Shan Habbas is relocating Little Wish Toys to Jackson Ward early next year. (Courtesy Little Wish Toys)
A 2 1/2-year-old toy store is venturing into its own brick-and-mortar storefront after a stint at a mall-based vendors market.
Little Wish Toys is planning to relocate next month to 319 Brook Road from its current location in Chesterfield Towne Center. The shop sells toys that foster interest in science and engineering, as well as art supplies, puzzles and other playthings.
“We focus mostly on sensory, creativity and emotional development toys,” owner Shan Habbas said. “The primary goal is to have a toy store that’s accessible to as many people as possible.”
The toys sold at Little Wish are mostly aimed at children up to 13 years old, though Habbas said some items also appeal to adults. The company is working on rolling out toys for older children.
Little Wish is looking to introduce events such as story time sessions and craft activities in the new location.
Habbas plans to open Little Wish in mid-January in the Brook Road spot, near the intersection of Broad and Adams streets in Jackson Ward. The 500-square-foot space was formerly occupied by a salon called Elysian.
“I liked a lot of the other small businesses in that area and it felt like there was room for a more kid-friendly and kid-oriented space,” she said, explaining the move to that area.
Little Wish, which launched in May 2022, is currently operating in PopUp RVA’s vendor market inside Chesterfield Towne Center. Little Wish has been a tenant there since the market opened in August.
Habbas said the experience proved that Little Wish, which then had been doing pop-ups around town, could be viable in a dedicated location.
“This was actually kind of a big step in showing us that we could have our own retail space if we wanted to,” she said.
The Chesterfield mall location will close Dec. 31, and Little Wish will then reopen a few weeks later in Richmond. Habbas said that Little Wish would continue to operate its online store during the move.
In other retail moves, thrift store chain Uptown Cheapskate has planted its flag at a nearby storefront on Broad Street. And in the fall, another local toy company, Toy Lair, relocated from Carytown to a larger space on Broad Street near Scott’s Addition.
Shan Habbas is relocating Little Wish Toys to Jackson Ward early next year. (Courtesy Little Wish Toys)
A 2 1/2-year-old toy store is venturing into its own brick-and-mortar storefront after a stint at a mall-based vendors market.
Little Wish Toys is planning to relocate next month to 319 Brook Road from its current location in Chesterfield Towne Center. The shop sells toys that foster interest in science and engineering, as well as art supplies, puzzles and other playthings.
“We focus mostly on sensory, creativity and emotional development toys,” owner Shan Habbas said. “The primary goal is to have a toy store that’s accessible to as many people as possible.”
The toys sold at Little Wish are mostly aimed at children up to 13 years old, though Habbas said some items also appeal to adults. The company is working on rolling out toys for older children.
Little Wish is looking to introduce events such as story time sessions and craft activities in the new location.
Habbas plans to open Little Wish in mid-January in the Brook Road spot, near the intersection of Broad and Adams streets in Jackson Ward. The 500-square-foot space was formerly occupied by a salon called Elysian.
“I liked a lot of the other small businesses in that area and it felt like there was room for a more kid-friendly and kid-oriented space,” she said, explaining the move to that area.
Little Wish, which launched in May 2022, is currently operating in PopUp RVA’s vendor market inside Chesterfield Towne Center. Little Wish has been a tenant there since the market opened in August.
Habbas said the experience proved that Little Wish, which then had been doing pop-ups around town, could be viable in a dedicated location.
“This was actually kind of a big step in showing us that we could have our own retail space if we wanted to,” she said.
The Chesterfield mall location will close Dec. 31, and Little Wish will then reopen a few weeks later in Richmond. Habbas said that Little Wish would continue to operate its online store during the move.
In other retail moves, thrift store chain Uptown Cheapskate has planted its flag at a nearby storefront on Broad Street. And in the fall, another local toy company, Toy Lair, relocated from Carytown to a larger space on Broad Street near Scott’s Addition.
Interesting location choice. Space (or its adjoining sister space) have been salon, clothing store, boot store, attempted restaurant, and about 10 other since the mid 2000s.
True – however, Jackson Ward and — particularly the Arts District — are changing pretty rapidly, with a lot of activity happening or planned nearby on Broad Street. New construction of the VPM headquarters and studios on Broad Street, new retailers moving in along Broad, the planned eight-story apartment building at Madison and Broad – will definitely increase the amount of people activity and potential foot traffic in the area. The location on Brook Road is just a stone’s throw from Broad, and as more people come back into that part of downtown to work, live, shop, eat/drink/play, etc., there’s… Read more »
Yeah, the area is doing so well it has fewer restaurants than before the pandemic, the foot traffic is down, Ledbury is being replaced by a thrift store, and a major anchor in the November Theater had to beg for enough money to keep it open.
Anthony Harris’s piece in RVA Mag from this past October is a good read. It’s entitled It’s Time to Revitalize the Richmond Arts District. I wish her well but this area is struggling and as Harris state has been ignored by the Stoney administration.