The Nature Company | TheaterFire

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WaitUntilTheHighway@reddit

Dude I miss the maximalism that was inherent to so much of the '90s. This store rocked. I liked the globes, and all the other random crystals and shit.

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TheBackSpin@reddit

I can literally still feel the smooth rocks!

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Romulan-Jedi@reddit

I would get my hats there. I still have one with the logo on the inside crown.

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SeaSkimmer2@reddit

Pretty sure I still have some cool minerals from there in a box somewhere. Fool’s Gold and the hollowed out crystallized quartz rocks were particularly awesome.

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Invidiana@reddit

I still have my crystal collection from them. The one by me had a huge amethyst geode I could only dream of owning.

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possibri@reddit

I wanted one of those geodes soooo bad. I think my parents ended up getting me a tiny piece of one, but the dream was definitely to own a full one lol

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Sharessa84@reddit

We had a similar store at our local mall called The Naturium. I do remember going to a Nature Company in Seattle though.

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veglove@reddit

wait, apples poop?? I missed that lesson in Biology class.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

By way of shedding bark and dropping leaves, as well as sap, trees do in fact excrete their biologic metabolic waste

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OcdBartender@reddit

My kids loved these books! We particularly enjoyed All About Scabs

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InNausetWeTrust@reddit

One of the first books I read to my kids as babies (now pre-teens/teens). 🎉

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Aggravating-Alarm-16@reddit

Still waiting for Weird Al and Rem to spoof Everybody hurts

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sidereal-studio@reddit

We read this to our 2 yo now. He’s desperate to know what whale poop looks like. On the whale page: “no poop?!”

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

Turns out, it's all liquid. Yay biology!

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Aselleus@reddit

That image was part of a pub trivia question and I couldn't remember where I had seen it..still mad I couldn't remember where it was from. Now I'll never forget 😂

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

I wish i knew what happened to my old copy

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giantredwoodforest@reddit

Wow! Bought this for my kids a few years ago. Haha!

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

I bought it the second I saw it. Teenage me and beavis and butthead humor, ya know?

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veglove@reddit

I got a t-shirt of a humpback whale that I wore until it fell apart there. I was very passionate about saving the whales.

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iiooiooi@reddit

Far and away, the best store at the mall.

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Flashy-Share8186@reddit

playing with the rain sticks that no one would buy for me. I do have a bunch of polished rocks and agates from there though.

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gee8@reddit

I will buy you a rain stick

That you can listen to

I will buy you a crystal

Perfect, shiny and blue

I will buy you that CD

So you can listen and chill

I will buy you a rain stick

Oh yes, I will

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sweet_pickles12@reddit

Yes. So much time with the rain sticks.

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Able_Conflict_1721@reddit

Is it just me having a different sense of time, or did the ones they have go on for a long time? I feel like the ones I find in gift shops today only last like a second or two.

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SqAznPersuasion@reddit

This was the only place I found a rain stick that was longer than 12yo me. I -LOVED- the mega rain stick and always asked my parents to get one. They never did.

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WhoDatNinja30@reddit

Can here for a rain stick comment! Thank you! Man those were fun to play with in the store

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luke_ubiquitous@reddit

I only remember Natural Wonders. I wonder if it was the same company but in different markets?

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Alijony@reddit

Ah yeah, that's the name I remember! I remember when Gloria Jean's opened a few stores down at my local mall and the smells of coffee beans after leaving Natural Wonders were heavenly.

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chichicupcake@reddit

I I used to work at Gloria Jean’s Coffee! It’s how met my future husband, who worked at Pac Sun and The Gap. It was a Xennial mall romance. We’re married with a kid now.

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WhistlesMcBritches@reddit

Gloria Jean’s was so much better than Starbucks

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slvrdrgn@reddit

Yes! I still have one of the wolf t-shirts I bought there. That with a crystal necklace and flannel was my daily uniform.

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I was a manager at Natural Wonders in Chicago LoL that company was poorly managed on the district corporate level and my DM stole shit from our store ALL THE TIME. I’m like dude- it’s a kids light. We get a 60 percent discount. Like why.

