Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Teaching Toys & Books goo

Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with an Ill-Tempered Gnome!

Teaching Toys & Books

When Peaks & Pints entered Teaching Toys & Books, we reverted to our elementary school self as we wondered, “How come this didn’t exist when we were kids?” and debated whether we needed to stock up on more Schylling NeeDoh goo balls. (The answer, this time, was yes.) The original Teaching Toys store was opened in 1981 in the historic Proctor District in North Tacoma. Their mission is to, “provide quality toys that support the emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of our neighborhood’s children. We search the world for the best of the best; applying strict standards of safety and durability to the toys we buy. Our staff is trained to assist shoppers in selecting age-appropriate gifts for infants, teens, and all ages in between from the thousands of products we have in stock. Our great selection, free gift wrapping, and customer appreciation punch cards are just some of the reasons we’ve been named ‘the best toy store in the galaxy’.” By the way, grab a Nee Doh: The Groovy Glob of gratifying goo as this ultimate stress ball will help you mellow out and find inner peace, tranquility, and calm mindfulness. Teaching Toys is also located in Uptown Gig Harbor. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, 2624 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253.759.9853

Oakshire Ill-Tempered Gnome

In 2006, when Jeff and Chris Althouse founded Oakshire Brewing Co. in Eugene, Oregon, they were the only employees, brewing Original Amber on a four-barrel system under the moniker Willamette Brewery. In 2008, Willamette Brewery became Oakshire Brewing. Today, Dan Russo leads the brewing operations of Oakshire’s collaborative production team and overseeing the Pilot, Vintage and Core Seasonal programs, including the annual release of their beloved Ill-Tempered Gnome. This winter warmer combines dark malts with resinous hops for a more ESB experience. Since the Gnome is on the cranky side, it makes sense to pair the winter beer with the stress-release goo ball from Teaching Toys.

Proctor District

Proctor is a boutique Tacoma neighborhood centered around North 26th Street and Proctor Street. It’s a small district packed with locally-owned and operated niche stores in which every detail — every window display, bushel of fresh produce or interior cheer — is carefully curated for customers. This year, the Proctor Business District dons candy cane stripes and white lights for their month-long “Meet Me At Proctor’s Peppermint Place” celebration. Peaks & Pints craft beer and cider bar, bottle shop and restaurant has called Proctor home for more than seven years. We’re proud to be a part of this wonderful, caring community.

LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory