Thanks to American Express for sponsoring my writing today about small businesses. American Express is presenting Small Business Saturday, a way to honor the local merchants who are the backbone of the economy, this Saturday, November 27. They’re offering statement credits to people who shop at small businesses, advertising for small-business owners, and donations to Girls Inc. for “Likes” of the Small Business Saturday page on Facebook. Join the celebration by clicking the “Like” button and then visiting the Facebook page to learn more about the program and read the terms and conditions that apply.

About a mile from my house is a wonderful toy store called Toy Village. It’s the bottom floor of a gorgeous old house, and members of the family that started the store  still occupy the top floor. Because the store is in a house, you have to imagine walking into an old house and instead of a living room, seeing shelf after shelf of toys.  I consider Toy Village an educational toy store, because they focus on good quality items from brands like Melissa & Doug, Brio, Plan Toys, Corelle, Calico Critters, Steiff, and Madame Alexander.

In the main room are the Playmobil sets, a huge Brio train table, Corelle dolls, and a wall of Plan Toys dollhouses, farms, horse stables, and all the accessories.  There’s a tiny room off to the left that was probably once a closet or pantry where they keep the Melissa & Doug play kitchen and play food.

Wind your way through the main room at the front, turn left, and you’ve got a small room that was probably a bedroom, now full of gorgeous Madame Alexander collectible dolls, another smaller room that might have once been a dressing room now full of baby dolls and accessories. Pass through a room filled floor-to-ceiling with exquisite stuffed animals, pass by a tiny room just big enough for a child’s table and chairs topped with a gorgeous tea set (where kids are encouraged to sit and have pretend tea parties), and enter the main room that might have been the master bedroom or maybe the family’s living room.

In the main room, kids can play with a three story, fully furnished dollhouse, a train table filled with tracks, trains, and magnetic cars, or play with cars on a huge bi-level wooden garage with a real working elevator.

Set along the walls in some of the rooms are china cabinets with a constantly changing supply of exquisite treasures. Porcelain dolls of all sizes, tea sets made from real china with plates the size of a pencil eraser, collections of storybook character dolls, Russian nesting dolls, snow globes, it’s all wonderful and amazing.

It’s not just the inventory that makes me love Toy Village though. It’s the people that work there. As soon as we walk in, someone comes out from behind the cash register and walks up to us saying hello.  Because there are so many rooms in the store and the same toys can often be found in more than one place, the employees always offer to walk with us to another section of the store to show us more of whatever we are looking for.  They are always knowledgeable about their stock and as enthusiastic about a really cool toy as I am!

Yesterday, I took Kaitlyn there to let her pick out one last birthday gift. We were greeted by both the man working the register and a lady who had been stocking shelves nearby.  After Kaitlyn picked out her gift and we spent a few minutes in the back room playing with the dollhouse, we went up to the register to pay.  I started chatting with both employees, and mentioned that it had been Kaitlyn’s birthday the day before and she had asked to come to Toy Village to pick something out. After I paid for her toy and he was putting it in a bag, I noticed him slip something else in.

“I’m adding a book to your bag”, he said, “for a special girl on her birthday”.  I mean, honestly, has any chain toy store ever given you something for free because it was your daughter’s birthday?    Every time I walk in there, I feel like I’m visiting friends who just happen to run a toy store.

Even if you don’t have an American Express card, please think about patronizing your local small businesses for the holidays. Click the Small Business Saturday logo below to visit the Facebook page for this promotion, and if you support small businesses, click the “Like” button!

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.