June 4, 2012

A Store for Children

When I was little, I can remember my mom taking my sister and I to a very awesome store in our local mall.  I remember it being awesome because it had a hole that you could crawl through to get to the inside (there were also doors for the adult types) and there was a mini-amphitheater that seemed to be filled with soft toys and a television encased in the wall usually playing a loop of static (it was the early eighties…video or no video, just having a TV in the wall was awesome).

I loved that store and would BEG my mother to let us go in it just because crossing through the circular tunnel to get into the space seemed magical to me.

That’s probably why I was drawn to these two beautifully designed children’s stores.  They are both very unique and have very different concepts, but both seem so appealing to children.

Sweet William in Manhattan caters to the kid crowd with a fantastical, reclaimed wood archway, birch tree supported display tables and even a tiny mouse house and rabbit hole built into the walls.

On the opposite end of the fantasy spectrum is this beautiful children’s book store, Kid’s Republic, in Bejing. Small reading cubbies, light filled window seats and rainbow carpeted walkways combine to created an imaginative, comfortable place for children to explore the pages of their favorite stories and beyond.

 

Do you have a favorite children’s space from your childhood?

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(Photos 1&2: source, Photos 3-5: source)

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2 Responses to “A Store for Children”

  1. Sarah @ circle and sprout Says:
    June 5th, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    Wow! Amazing! I remember going into the children’s library where I grew up. It was in the basement of an old church (turned library) and they used the heatings ducts to make a giant caterpillar. Sadly the caterpillar is gone but the library got a spiffy reno!

  2. Miriam Says:
    June 7th, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    That just so reminded me of the Wanamakers in Philadephia that we used to go to to visit Santa every year. There was a train attached to the ceiling that you could ride in and it went around the toy floor. Now the building houses a Macy’s, but it is only up the the 3rd floor and if I recall, the toy floor was the 8th floor…wonder if they’ll every restore it?