Whether you’re age 9 or 99, there is a magical place in the suburbs of Philadelphia ready to stir your wonder and joy. pucciManuli, a retailer in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, carries whimsical gifts for children of all ages. Imagination, curiosity, and human connection are at the basis of all they do, and their lovely collection of items reflects this. You’ll be hard-pressed to find plastic toys or quick fads at pucciManuli. Instead, the store owner values quality, sustainably made products that can be passed on as timeless keepsakes for generations to come.
In honor of Small Business Saturday, Compendium is highlighting some of the amazing retailers we work with. We had the honor of chatting with Carrie Kohs, owner of pucciManuli, about the ways that they’re bringing more beauty, creativity, and inspiration into the world through their breathtaking store.
What types of products does your store focus on?
pucciManuli sells a remarkable collection of finely crafted gifts for children of all ages, from newborns to grandparents and every age in between. We thrive on the extraordinary, unique, and special. Each and every gift we offer is hand selected with intention for its quality, with special attention paid to thoughtful products designed to spark curiosity, foster imagination, and most importantly, inspire human connection. It’s why Compendium products have been a staple in our shop for so long.
What do you hope people will experience as they browse?
We hope to spark a little bit of curiosity and thoughtful conversations with everyone who walks through our doors and/or visits our website. We also believe imagination is a superpower that fuels innovation, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find us ever selling anything that contains plastic and/or that requires batteries or electricity of any kind.
What makes your store unique? What do you hope to bring to your community through your presence?
Our shop was specifically designed around the concept of discovery. Through a seemingly haphazard merchandising strategy (we don’t have rows and rows of shelving), you’ll find unexpected products nestled next to each other throughout the displays, increasing the chances you’ll discover something you may have otherwise missed. With this display strategy, it’s our hope to re-surface those feelings of wonder and joy you so often experienced as a child, when the world around you was filled with mystery and magic, and anything was possible.
Is your store involved with any community organizations or events?
We’re committed to helping each other help others in our community. One way we do this is with our signature Circle-of-Giving program designed to share and/or repurpose our abundance and/or resources with our neighbors. We ask each organization requesting a donation from pucciManuli to match our donation with one of their own in the form of gently used children’s books, school supplies, volunteer hours, and/or other resources benefitting children in our underfunded neighboring communities. In turn, we share the requesting organization’s donation directly with one of the local nonprofits we partner with.
As you think about the magic of the holidays, what do you hope your store can offer more of in the world?
Hope. In this fast-paced, technological, seemingly divided society we find ourselves living in, we’ve learned that when we slow down long enough to witness the wonders of the world around us, we’re reminded there is more goodness than we’re led to believe and we’re far more alike than some would like us to believe. We want to celebrate these wonders and the infinite beauty of our shared humanity.
Running a business is a significant commitment. What inspires you?
We’re on an eternal quest to push the envelope and find new and inspiring ways to create wonder and meaning for our customers. And hearing their stories along with their appreciation and respect for what we’re trying to accomplish with this simple little shop motivates us to persist through the difficult periods. There is also an endless supply of beauty, creativity, and inspiration in this world and I’m always in awe when I happen upon it in the form of beautiful, creative, and inspiring products I can share with our customers. I like to think I’m paying it forward.
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To learn more about pucciManuli, check out their website here. If you’re local to the Philadelphia area, stop in and say hi and explore this inviting store for yourself. pucciManuli is located at 2 E Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003.
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