Let this local, family-run toy store help you check off your list this Christmas season
It seems there are two main types of holiday shoppers: The first is those who buy early, little by little, until everyone on their list is checked off twice. Then there are those who rush to big department stores on Christmas Eve, hoping to find the perfect gift amid the frenzy of other last-minute shoppers.
Both are perfectly valid approaches, but one thing that each has in common is the eagerness to give and to make family and friends feel loved by finding that special something for them to unwrap. With the season of giving quickly approaching, searching for additional ways to spread holiday cheer is something that’s on many people’s minds.
For some, that may mean donating to the local coat drive. For others, it might entail an afternoon spent volunteering at the soup kitchen. And for those who want to keep the feeling of community going just a bit longer, buying from small, local businesses is another great way to give back.
After all, a dollar spent at a local business is a dollar reinvested into the community. And if there’s anything that small-business owners Richard and Carol Claggett have learned after nearly 50 years of operating Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy, in St. Clair Shores, it’s the importance of community and shopping small.
What began in 1969 as a small antique shop specializing in old toys and train sets evolved over the years into what remains today one of Michigan’s most beloved hobby and specialty toy stores. And though some things have changed — like the upgrade of the family business to a 10,000-square-foot store on Harper Avenue — the heart of the operation remains the same: to put smiles on the faces of kids from 1 to 92. Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy is family-owned and -operated, and with the holidays right around the corner, the Claggetts invite you to shop locally and celebrate in true Whistle Stop fashion.
To help you with your holiday shopping, the toy store also offers free gift-wrapping. But what will you get? Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy caters to kids of all ages, from newborns all the way up to the biggest of kids. Lining the shelves are top sellers for every kind of interest: Legos for budding builders, Barbies for future fashion designers, craft kits for burgeoning artists and chemistry sets for soon-to-be mad scientists.
And for those in search of the classics, Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy offers intricate dollhouses, impressive toy train sets, and a plethora of board and card games. There truly is something for everyone at Whistle Stop.
Because special, eye-catching packaging is part of the holiday fun, the store offers complimentary gift-wrapping that would get the stamp of approval from the big man in red himself.
Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, with special holiday hours to accommodate both meticulous buyers and last-minute shoppers alike.
For more information about Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy and further details about how you can shop small this holiday season, visit whistle-stop.com.
By: Bailey Basham