The Maxiga Store
Neighborhood: East 60s
Type of Place: Gift Shops
Description:
A meeting I'd had on the Upper East Side—to which I'd dedicated the afternoon, even though I'd wished I could skip it altogether—was abruptly rescheduled for the following week, minutes after I arrived. Also it was raining. I had no umbrella. And I had to be somewhere at 6 P.M., so I didn't have enough time to retreat back home.
I needed a mood lightener, and I needed it fast. Fortunately I stumbled on the Maxiga Store, owned and run by husband-and-wife team Mark and Agnes Szlendak—a shop that in fact prides itself on merchandise chosen to bring a smile to a customer's face.
This mission was accomplished with me, for sure: I loved the fun, colorful, and sometimes wacky (but often surprisingly practical at the same time) merchandise in stock. Not a morning person? Perhaps an alarm clock that makes an animal sound could help (available in monkey, cow, frog, pig, and goldfish, $32). Wait...what was that last option? Goldfish?? What sound is that? I pressed the "sample" button on the back of the clock and heard the bubbling gurgle made when air is blown into liquid. My smile was starting to form.
In general, actually, the animal-related stuff here rocks: Animal-head-shaped shower caps ($10, in duck, cow, or mouse); sets of 6 porcelain plates decorated with puppies or kittens ($45); soap in the shape of a duck ($4.75); and umbrellas with cat ears and whiskers ($27, and very awesome).
Craving a cheery accessory? Try a multi-hued zipper-tab bracelet ($49), a brightly colored plastic watch ($35), or a ring with fabric flower petals and a bright light in the middle ($4.75).
Hard to categorize but nonetheless big fun: music boxes that play either a lullabye, "You've Got a Friend," or "Jingle Bells" (sorry to say, but winter is coming...), $12.50; a makeup case printed to look like a taco ($8); and a wire "head massager" that had a girl in the shop eagerly telling her mom it was the best thing ever ($5.75).
The rain was subsiding, and my grouchy mood had lifted too. Great to know this shop is here for gifts, party favors, and needed pick-me-ups—with 3 locations (this one, another on East 60th St., and one across the park on the Upper West Side), so you can duck in from the storms with greater ease. - Pamela Grossman
The Maxiga Store
1204 Lexington Ave
(60th & 61st Sts)
New York, NY 10065
(212) 288-0875
Map
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