opefully, we have grabbed your attention, either from the logo or the name, itself. You might be wondering where we came up with such an unusual name to call the store. It is something that has been asked many times before, and we always enjoy sharing our stories.
Shelton's story first: Around 1993, when I was employed by an Ann Arbor Research company, a co-worker and friend, named Lana, was expecting her first child. Being a bit mischievous at times, I would pester her about "mood swings," and if she was experiencing them, yet! One day, after pestering her about mood swings for the umpteenth time, she just turned to me and said, "Oh, quit being such a Cheeky Monkey!" Of course, never having heard the phrase before, I asked what a Cheeky Monkey was (this proved her point, since I just did not know when to stop). My interpretation of her explanation was, simply put, that I was a "persistent, but lovable little pest." The name stuck and before long I was known around the office as the Cheeky Monkey. Jim, he's always been a "cheeky monkey." As an infant, his Scottish grandmother was frequently calling him a cheeky "wee" monkey. Jim certainly fits the definition as a persistent, but lovable little pest.
 When it came time to name our store, we wanted one that would fit both of our personalities and Cheeky Monkey seemed the appropriate choice. The business was established in 1997, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. From the very concept of our shop, we have maintained that selling the best items is the best philosophy. To that end, we only carry high quality teddy bears and art glass, giving priority to American made pieces. In short, we sell what we would like in our own, personal collection.
BEARS: Many of our teddy bears are not only handmade but also one-of-a kind creations by such artists as Cindy Kalnow, Cindy’s Bears; Luckey Medford's Luckey Bears; Jackie Strecker's Arbor Bears; Donna Neilson with Cookies Critters: Judy Eppolito with Ashenbeary Bears and bears by Donna Hager with Hager Bears. In the area of manufactured teddy bears, we are an Authorized Dealer for Steiff Collectible Bears.  GLASS: We stock many beautiful items from Abelman Art Glass, Blenko Glass, Boyd's Crystal Art Glass, Fenton Art Glass USA, Glass Eye Studios, Robert Held Art Glass, Kitras Art Glass, and Mosser Glass. We also have items from studio glass artisans like Eickholt, Firenation, and Thomas Glass. Coming soon is Orient and Flume from Chico, California.
You will find many unique gifts and collectibles at Cheeky Monkey. Please visit our store in Ypsilanti's historic Depot Town or browse through the items featured on this website. We are sure you'll find something unique for yourself or that hard-to-buy-for person in your life. For your convenience we offer layaway, special order services, gift wrapping and gift certificates and accept all major credit cards, including American Express and Discover. So visit us soon! We're looking forward to meeting you.
|
