Shopping

When Linda Hill was a child, her aunt gave her the latest doll, Betsy McCall, who had knees that bent and a wardrobe that could be expanded by mail. Betsy's clothes and lifestyle were inspired by a paper doll whose cheerful days were depicted in mini-episodes in McCall's.

Like many of us Betsy owners (who may be grandmothers today), Hill prized and played with her doll for many years. Unlike most of us, she kept the box that Betsy came in and the original paperwork. No one told her this would dramatically increase Betsy McCall's collectible value in later years; it just seemed right.

It must have been destiny, since today Hill owns an astonishingly diverse toy shop, where she brings out her vintage Betsy McCall to show prospective buyers eyeing the reissue of this adorable doll (about $40).

Hill had owned a toy store for 12 years in Indiana when she met George Smith and they decided to go into business together. They both cherished toys and wanted to live in Naples, which eventually led them to Third Street South and a location for Attic Toys. As the shop enters its second season, an already remarkable number of sophisticated toy connoisseurs and everyday young and young-at-heart shoppers have come to play there.

In the category of haute toys (the kind indulgent grandparents or nervous new stepparents search for), a $4,000 hand-carved rocking horse with genuine leather saddle and real horsehair mane could do the trick. Or consider a scale-model grand piano that comes with its own fold-up music rack for $875.

Attic Toys' impressive collection of pedal cars, each costing about $250 or so, is Smith's personal indulgence. His favorite childhood toy was his yellow racer, which bore the number eight. He never quite recovered from the injustice of outgrowing this toy, so he buys all kinds of pedal cars for the store: fire engines, police cars, a Model T, a woody station wagon and several colors of a '57 Chevy convertible. One customer recently bought three.

Attic Toys, as you've probably guessed, has a full range of playthings for grown-ups; and with the holiday gift-giving season looming, this gallery is the place to unearth unusual presents for adults who are difficult to please.

What business executive couldn't warm to the idea of having a 14K gold Slinky sitting on his or her desk? It's only $100 and comes in a handsome walnut presentation case. This limited edition Slinky commemorates the 55th anniversary of the toy. A Slinky provides better stress relief than a pill. And in action, this particular one performs like liquid, cascading gold. It's kinetic art, really.

I also like the Mexican Train Game ($30), a spin on dominoes that adults are playing in groups. I understand it's very au courant in condo clubhouses to have Mexican Train tournaments. It's something to check out as a gift for a friend who likes to be slightly ahead of the home-entertainment curve.

For the model-vehicle collector, do investigate the Bath Iron Works cars and trucks that are 1/43 scale and sell for $125. They're fabulous-looking, and the detail will make you stop and admire the craftsmanship even if you don't amass this kind of collectible toy yourself.

If you have a child in tow when you visit Attic Toys, expect that youngster to immediately find the Tree House or the Pirate Ship, two wooden play sets that can be added to. They sell for about $120 and are truly delightful. The Papo action figures (three inches high) with their accompanying animals are among the best and most finely detailed that I've encountered for mass-market toys. Made of sturdy resin, each is only about $3. They can be tossed about and washed under the faucet for years to come. And if the dog eats one, replacing it isn't a big deal.

As the name conveys, there is a nostalgic element to the inventory and attitude of Attic Toys. Linda Hill and George Smith deal in quality toys and books that can be passed from one generation to the next. This couple has the impeccable taste of wildly imaginative children.

Mary Brandt is a self-confessed hardware snob. She can't help it. Wherever she goes-hotels, offices, bookstores, your house-she cannot restrain herself from examining and evaluating doorknobs, drawer pulls, cabinet ornamentation and levers. Hardware, you know, has taken on the aspect of fine jewelry, and believe me, people are paying as much for it as they might for a necklace at Tiffany's. And homeowners are treating their luxe latches as reverently as they would costly gemstones. In fact, some knobs and cabinet handles are available in semiprecious stones.

Brandt, director of the two-year-old AG Metalsmiths-Architectural Hardware Gallery in Naples, is working on an exclusive island house right now where the custom hardware has a budget of $320,000. That's for 90 pieces of hardware. When hardware is this upscale, Brandt is an integral part of the project from the blueprint stage. She consults regularly with the architect, contractor and interior designer right through the project so that the homeowners have exactly the furniture jewelry that expresses their personality and that aesthetically supports the period and style of the dwelling. And you thought a doorknob was just a doorknob.

Brandt says hardware for most luxury residential jobs in this part of Florida comes in at between $8,000 and $120,000, depending upon whether you select something in stock or need something made from scratch at a foundry in Europe. At the Hardware Gallery, Brandt has more than 100 collections. Half of them are European, and all of them are stunning. Selection is definitely the most difficult part of the process. Brandt owned a hardware showroom in Atlanta for a decade and has a great eye as well as a phenomenal memory for worldwide resources.

"Vali & Vali is one of my favorite lines," she says, "and it's the one I chose for my own home. Although my house is traditional on the outside, I went for modern inside, with polished chrome in the kitchen and bath. Vali & Vali and Olivieri of Italy and FSB do an outstanding job with contemporary pieces."

Brandt adds that much of the expense in hardware is not actually in the fashioning of the cabinet pull; it's in the hand-rubbed or hand-chased finish. She also notes that many of her pieces are not nearly as costly as you might think.

Most people tend to be big spenders for the hardware for the front door. Brandt believes this is a good place to put your money because the door hardware is what will be seen and used most often by you and your guests. She also knows that door hardware must achieve that perfect balance between what provides aesthetic excitement and what functions effortlessly and efficiently. "In many cases, the hole for the doorknob is pre-drilled when your door is installed," she says. "If you are investing in fine hardware, you never want to have that pre-drilling take place. It's something to remember when you opt for luxury hardware. Your options are greater if you avoid that standard round cutout."

Other places to make a statement are the door to your wine cellar, the doors to the master suite and the powder-room door. One of Brandt's clients recently installed a marble lever on the powder-room door in the shape of a fish. "She thought it was too bold when we picked it out," says Brandt. "Now she loves it because everyone who has used that powder room has commented on the lever. It's art."

In the Naples area, about 75 percent of AG Metalsmiths' clients want traditional, Old World hardware to complement their Med Rev mansions, and only about 25 percent opt for something modern and minimalist. The most cherished metal and finish locally in the luxury market is oil-rubbed Venetian bronze. Other popular choices are vintage brass (even though this humid coastal climate is hard on brass), antique nickel and polished chrome.

About half of AG clients decide to go the custom route, which means hardware travels from your imagination to the drawing board to the foundry to your home. Brandt oversees the whole journey. She says the most important aspect of hardware is making sure there is a harmonious flow of metals and finishes from one room to the next. They don't have to be the same metal, but you wouldn't want Beaux Arts fixtures in a Mission-style home.

The Architectural Hardware Gallery at AG Metalsmiths is located in a dusty, unappealing industrial park, and consequently is not known for its walk-in traffic. Brandt usually goes to the client. But the space she's put together is so user friendly and so glamorous; I say it's worth driving to the gallery to make your selections there. A tour of this showroom will open your eyes to how hardware can make one piece of furniture or a whole house claim its status as original art.

Scott Kay, jeweler to movie stars, is coming to Naples, a place where women adore lavishing themselves with star jewelry. So, lucky Scott will be in exactly the right place when he introduces his new collection of haute sterling designs at Saks Fifth Avenue at Waterside on Nov. 5.