Community News

A Nu Toy Store Marks its 10th Anniversary in Tarrytown

Published 5 years ago5y ago • Bookmarks: 95

October 31, 2018

by Barbara Moroch –

I love toys! They make kids and adults happy, and I can’t imagine a better way to spend the day than working in a store that makes people happy,” said Angel Rafter, owner of A Nu Toy Store in Tarrytown. Since its opening 10 years ago this month, the store has served as a wonderland of sorts, with its giant ferris wheel window display beckoning all to step inside and experience the many playthings that make for a happy childhood.

Toys are serious business to Rafter who takes pride in offering the most unique, affordable and fun toys in the area. You’ll not only find the latest from name-brand manufacturers but vintage toys as well. She and her staff will even go the extra mile for collectors to help locate rare items still in their original packaging. “I really am all about finding the right toy for each child,” she said. “I spend a lot of time picking out what goes in my store and I only sell what I truly believe in — good quality toys from companies with high integrity — to enrich a child’s life.”

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The art of play has changed dramatically over the last 10 years with the advent of technology, leading kids to spend more time in front of a screen and less playtime using imagination and physical toys. As Rafter observed, “Kids now spend money on ‘skins’ and ‘loot boxes’ for their online game when in the past they would have spent that money on a toy and an ice cream cone.”

Indeed, technology-based play may be all the rage, but traditional toys are timeless, as evidenced by the success of A Nu Toy Store. “Spirographs, wooden model airplanes, yoyos, Silly Putty, LEGOs — we sell them all the time,” she noted. “I think no matter how fancy the technology is going to get, there will always be a part of us that wants to get down on the floor and play, to dress up and pretend, to hug a soft stuffed animal for comfort, to build, and to create.”

Looking ahead, Rafter has big plans for the future, like making the store more interactive, so that kids and their parents can play at different stations and activity centers. The store will also feature art classes, game nights, LEGO building classes and Pokemon trading days. Geppetto’s Workshop will also be back featuring Fred Ellman, the toy inventor, creating new toys and games on site. For its 10th anniversary, the store will host a day-long party featuring a balloon expert, face painting and more on Saturday, November 17.

“Toys have the power to unleash imaginations and to provide fun times and laughter. I hope we are always around to help more children experience that,” said Rafter. “The last 10 years have been some of the best times of my life. This community — the parents and the children — have shown nothing but love and appreciation for my business. Thank you for remembering who I am, for remembering my kids, and for making me feel like my store makes a difference in our wonderful little town.”

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