Still an RI Institution, Even After “Knock It Off”: Frog and Toad continues to impress

In 2001, Erin Piorek Schofield and Asher Schofield found some retail space on Hope Street in PVD which they made their own to pursue Erin’s dream of being an entrepreneur. They chose the name due to their childhood admiration for Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad books; the shop, they decided, should aim to mimic Lobel’s quirky style and positive message. 

Twenty years later, they have created a neighborhood gift shop with community as a core pillar. They’ve helped respond to national disasters, including organizing a donation drive for New Jersey victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, donating to residents of Flint, MI during their water crisis, and most famously supporting the RI Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund with proceeds from the ubiquitous “Knock It Off” t-shirt. The shirt’s catchy directive was inspired by former Governor Gina Raimondo’s admonishment of RI’ers hosting social gatherings during the early days of the pandemic, and along with proceeds from some other catchphrase-bearing products, the effort raised over $64,000 for pandemic relief. 

Oh, and did we mention their gift shop is worth a visit? The tight, eclectic store is an especially likely source for an RI-centric gift to match any style, from the kitchy to the absurd.

In the words of Schofield, Frog and Toad’s mission is to “sell stuff you don’t need but gotta have.” They sell all kinds of curiosities, including hand-knit sweaters, sassy greeting cards and graphic tees designed in-house, mugs, jewelry, stickers and more, sprinkled with smart local humor that has come to set the shop apart.