Melissa & Doug (Wilton, Conn.), a seller of wooden and sustainable toys, will open its first-ever retail store this fall. The 1600-square-foot store is scheduled to open Oct. 6 on the third level of The Westchester, a premium shopping mall in White Plains, N.Y.
As the company’s first brick-and-mortar location in its 35-year history, the store will feature the brand’s top-selling toys, including pretend play sets, learning toys, baby and toddler products, puzzles, and arts & crafts. The designed-to-inspire store “will bring the brand to life in innovative ways consumers have not seen before in traditional physical and online spaces. Consumers will get a closeup experience of the attention to detail, quality and play value of the toys,” the company said in a news release.
“Melissa & Doug has been a mainstay in the toy industry for nearly four decades, helping families ignite imagination and create lifelong memories together,” says CEO Fernando Mercé. “We’re always looking for new ways to share our important purpose and quality toys with consumers, especially during the gifting season. We’re thrilled to open our first-ever retail store where consumers can discover and shop a curated selection of open-ended, screen-free toys for their little ones.”
Adds Bridgette Miller, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer: “Families really look to Melissa & Doug when seeking toys that inspire imaginative, screen-free play especially in those first few years. When designing a shopping experience for parents and caregivers, it was important for us to create an environment that really represented this. Adults and children alike will love walking into our store and seeing the brand come to life.”