A celebration of life for Pamela Pier, longtime owner of Dinosaur Hill

Friends and neighbors will gather Saturday afternoon (Oct. 17) to celebrate the life of Pamela S. Pier, the longtime owner of Dinosaur Hill, the East Village toy store that was a fixture on Ninth Street for nearly four decades. 

Pier died earlier this year at age 82. 

She opened Dinosaur Hill in 1983 at 306 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue, filling the shop with wooden toys, puppets, games, books, puzzles and other decidedly non-electronic diversions. 

After 37 years in business, Pier retired and closed Dinosaur Hill in late 2020. As we reported at the time, the shop had become a destination for generations of neighborhood families. 

The celebration will take place Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at Green Oasis & Gilbert's Sculpture Garden, 370 E. Eighth St. between Avenues C and D. 

The gathering is open to friends, neighbors and others who knew Pier and Dinosaur Hill. RSVPs are requested here.