post Street and looked in the Ghurka window and there was Reggie.

Ghurka also produced a limited edition scarf with illustrations from the Safari Book.  Mary Jo Koch, my good friend, did all the illustrations in all four books.  She worked with Ghurka to produce the Scarf.  It is fabulous but no longer available.