The Mole Hole of Laguna Niguel

Something bunny is going on at the Mole Hole in Laguna Niguel.

Rabbits dance on display tables. Coverall-clad cats cavort across the carpet. Jean Eichner, for 12 years the owner of this menagerie, lovingly dotes on each and every one of her cleverly clothed critters, patting their imitation-fur heads and talking up their features.

Eichner proudly says she has anything and everything associated with spring and Easter in her store. Indeed, Eichner’s extensive inventory leaves nary an empty inch on any display table or shelf. From Fitz & Floyd ceramics to Wolfard oil lamps, the store is stuffed with every icon of spring. Crystal lambs, butterfly wind chimes and stained-glass orchids grace the walls and ceiling. Eichner attributes the diversity of the stock to the tenacity of her daughter-in-law, Julie.

“Since the very first day, Julie’s been at my side,” Eichner said. “I couldn’t walk through here and know what to restock, but Julie sure does. I owe a lot of my success to her.”

“Most of my life, I’ve been a collector,” Jean Eichner said. “Then one day my husband asked if I would like to own my own shop. I said ‘You bet I would!’ Well, more than a decade later, I can say we never expected to work this hard or do this well.” The store is one franchise in a national operation.

According to Eichner, the fun part of owning these animals is in the details on each piece. One stuffed rabbit, by Apple Whimseys of La Mesa, carries an ornately decorated basket of carrots. In another, Easter eggs hide under the hat of a hapless hare. The designers also put a bird’s nest somewhere on each figure.

“A very popular brand right now is the Little Souls line,” Eichner says, picking up one of the two-foot-tall stuffed animals. “The designs always feature some antique item, like a photograph or a hat, that makes each figure a one-of-a-kind collectible.”

“I don’t mean to be sappy,” say’s Eichner’s son, Chip, “but the customers say they leave here feeling good, like they experience a renewed hopefulness. I don’t know how my mother does it, but that is what spring all about.”

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Address: 28121 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel Telephone: (714) 831-5026