A story from our community
The Places We Shop - jaZams
The second place that I painted was jaZams, which is objectively the most beautiful and fun toy store ever! When I arrived, I said hello to one of the owners, Joanne Farrugia. Full of warmth, she hugged me, and we talked about her amazing store. She opened the store in 1996 and currently owns it with her life partner, Dean Smith. When I first moved to the area in 2013, I was amazed to discover that jaZams was a co-partner with the Princeton Public Library in hosting the Princeton Book Festival. While currently on hiatus, the festival attracts the most amazing bookmakers of the day. A legend, Jane Yolen, who recently passed away, was a regular. I remember talking to her at the festival as she approached her 400th book’s publication. At the conclusion of her life, she had 450 to her credit, well decorated with awards and praise.
After Joanne left, one of the staff members politely kept coming over to chat about art and illustration. Something I knew but hadn’t seen up close is that jaZams tends to hire extremely creative and talented staff. I was painting, looking at his work, and talking about illustration, excited by it all. I was perhaps a little too distracted to manage my time well, since a little girl kept circling back to me to make sure I was on track to complete the painting. She seemed genuinely worried that my lack of time management would put me in a bind. She looked about 6 years old. Finally, in one of her last visits before she departed the store with her grandmother, she announced, “Well, it’s ok if you don’t finish the painting. That’s ok too.” Oh, she was so sweet.
While I was wrestling with the perspective of the complex architecture, I got to observe how many cool toys they fit into every crevice of the store. The row of rainbow colored toys on the beam changed as people purchased them. I noticed JellyCat toys in view and, further back, in what seemed like an attic or storage space behind the “Read & Play” sign. The sign, with its glowing, colorful lights, immediately attracted me to that view. Not an easy thing to paint, but worth the effort.
Although jaZams has a gorgeous display of picture books, I didn’t get to feature them in this painting. But the curated collection is impressive. Joanne has been a real friend to the bookmakers she works with. She even connected me with one of my closest bookmaking friends. She told Airlie Anderson (“Neither” and “Cat’s Colors” author/illustrator) to find me since we both went to R.I.S.D., have kids the same age, live in the same area, and write and illustrate picture books. That afternoon, by pure chance, Airlie and I bumped into each other at Hopewell’s Boro Bean Café.
Spending dollars in a space so integrated into the community that spreads joy and nurtures creativity (and wraps last-minute gifts), I can’t imagine a better place to invest in with every purchase.
(Written from the heart, without the use of AI.)
After Joanne left, one of the staff members politely kept coming over to chat about art and illustration. Something I knew but hadn’t seen up close is that jaZams tends to hire extremely creative and talented staff. I was painting, looking at his work, and talking about illustration, excited by it all. I was perhaps a little too distracted to manage my time well, since a little girl kept circling back to me to make sure I was on track to complete the painting. She seemed genuinely worried that my lack of time management would put me in a bind. She looked about 6 years old. Finally, in one of her last visits before she departed the store with her grandmother, she announced, “Well, it’s ok if you don’t finish the painting. That’s ok too.” Oh, she was so sweet.
While I was wrestling with the perspective of the complex architecture, I got to observe how many cool toys they fit into every crevice of the store. The row of rainbow colored toys on the beam changed as people purchased them. I noticed JellyCat toys in view and, further back, in what seemed like an attic or storage space behind the “Read & Play” sign. The sign, with its glowing, colorful lights, immediately attracted me to that view. Not an easy thing to paint, but worth the effort.
Although jaZams has a gorgeous display of picture books, I didn’t get to feature them in this painting. But the curated collection is impressive. Joanne has been a real friend to the bookmakers she works with. She even connected me with one of my closest bookmaking friends. She told Airlie Anderson (“Neither” and “Cat’s Colors” author/illustrator) to find me since we both went to R.I.S.D., have kids the same age, live in the same area, and write and illustrate picture books. That afternoon, by pure chance, Airlie and I bumped into each other at Hopewell’s Boro Bean Café.
Spending dollars in a space so integrated into the community that spreads joy and nurtures creativity (and wraps last-minute gifts), I can’t imagine a better place to invest in with every purchase.
(Written from the heart, without the use of AI.)
About the Contributor
Barbara DiLorenzo is thrilled to be the 2026 Princeton Public Library (PPL) Maker-In-Residence. Building on a painting series she began in Ipswich, MA, over two decades ago, she returned to the idea of focusing on the organic retail landscape of our independent retailers in a small town. The PPL reached out to several Princeton loop businesses for this project. In return for letting her paint on-site for a few hours, each shop will get to keep their painting.