Thematic Attic, Covina

Went on a little excursion Friday out of our usual "comfort area" and wound up in Covina at the Thematic Attic.  Not only is it a great resource for teachers and parents, but the owner, Valerie, has a knack for offering lots of things that grown-ups would want for themselves.  Each area is devoted to a theme -- art, Egypt, Spanish language books, classic children's literature, and there are toys and gifts to complement each theme.  She has rubber stamps, stickers, scrapbook paper, clip art books and lots of "toys" for all ages.  I picked up a book on Picasso written from the point of view of a child looking at Picasso's work and a "cubist" magnet set.  As we walked into the store (which is HUGE, by the way) we were greeted by a lifesize teaparty for "Alice" with the silent movie of Alice (from the 20's or 30's) playing on a TV in the background.  Alice "sets" were strategically placed around the store and everything was very inviting with lots of inventory and a huge variety to choose from.  Makes you want to have a kid...not again...Visit the web site: http://www.thematicattic.com/ or better yet, visit the store.  We also found some good thrift stores; Community Thrift on Arrow Hwy between Grand and Glendora Avenues and a few others.  Worth the trip (hardly any traffic from the OC in the middle of the day) to meet Valerie and Kathy and spend some time in this wonderful store...and they're STAMPERS!