STORY BY KATE DALY
PHOTOS BY KATE DALY and PACK PHOTO AND VIDEO
Something has changed in Ketchum and Sun Valley recently, but you would have to very observant to notice the subtle addition of “EJ Kids” to The Toy Store’s logo.
The mother-daughter team of Lisa Pack and Marné Grange has taken over The Toy Store’s two locations and rebranded it slightly to fold into the existing business.
In 2017 they opened EmieJames, a home décor, gift, jewelry, flower store and soda shop in their hometown of Eden, Utah, near Snowbasin ski resort. Then they encountered the Toy Store in Ketchum.
As Grange explains, “Last July we came across The Toy Store, we met Carol (Knight, the former owner who established the business in 1978) and fell in love with Carol and her legacy.”
Grange says buying The Toy Store feels like a natural extension of her family’s everyday philosophy of “celebrating life and home with kids.”
And Grange and Pack sure know kids. Grange has four brothers and she and her husband have three daughters four and under. The Packs now have 11 grandchildren ages six and under, with another one on the way.
The family has local roots in the Wood River Valley. Grange says her grandfather used to own Olympic Stain, now Color Haus, and her grandmother had a “fun summer house in Sun Valley.”
Pack used to sell jewelry to stores in Southern Idaho, and Grange often accompanied her on road trips. After Grange graduated from college in business marketing they started EmieJames.
They spent many family vacations in the Sun Valley area, but Grange admits it feels different now to be coming into town at least once a month to check on the toy stores. She’s grateful for “the awesome team, the same smiling faces” that have been there for years, staying on and helping make the transition go smoothly.
Grange foresees making a few changes in both stores, some facelifts, such as repainting, new floors and adding some different displays. As for the inventory, plans are to beef up the selection of wooden toys by bringing in Toy Le Van and Channel Craft products, and featuring a new stuffed animal collection sigikid, which features varying textures, patterns and fabrics. Some examples of these items are pictured on the website at https://emiejames.com/collections/the-toy-store and can be ordered for in-store pick up.
The new owners are currently developing an email list of shoppers and are offering locals a buyer’s point program whereby for every $100 they spend they get $5 off of purchases.
Grange says they also plan to add more products that appeal to ages eight and up, with an emphasis on anything that promotes time away from screens.
“We’ll be having a lot of fun outdoors toys that both kids and adults can enjoy,” she says.
So far Grange has seen about a 50/50 mix of locals and tourists shopping at the toy stores and will continue to carry seasonal items that appeal to families, ranging from sleds and snowman-making kits, to swimming inflatables, goggles and hula hoops.
Grange recalls her favorite toy growing up was a soccer ball and her favorite game with her brothers was cops and robbers.
“They had their G.I. Joes and I’d pop out my Barbies and call them G.I. Janes,” she recounts.
As a parent, she notes that her life is full of kids and toys and having fun. So, based on her own experiences, she’ll be focusing on selling things that’ll help build the imagination and create a lot of fun memories.
As they become more familiar with the toy buying process, the new owners will continue to carry what are called STEM toys--toys that are geared towards developing skills in science, technology, engineering and math. That includes Thames & Kosmos chemistry sets and Dr. Cool science kits.
Legos will still figure prominently in both stores and, due to a new contract, starting this month new Legos will be available on the shelves the same day they are released to the public. Eventually, the new owners want to host Lego building tournaments, as well as offer some summer camps and workshops.