Come Feb. 1, Village Schoolhouse Toy Store will no longer exist in downtown Redding, said Leslie Montana, one of the store’s owners, as she rang up customers’ purchases Monday during the store’s ongoing liquidation sale.
Montana admitted she’s teared up a few times at the thought of closing her store she’s operated in Market St. Square for nearly three years.
But Montana also said her entrepreneurial spirit won’t allow her to completely throw in the business towel, and that she might open some other business, perhaps related to the educational component of her current business. But not downtown.
Montana said that her store’s downtown location might be good for some other business, but it wasn’t a good fit for Village Schoolhouse Toy Store. She said her store lacked nearby parking, which made it a difficult trek for parents with young children, especially during rotten weather. (As an aside, I recall ample parking east of Market St. Square, just a short walk from Village Schoolhouse Toy Store. But generally speaking, we know that Reddingites like their parking spots a stone’s throw from the front doors of their business stops.)
Montana said that if it were possible for her to pick up her whole store and move it to the other side of the river, she would have done so. In fact, Montana said that if she does open some kind of business again, it will be on Redding’s east side.
I’m sad to see Village Schoolhouse Toy Store leave downtown, a place struggling to keep good businesses. Village Schoolhouse went a long way toward dolling up that section of Market St. Square. We wish Montana and her staff well, wherever they go.
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The Village Schoolhouse Toy Store is located at 1409 Market St. in Redding. For more information call 243-4000 or email Leslie Montana at montana_Leslie@yahoo.com.
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