Continuing their own toy story

Local couple set to open second Kazoodles store in East Vancouver

BY MAT BOES of the VBJ

Downtown Vancouver toy store Kazoodles overflows like a spoiled child's bedroom, with everything from board games and books to other amusements like magic sets and musical instruments.

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And with a new location set to open in East Vancouver in March, there will be even more playthings to be had.

Mary Sisson, along with her husband, Bob, opened Kazoodles in 2006 not long after the births of their two grandchildren. After making numerous trips to the Portland area to buy the children presents, the couple got the inspiration to start a toy store for Vancouver residents, like themselves, looking to shop a little bit closer to home.

Owning and operating a business was a new experience for Mary Sisson, a journalism and religion major, as well as for Bob, a copy editor at The Columbian newspaper.

"The community was so great, so many people willing to help us learn," Mary Sisson said.

With their business at first just an idea, Sisson began with a few introductory business courses at Clark College. The couple also joined the local chapter of SCORE, a program run by the U.S. Small Business Administration connecting new entrepreneurs with experienced business owners, and became members of the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association.

Sisson said getting the business off the ground went surprisingly well, which she attributes to the recent revitalization of nearby Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver.

According to Pam Lindloff, associate vice president at commercial brokers NAI Norris, Biggs and Simpson, Kazoodles is a prime example of a common trend. "Right now we are seeing a number of businesses taking advantage of their current situations to relocate or open up a better store," Lindloff said.

Despite the economic downturn battering other locally-based retailers, Sisson said Kazoodles' business overall was up 1 percent in 2009 over the previous year.

With the addition of another location at 136th Avenue and S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., the store plans to hire an additional full-time employee - making this business a rare exception to the rule of persistent layoffs and store closures across the region.

According to Sisson, the new location is a continuation of why they got into the business in the first place.

"We figured there aren't any toy stores in East Vancouver. And if we don't start one now, someone else will," she said.

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