Reach and Teach Books, Toys, and Gifts

Category:	Book Store
Address:	144 W 25th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403, USA
Phone:	+1 650-759-3784
Site:	reachandteach.com
Rating:	5
Working:	Closed 11AM–6:30PM 11AM–6:30PM 11AM–6:30PM 11AM–6:30PM 11AM–6:30PM Closed

Location

Photos 38

Reviews 11

Teresa Ko

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 childrens play area with a table for arts and crafts, and surrounded by bookcases full of childrens 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 LOVE THIS STORE.

Madhuja Samaddar

Located on a street filled with restaurants, cafes and salons, its easy to miss this place. We stumbled upon it by chance, thanks to their very interesting mechanical window display and Im so glad we did. It has a very unique selection of toys, games and cute gifts and knickknacks from all over the world. It is also a bookstore with a cozy reading area at the back. Though the collection is not huge, there are very interesting picks and many of them have handwritten notes describing whats special about the book. Theres also a little book trading corner by the reading area. And the best part is that everything is sourced fair trade with the central theme being peace and sustainability. A whiff of fresh air in this era of online shopping and retail giants. Highly recommended!

Wendy Amengual Wark

Reach & Teach is more of a renewing experience than just a book and toy shop! Craig and Derrick welcome you with delicious tea and chocolate and then invite you to explore the educational books and toys, the fair trade jewelry and gifts for people of all ages. They are incredibly knowledgeable about every item, often knowing the artist or author personally. Peace and social justice are the main themes of Reach and Teach and their origami classes and readings by local authors are part of the community space that encourages curiosity, compassion, and sharing! They have created something very special! We stop in every time we are in the Bay Area and come away with very special items for ourselves and our loved ones!

Emily Tauscher

This is my favorite place to buy toys for all the young children I know. The selection if superb. I always start out browsing, but the staff members ask a few questions about the interests of the gift recipient and they swiftly select several products that would be perfectly suited. I have gone with the recommendations each time. I even threw a curveball with a unique and fun gift for my husband, a literary aficionado, and was quickly directed to the graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451. Perfect! I highly recommend this store, it is a San Mateo gem!

Desiree Thayer

Browse around this store and youll notice that every item was carefully selected. There are educational toys, games, and books for all ages, with great options focused on gender equality, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and peacemaking. There are also fair trade and local gifts. And theres a bulk soap refill station in the back, currently with laundry detergent, dish soap, and shampoo, with Castile soap coming soon.

Wendy Chou

There should be more small independent businesses like this one. Unique blend of childrens toys, books, music - very interesting selection. Fun demos keep the little ones entertained while you browse. They specialize in educational and / or sustainable themes. Very friendly staff. Definitely worth a visit!

Matthew P

Great store for educational and unique gifts for children (and adults). We went in with no specific direction and one of their staff members treated us like family. We left with awesome gifts for a two year old to a twelve year old and something for me (thirtyish). Highly recommend - check them out!

Suvrajit Saha

Unique collection of artifacts sourced from indigenous folk artist all over the world. Very friendly staff...its really a different shopping experience.

Sherri Rose

Super interesting toys, trinkets, etc. And they price the items at the same price as Amazon, so they arent marking up their products.

Kathony Chan

I like this store so much . Its kinda bits of this and that around the world and locals . Recommended!!!!!!

Roger Nolan

A unique selection. Always fun to visit. So glad we have this place.