Reach and Teach Books, Toys, and Gifts — Local services in San Carlos

Really cute store on a random street in San Mateo with a lot of little shops and restaurants. This place reminds me of a fantastic fair-trade shop called "Ten Thousand Villages" from the Pacific Northwest. The owner/host of the store is very nice and friendly, and offers you water, tea, and even a little piece of dark chocolate (tastefully/hygienically covered with a little clear plastic cup) when you enter the store. I could spend hours in this store looking through the interesting/eclectic book selection; toys; body butters/lotions; and other gifts. There are so many unique toys and gifts with their inspiration or actual origin from all over the world. The back half of the store is designed a children's play area with a table for arts and crafts, and surrounded by bookcases full of children's books. My favorite sections, though, are the toy and music sections where there are a lot of fantastic musical toys, puzzles, and other items that could easily keep both you and/or a child entertained for hours. They have puzzle toys and other small games similar to the Marbles: The Brain Store, but also other unique gifts like building blocks with Korean, Chinese, Japanese, ASL; toy trucks/cars on a string; ankle beads that can be both decorative and a percussive instrument; and my favorite, a fantastic xylophone built entirely of wooden pieces. Another lovely thing: they have beautiful greeting cards that are made locally and/or handmade, some of which are very unique and quite beautiful. You can probably tell: I...

I’m the cool Auntie amongst my married friends. And as the cool Auntie, I need to also supply their babies and kids with equally cool toys and gifts. Alas- I’ve found a store that encompasses all of this and so much more! I chanced upon this store via google and am so happy I did. The store has a wide array of gifts from books, puzzles, toys, plushies, clothing and more to satisfy everyone’s taste and imagination. I usually don’t have a hard time shopping, but since there were so many great options, the decision process was harder than usual. Thanks to the help of the owner, Derrick who was ever so patient as I traversed the inventory for fun toys that were easily transportable as these were accompanying me on a trip, I was able to grab a few noteworthy items to share with my friend’s kids. All of the books and toys in this store encourages a sense of learning and ignites curiosity that appeal to all ages (Heck, there were even some puzzles that I had trouble figuring out on my own ha!).

Parking was easy and free along the street. I’d highly recommend anyone who is looking for a great, memorable, character building gift to come here. Grateful to find a go to store now and appreciate the attentiveness of Derrick and all this store...

BEWARE! You will spend far more than you had planned because Reach and Teach is THAT awesome :-)

R&T is the kind of place where you keep finding things to add to the pile for checkout. In a day of specialization, R&T offers a wonderfully diverse selection of items that are all about care, justice, love, and healing. Whether you need a book for any age and topic, a toy that is environmentally and developmentally awesome, or a whimsical item to express goodness in the world, you will find it here!

Lastly, the owners Craig and Derrick, are the epitome of small business owners who are invested in the community and committed to their local clientele. While they have a robust online ordering system, their connection to the people who enter the store makes this place special!

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