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Username524@reddit

I wouldn’t be who I am today if Natural Wonders didn’t exist in my mall growing up lol

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getinmybelly29@reddit

Same! #briarwoodmall

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abushelandapeck@reddit

Same, I remember Natural Wonders.

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KronlampQueen@reddit

We had Natural Wonders where I lived too.

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Chodyzzz@reddit

Like punto de mayo in Seinfeld

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Fuckin_Hipster@reddit

Fierce competitors

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Minute-Attempt1811@reddit

They would sell black Chinese Mary Jane shoes in a basket there and they were extremely trendy at my middle school

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Possible-Jerk0138@reddit

Yess

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sorrymizzjackson@reddit

Wow! We had to go to the Chinese import store for ours. I still have some red satin ones. I must now find and wear them!

Remember the mesh slippers with the flowers on them? My friend at the time wore those things everywhere!

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Possible-Jerk0138@reddit

Yess

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Ok-Neighborhood6668@reddit

Omg I completely forgot this existed, thank you for bringing that back lol

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wrestlegirl@reddit

I spent hours in that store listening to sample clips of nature music on the little kiosk and spending all my money on the best crystals and stones.

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Pale_Row1166@reddit

I didn’t grow up with malls but most of the stores had flagship NYC locations that I’d visit. This one did not make it out of the mall, though, I can say I have never stepped into one of these.

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missthiccbiscuit@reddit

Ok

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TechGuy42O@reddit

What was the name of those CDs? I’ve been trying to remember for the life of me

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wrestlegirl@reddit

That was a rabbit hole! My mind was stuck on Pure Moods but I knew that couldn't be right...

Nature Quest, Lifescapes, Soundscapes

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ComfortFairy@reddit

I had one with frogs and one with wolves howling. An hour plus of each. Listened to them at night on my AIWA to help me sleep on school nights.

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Itakethngzclitorally@reddit

It was the constant background noise of people tipping the rain sticks over and over that floods my memories.

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persimmon9847@reddit

YES

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giantredwoodforest@reddit

Memories!

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fordfist@reddit

That just brought back a long lost memory, thank you

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TumbleDownShaq@reddit

Free dixie cup of herbal tea to take out the teenage cotton mouth

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newtrollacct@reddit

Them getting rid of this store was the downfall of malls

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missnorden@reddit

I bought so many sand filled stuffed lizards here

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JustHereForCookies17@reddit

Wait, is this where I got my Peace Frogs?! I still have two of those guys floating around.

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sorrymizzjackson@reddit

No, that was likely the kiosk where they sold hemp necklaces and those sexy cat stickers.

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WhiskerWizard626@reddit

This was my favorite store when I was a kid (and The Imaginarium). I still have a little box from the store. Don't remember what was in it, but it's in great shape.

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jeffmac82@reddit

I worked at the Imaginarium for a few months around 2003—that’s where I learned my wrapping skills.

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francie-potato@reddit

Ohh, the Imaginarium! Also a must-see mall destination. That sign was mesmerizing

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WhiskerWizard626@reddit

So sparkly!

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OSCgal@reddit

I loved that store! I still have a little glass bottle with water and gold flakes in it that they sold. It sparkles so gorgeously in sunlight.

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bmn001@reddit

This place introduced thousands of people to the Higher Octave Music and Windham Hill record labels.

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OSCgal@reddit

I have a couple Windham Hill Christmas albums that get played every year. They're great background music!

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ValancyNeverReadsit@reddit

Ohhhh, my ex-boyfriend made me a CD that had Windham Hill piano music because he knew I liked piano music. I didn’t know where it came from until just this moment!

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Invidiana@reddit

I always went straight for the back section with all the crystals. Seriously, you could have left me there for hours and I wouldn’t have noticed because I still would have been staring, mesmerized.

