EAST LANSING—As the season of giving approaches, Rachel Poss, a first-year psychology student at Michigan State University, has discovered the perfect place to shop—Quark!

“I like it because there are so many niche-specific gifts,” Poss said. “If I have friends in very specific niche things, I know exactly what to get them here. It’s just perfect.”

Quark is a unique gift shop located in downtown East Lansing, situated across the street from the Broad Art Museum.

“It’s all about the intersection of science, art and everyday,” said Renee Leone, the owner of Quark. “Science is part of our everyday lives, every element of our lives.”

Quark offers an array of science-related items such as glow-in-the-dark t-shirts, simple machine light switch covers, Sigmund Freud posters, anatomical chocolate hearts and much more.

Leone opened Quark in August 2021 because of her passion for science and sharing it.

“This is not my area really,” she said. “This is something that I’ve been passionate about and wanted to do but my background is actually in mental health and teaching.”

In 2013, Leone initiated the MSU Science Festival, where she observed people’s keen interest in the sciences and their love for collecting swag.

“The ability to have something in our lives that we use daily that reflects back to us… that’s what I wanted to bring and make available to people,” she said. “And thought that a small store like this would be great”

Upon entering the store, every customer receives a personalized tour of the unique gifts it offers.

“I love sharing the products with everybody who walks in,” she said. “Sharing the stories and then hearing my customer’s stories.”

Leone said that she has a deep curiosity about everyone who walks in the door, from their hobbies to their curiosities and professions.

“It’s not just for people who are in the sciences, because science can be connected to every day,” she said.