Submitted by Jeff Fast
(July 1, 2024) — Into the Woods, “the gift store…inspired by Nature,” opened its doors on Bridge Road in the Tylerville section of Haddam on June 18, 2018. The owner, Jeff Fast, has been a student of Nature all his life. His knowledge, passion and curiosity are an integral part of Into the Woods.
“When I opened my shop, I wanted to make sure it was a place kids could explore. We all want our kids to be exposed to the natural world, but there are so many places where kids have to ‘keep their hands in their pockets and look with their eyes.’ In my store, I want kids to pick things up and check them out. I want them to explore and become familiar with Nature’s treasures,” Jeff explained.
It shows. Besides the many crystals, fossils, shells, framed butterflies and jewelry for sale, there’s also a fossil dinosaur egg that kids can hold, and a fossil pine cone that is 190 million years old! Kids can open crystal-filled geodes right in the store with the “Kraken.” They can also see the incredible gram quality blue and green aquamarines Jeff found right here in Haddam! Did you know that Haddam is one of the world’s hotspots for minerals like gem beryl, topaz, tourmaline, garnet?
Into the Woods is located at 106 Bridge Road. Because of the recent construction in the area, it has been awarded an $8500 grant from the Middlesex County Revitalization Commission (MCRC). (Photo above, Jeff Fast, right, with Haddam First Selectman Robert McGarry)
The grant is designed to help small businesses grow and expand as the town grows and expands. Jeff has already used the money to help hire a marketer to help with social media advertising, so we can look forward to many more visitors coming to visit Into the Woods and the other attractions in the Haddam area.
Photos by Janine Shumbo-Jenks and Edward Munster
