Melissa & Doug Enters Physical Space with New York Flagship
Wilton, Connecticut-based toy company Melissa & Doug will open its first brick-and-mortar store on Oct. 6 in the Westchester shopping mall in White Plains, New York.
Located just outside of New York City, the 1,600-square-foot store will feature a wide selection of the brand's top-selling toys across categories, including pretend play sets, learning toys, baby and toddler products, puzzles and arts and crafts, according to a media release.
Melissa & Doug has been around for 35 years and is known for its wooden and sustainable screen-free toys. The company says its first physical location is “designed to inspire” and bring the brand to life in new and innovative ways, per the release.
"Melissa & Doug has been a mainstay in the toy industry for nearly four decades, helping families ignite imagination and create lifelong memories together," Fernando Merce, CEO, said in the release. "We're always looking for new ways to share our important purpose and quality toys with consumers, especially during the gifting season.”
The store will sell a curated assortment of top-selling products as well as new toys throughout the store with trained brand ambassadors available to provide recommendations and shopping assistance.
Melissa & Doug says shoppers can also expect “small engaging moments” throughout the store, including a spot where kids can measure how many "scoops of ice cream" tall they are, as well as exclusive take-home activities.
The company will also celebrate its 35th anniversary with the in-store debut of its Rainbow Giraffe, a special edition version of its iconic 4-foot giraffe plush toy. The colorful plush will be exclusively available at the store and on MelissaAndDoug.com.
"Families really look to Melissa & Doug when seeking toys that inspire imaginative, screen-free play especially in those first few years," Bridgette Miller, chief marketing and sustainability officer, said in the release. "When designing a shopping experience for parents and caregivers, it was important for us to create an environment that really represented this.”
The Melissa & Doug retail store will celebrate its opening with prize giveaways, product demonstrations and other in-person activities on Oct. 6.
To draw attention and traffic to the store, the toy maker is leveraging signage placed throughout the mall as well as the media and press events, local marketing efforts and sponsoring the mall's Santa Experience.
