Press

Curiosities for Kids

by Allison Arieff, Sunset editor-at-large
December 23, 2008

Do you remember a time when childhood didn't involve batteries, videos, and plastic?

Sean Quigley does. Proprietor of the quixotic Paxton Gate, a San Francisco store selling a marvelous concoction of oddities from mounted butterflies to bat skeletons, Sputnik sea urchins to silver rings, apothecary jars to air plants, Quigley, just opened a new store, Paxton Gate's Curiosities for Kids.

Entering through the store's double doors is akin to stepping into an enchanted forest. An oasis from Leapster and the Disney Princesses, the new store puts curiosity, imagination, and wonder on display. A recent visit there was a magical distraction in the midst of holiday madness for me and my three-year old daughter, (and we were able to pick up a wonderful, non-toxic sand toy set for her new little cousin).

Quigley's curatorial bent leans toward the unusual and unexpected. Non-toxic, sustainable materials are a priority as is interactivity and one-of-a-kindness. You're child won't be the first on the block to have one of these treasures; they're more likely to be the only kid to have, say, a dissected frog made from organic wool: “One of the aims of the new store is to provide a place to purchase the tried-and-true toys we played with as children,” says the soon to be new parent Quigley, “as well as the toys our parents played with as children.”