Foxmaid is a den of worldly delights

Anyone who has ever traveled abroad knows how difficult it is to limit foreign purchases to a single suitcase. When Brian McGuffy and Leif Holland, the owners of Capitol Hill home-décor store Square Room, traveled to Europe this past year, they decided to forgo restricting their finds and shipped back a shop's worth of tchotchkes, curios and bibelots.

Foxmaid, which opened in the Pike/Pine corridor of Capitol Hill last month, is the result of their travels.

The store's stark interior spotlights the absolute beauty and uniqueness of their unusual inventory. Black and red Italian crystal chandeliers hang above tables and shelves of French bath products, porcelain sculptures, statuary and stationery.

A stuffed red fox nestles on a tabletop in the far corner, keeping a keen eye on shoppers. On the back wall, alpaca, Persian lamb and rabbit fur hats ($145-$395), along with fox and rabbit fur earmuffs ($75-$150), all from Russia, rest on white mannequin heads like unruly heads of hair.

Visual Dolls ($135-$145) from Poland are miniature marionettes, handmade of wood and resin, dressed in charming costumes, and intricately painted, some clutching pet bunnies or dogs. The dolls and various electronic train sets give credence to Brian's description of Foxmaid as "a toy store for adults."

Mixed in with treasures from London, France and India is the Stix and Stones magnetic jewelry of Seattle company Lichen. These necklaces and earrings ($80-$140) are made of magnetic rods and balls, allowing the wearer to move pieces around to form her own designs. Portland artist Stephanie Simek's whimsical jewelry ($30-$125), which incorporates gilded quail eggs and eyelashes made of human hair, is also represented.

A den of worldly delights, Foxmaid offers a journey through the artistic works of many nations, including our own, making it well worth a trip.

Foxmaid is at 411 E. Pine St.; 206-267-7120.

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