THE WOODS:
A New Kind of Curiosity Shop Comes to the Mission
Equal parts gallery, gift shop and museum of the mind-bending, The Woods is the creation of sisters Lisa and Sandy Wood, two San Francisco artists with a taste for the strange and singular.
“It’s a store. But really, it’s what people used to call a cabinet of curiosities,” says Lisa Wood, “the kind of place we always wanted to stumble across. A hole in the wall packed with unexpected treasures and bizarre surprises—whimsical and fun, but also haunting and mysterious. It’s basically a little corner of the weird world inside our heads, made real and wackily retail.”
“Think The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari meets Moonrise Kingdom,” adds Sandy. “And if you have no idea what either of those movies is about, don’t worry. There’s something in here for everyone, and it’s all completely one-of-a-kind.”
Indeed, in an age of ever-increasing sameness, The Woods has declared itself an emporium of uber-uniqueness. The sisters have lined the shelves and walls with their own art—which ranges freely from large abstract paintings to diminutive insect dioramas, shadowboxes, jewelry, silhouettes, assemblages and custom-crafted pet urns—packed in among pieces of outsider art, naïve art, and found art, from loved-to-death toys to taxidermy oddities.
“We’re on a mission to bring back thoughtful gifts and elements of home décor,” says Sandy. “We want people to come in, browse, dream, and find something they never could have imagined.”
“And if they don’t find, we’ll make it!” says Lisa. “We’re setting up a studio right in the middle of the store, where we’ll be making customized creations to collect or give as gifts.”
Two sisters. Two lifetimes of transforming dreams into art. And now, those dreams have a magical, mysterious place to call their own. Welcome to The Woods.