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

Thanksgiving at Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay, NY.  c 1906,     Teddy Roosevelt is ready to carve the Turkey.

Thanksgiving Decorations.   Gifts for the Hostess.

We are getting ready for Fall, one of our favorite times of the year.   We are  starting to put some of our Halloween out.  Halloween is always a big event at Susan’s Store Room.  You will not want to miss it.   We switch the inside of the store to Halloween slowly as it takes weeks.   As we put Halloween out we will put some of our very special items on our online Shop.   Be sure and check often. Our STEIFF EVENT is Saturday Oct. 17.   I will be taking pictures on our “Paper Moon”.     More information soon.

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.

Stop by and see the new window display. “Old Marin” is the theme.