Quirky Boutique Opens in West Hartford

Quirky, a new boutique located at 600 Oakwood Ave., is the perfect marriage between a business and its moniker.

Owner Gloria Delaney said in a telephone interview that she ran her wholesale business, Dwelling,  “for years and years,” buying for retailers like Coldwater Creek, Anthroplogie and National Geographic.

But now Delaney has decided to “take a step back” and leave that business to others.

Still, she has what she says are a lot of “beautiful, fantastic” products from far-flung places like Haiti and Kenya that she wants to sell.

“With all the stock I have, and I do not have any small local customers [read: businesses] in the area, and I know so many people, why not sell the stuff I have at wholesale prices?” she asked rhetorically.

Enter Quirky.

“Everything is handmade,” Delaney said. “They’re all-natural products.”

Among the items on display on Wednesday were hand-carved bowls from Kenya, salad servers, hand-made bowls from Haiti and an entire line of stuffed animals from Kenya.

The small store has Kenyan grave markers that were rescued from a bulldozer that was clearing a cemetery to make way for a mall.

Quirky also has animal masks hung on the wall along with an authentic - and legal - zebra skin.

The inventory is unique, which means what’s in stock today may not be there tomorrow. But, Delaney said, there will be other, ahem, quirky things to take sold items’ place.

“Because of all my travels, I picked up the things that other tourists didn’t want and brought it home,” she said.

Delaney plans on selling those items as well, all due to the demand in town.

“People in West Hartford want different pieces,” she said. “It’s good product. I have the best job in the world.”