One of the things we loved about our old downtown location (2008-2020) was the big inviting shop windows, and the foot traffic on Wall Street. We tried to decorate and paint the windows in creative ways that would draw people inside.
Elizabeth’s training as a theatrical set designer, and her tender years growing up with a dollhouse were both invaluable. As the displays got more and more complex, Rik often got drawn in to help with backdrops and props.
From 2011-2019, most of our window displays featured sock monkeys, Depression-era toys made from recycled materials. While all our research pointed against any racist origins, we came to conclude that there was too much risk of people conflating them with racial caricatures and we phased out this branding.