I’m a frequent patron at Henry Harde’s Wines, the closest wine store to my apartment. It has a decent selection of domestic and imported wines, and it’s cozy, with a piano near the door and a cat that roams the aisles. It hosts wine tastings and offers a strong selection of whiskey in a corner by the cash registers.
But what caught my eye the other day—or more accurately my 8-year-old daughter’s eye—was an elaborate window display depicting a tropical ecosystem, complete with ants, monkeys, macaws, plenty of tropical foliage and explanatory text worthy of the Museum of Natural History, all topped off with an almost life-sized stuffed leopard in the foreground, cradling a bottle of expensive-looking distilled spirits in his front paws.
The display completely fills one of the curved display windows that flank the entrance. The window itself is a sight to behold, an art-deco detail you don’t see around much anymore, but it was the display that held my daughter’s attention long enough for me to browse the shelves in peace.
Co-owner Glorie Anderson has been coming up with the displays for about 20 years. Each display is a labor of love, she said, taking three or four days to plan, research and install. She changes the displays with the seasons and the holidays, adding a few ecosystem displays throughout the year to keep it interesting. Anderson also loves to work in surprise characters, Disney themes and Swedish details. Her favorite holiday for window decorating? Halloween, hands down.
The tropical ecosystem will be coming down by this weekend, to be replaced by what has become a summer staple at Harde’s—the beach-themed window display.
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