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Rare-Boss2640@reddit

I loved this place. It made me happy

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Dude_man79@reddit

As a kid I bought a barometer from The Nature Company years ago. Still have it in my bedroom, to see what the weather is going to be today.

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Twizad@reddit

My mom once had a panic attack in this store while Enya was playing and rushed my sister and I out because she could feel the presence of the devil. We were forbidden to ever go back because it was “New Age.”

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Anonstigram@reddit

RAIN STICK!

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fourofkeys@reddit

i got a little egg from here that you could open and watch a tiny plastic animal move around.

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Western-Jump-63@reddit

I loved this place! I still have some stuff I bought from there. Fountain pens and pots of ink, but being a leftie, I can't use that stuff without getting it all over me! I think I bought my picnic basket there too, and I still use it!

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GeetarEnthusiast85@reddit

Man, this is a store I miss. I loved the aesthetics. Looking at that picture, I wish I had a room that looked like that. Maybe an idea for a bathroom or something.

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nancy_drew_98@reddit

And then I went next door to Garden Botanika to buy my makeup. Oh, how I miss the 90s!

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Dry-Broccoli3096@reddit

I was at a museum gift shop last week and it was totally giving TNC vibes 💓 nostalgia

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lik_a_stik@reddit

Got me into gems, crystals, and rock hunting. Would stare intently at that back wall for hours.

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Difficult_Cake_7460@reddit

Oh gosh, I bought so many overpriced necklaces from here lol

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JustHereForCookies17@reddit

Dolphin EVERYTHING!

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Difficult_Cake_7460@reddit

Yessssss

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yespls@reddit

This was my favorite store and the only reason I went to the mall. I still have my amber necklace I bought there in 1996 🥲

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PotsMomma84@reddit

What year was this around?

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ValancyNeverReadsit@reddit

Mid to late 1990s

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PotsMomma84@reddit

Did they have the little sea creature oil packets too. I think Cape Coral Florida had this store. But I don’t remember it in my Michigan memories. My grandma spoiled me, I was the first grandchild.

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ValancyNeverReadsit@reddit

Ya know, I don’t remember. Where I do remember things like that from was the New Orleans aquarium’s gift shop, even though I spent more time in the Nature Company stores.

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absentlyric@reddit

I feel like this store would actually do better in todays society. Every tourist place I go there's always a tiny shop selling New Age wares like crystals and homemade soaps, they're packed now.

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thatstwatshesays@reddit

Right between Brookstone and KB Toys, my favorite corner of the mall 🥲

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ValancyNeverReadsit@reddit

I think mine was right by the Disney Store, maybe across the aisle from it

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CrypticTurbellarian@reddit

This store and Imaginarium were the best things ever to happen to me in elementary school. I remember saving money for months to buy an ammonite fossil.

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Knightro829@reddit

One of my favorite stores in the mall. I got a fountain for my room at one point in high school…keeping that thing clean was an adventure.

Was curious as to its fate…Wikipedia tells me that Discovery Channel bought the company in 1996 and by 2001 had either closed or converted to Discovery Channel stores all of the remaining stores.

Better times…

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Calm_Pear_9552@reddit

I think about this place from time to time. Still remember where it was in the Bridgewater Mall.

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honeypot17@reddit

I still have jewelry and polished rocks from there. I loved that store.

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CapitanRonRico@reddit

It's the natural history museum gift shop, just without the natural history museum.

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nickfolesknee@reddit

My first job! Loved it

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Ancient_Trip6716@reddit

I got my first job wrapping Christmas gifts at the Nature Company at Horton Plaza in San Diego. It was such a pleasant place to work — so beautiful and the people were so nice. This brings back sweet memories.

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MonkuMonkuMonku@reddit

The moss green paper, right?? I got to take home a roll and wrapped presents in it for yeeeeears!!

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MonkuMonkuMonku@reddit

I used to work at The Nature Company!! I was 16 and had to memorize the rocks we sold (tiger eye agate!) and I loved it! So many kooky New Age-y folks would come in! Thank you for sharing this post!

