Stranger Than Paradise Gifts

Step inside Stranger than Paradise and you will discover a magical world of imagination and wonder created by husband and wife team Lucia Di Mauro and Matthew Aldridge.

As North Melbourne locals and parents, they noticed a gap in the North Melbourne market for a toy store that encapsulated the ones that Lucia remembered from her childhood.

“I always liked toys and gifts and enjoyed these sorts of stores when I would go shopping as a kid. Stores with novelties and silly quirky stuff,” reminisces Lucia. “I’ve always wanted a store like this, so I decided to open one when my son was around six months old.”

Lucia already had a history of working in retail, and as a parent, she understood the needs of her customers. When Lucia and Matthew came across empty lawyers’ offices on Errol Street, they had a vision of transforming the rooms into an amazing treasure trove of toys and gifts.

Stranger Than Paradise opened in 2015 with a shopfront and an online store shipping all over Australia.

“The shop name came from a movie I used to love called Stranger Than Paradise,” laughs Lucia.

“When we were thinking up names, I thought that one sounded quirky. Because we wanted to offer a different kind of toy store experience, the name seemed to match with the type of store that we were aiming for.”

Stranger Than Paradise has something for everyone when it comes to toys and gifts that may be a little bit quirky or different from the norm - everything from baby to children’s toys, games, homewares, novelty items, cards, and crafts. Bestsellers include the beautifully tactile Grimms wooden toys, the soft toys by Kallisto and science kits for curious kids.

“We hand select and spend a lot of time finding high-quality items to stock. We source from multiple locations locally and internationally and have a variety of products which makes us unique to other toy stores,” explains Lucia. “Everything here is something that I love.”

Lucia says her customers love Stranger Than Paradise because they know that they can pop in, even at the last minute, and always find the perfect item.

“I’ve always enjoyed retail and customer service. I love the satisfaction of seeing the joy and happiness that people get when they purchase the right thing from me.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio