Interested in seeing a lot of teddy bears but don’t know where to find them? Look no further than the Hudson River Valley and the town of Stone Ridge, New York. There you’ll find The Den of Marbletown, a Steiff teddy bear museum and gift shop. Owned and run by Steve and Nan Ferri, it’s more than just a lot of teddy bears on shelves or in cases, though there are plenty of those. The Ferri’s also arrange some of their bears in dioramas such as this one of the D&H Canal. Don’t these bears look like they’re really living life to its fullest? And inviting us to do the same.
The idea for a museum sort of grew on the Ferri’s. Nan grew up with teddy bears, since her mother Grace Bress collected Steiff teddies. Steve was introduced to the joy of teddy bears by Grace and Nan.
But they hadn’t always thought of owning a museum, and for teddy bears at that. Nan was a documentary filmmaker by profession, with her films showing at the Sundance and Tribeca film festivals. Steve had been a television news producer in New York City (and a chef before that) before he and Nan and daughter Ella moved to the Hudson Valley area. Then Grace kept giving them more bears from her Steiff collection to make room for more at her house. Steve knew he was going to continue to get more teddies, and wondered what to do with them? Share them was the answer.
Why a museum just for Steiff? Both the Ferri’s were struck by the lifelike expressions and the quality of the Steiff animals. They’re also fascinated by learning that Steiff, a German toy company that has been around since 1880 and making teddies for generations, had such little name recognition in the United States. Steiff bears, for example, are easily recognizable by the button in one ear and their long arms.
The Den opened in October 2014, after being in the planning stages for five years as the Ferri’s looked for just the right location, and has become a favorite stop-over for travelers ever since. Nan, who also has a background in art history and museum education, is the curator of the museum, responsible for changing the displays and making new and interesting dioramas.
One of the museum’s pride and joy is a 1904 original Steiff teddy, on loan from a Canadian family. Steve said he would really like to find a PB55, the “Holy Grail” of teddies, but figures the bear would be out of his price range even if one was ever found.
In the meantime, he and Nan are happy spreading the good news of Steiff, and showing visitors through their museum. And, of course, helping Steiff teddies find homes.