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B_Williams_4010@reddit

I used to buy their mood music/soundscape CDs, like Ed Van Fleet.

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Some-Bullfrog-4768@reddit

Were Windham Hill records there?

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B_Williams_4010@reddit

I think they were.

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Some-Bullfrog-4768@reddit

Those are amazing. The early ones are up there with Eno’s ambient albums.

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Crispy_Fish_Fingers@reddit

Absolutely.

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DiscoLibra@reddit

The rain sticks!

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Travnewmatic@reddit

i can smell it

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Last_Spare@reddit

We used to really BE a country

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martialar@reddit

the monoculture is dead and is only revived every 2 years by the Olympics

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510Goodhands@reddit

I worked at the corporate flagship store, because I thought it was a good company. It wasn’t, particularly the manager of the store. FU Linda!

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Pristine_Software_55@reddit

And The Museum Company! (At least at West Edmonton Mall)

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ddiknosaj@reddit

I worked at a nature company for a summer

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snarkerella@reddit

I still want my rain walking stick, dammit! It's been over 30 years and I have yet to get one. *sobs*

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Concrecia@reddit

You are an adult now, you can buy as many rain sticks as you want!

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snarkerella@reddit

But never the one from the nature store.

gif

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Recent_Permit2653@reddit

My brother managed the one at Stanford mall in California.

Later when it got bought by Discovery channel, he managed the flagship store in San Francisco!

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SmCaudata@reddit

I had a small globe with algae and shrimp in it. My last shrimp lived for over 2 years and 2 moves.

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2nd2lastdragon@reddit

those mirror illusions that made the frog look like a holligram

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Crispy_Fish_Fingers@reddit

I used to look through the drawers of fossils with my grandma. She loved this place, and so did I.

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Spare-Good-5372@reddit

Spent a lot of time and money here

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Tenaciousgreen@reddit

oh my god the sensory joys, I miss that store so much

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Green_Machine_4077@reddit

Randomly bought a couple of the coolest cassettes ever there, a didgeridoo music tape called "Dawn Until Dusk" and a "tropical jungle sounds" tape. My friends & I would constantly get high to that shit. It was the best.

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Ghoulfriend88@reddit

I absolutely miss stores like this 😥

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dewihafta@reddit

I would love to open up this kind of store in this day and age. I wonder how that would fly.

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polkadotrose707@reddit

It’d probably get a bunch of my money 😂

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liquidlatitude@reddit

I have a couple trinkets to this day from this place, but many more memories. It was an oasis inside an otherwise sensory jungle.

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sator-2D-rotas@reddit

Pretty sure the geode bookends I got as a gift were from here. Either way I know I killed a lot of time in these stores.

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FlexMcBuff@reddit

I have a piece of amber with an ant in it and a fossilized shark tooth from there, along with various rocks

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cacecil1@reddit

I really miss this store!

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ladydonttekno1@reddit

When the mall used to be cool

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katiw46@reddit

I only remember Natural Wonders. I was borderline-obsessed with that store. My grandmother bought my sister and I the "Everybody Poops" book from there and my mom was clutching her pearls and had a fit over it. That might have been the only thing we ever actually purchased though...I mostly remember spending a ridiculous time playing with the rain sticks, etc and then leaving without spending any money.

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imnojezus@reddit

This was the first place I ever heard Orinoco Flow by Enya. No idea why that stuck with me all this time but it’s a solid 90’s-core memory.

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NastyMsPiggleWiggle@reddit

Same here! It kind of made me tear up. They also had an animatronic wooly mammoth.

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originalbrowncoat@reddit

Weekends at the mall with the family! I would go to this store and Babbages while my sister went to the Limited Too and probably J Crew or some such

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Modem_Handshake@reddit

Lololol omg Babbages!

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lolafairfax@reddit

My favorite store!! I still have some earrings from here and I might still have a framed print -- I had a couple at one point. I loved the little plastic animals as a kid, had a ton of them. I worked at Natural Wonders and Imaginarium because Nature Company was a little too far away as a high school kid.

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