Susan's Store Room – Blog Steiff Bears, Books Gifts, San Francisco, CA

This is a small window display to celebrate the Fourth of July and Teddy Roosevelt.    One of Teddy Roosevelts last adventures was a trip to to the Amazon Rainforest.    We have a fabulous book about this adventure called “River of Doubt”. This is a paper back book that makes a good Father’s Day Present.   “A Bully Father” is another fabulous book.  It is a reprint of an antique book which has all of Teddy Roosevelt’s letters to his children.   I think  you can guess that I am a huge Teddy Roosevelt fan.   I will put these books on our website Store.

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.

This was a fabulous adventure.  I highly recommend the Encanta La Vida where we stayed.  It reminded me of the the safari camps in Africa.  No TV, no hot water, lots of bugs, monkeys by the pool, howler monkeys in the trees, wonderful guests.  There are no mosquitoes, thanks to the bats.   There is nothing to be afraid of, its hot so you don’t need hot water, the bugs won’t hurt you, the monkeys won’t bother you, and you hardly notice the bats.   Family style dining with incredible local food.    Expect to see a Susan’s Store Room rainforest window soon.

Minor holds a boa found in the garden.

Susan makes a friend.

Brian, owner of The Encanta La Vida, with the baby toucan.

This baby was dropped by a vulture, who had taken it out of a nest.   Minor, the rescuer named him Tyson.

My son the surfer with his girlfriend Cynthia.