Sometimes when you see a business opportunity you take it, even during a slowing economy.

Last week Launching Success Learning Store announced it was expanding the toy section of its education supply store. It will add about 375 square feet of retail space from what was a storage area to make room for new lines of educational toys. The goal is to have the new toy area ready by mid-July.

They are adding more toys in hopes of filling a void that was left in northern Bellingham when Fountain Galleria closed earlier this year, said Dan Sanford, one of the owners of Launching Success. He said there was a direct correlation between Fountain Galleria closing three months ago and the increase in customers asking for specific toys.

“We had several people mention how they had gone to Fountain before and were looking for a new place to get toys, particularly ones that had a more education focus to them,” Sanford said. “We felt it was time to try and answer that need.”

It was a tough decision, though, because common theory when the national economy has been sluggish is to reduce inventory in case retail spending slows and more cash flow is needed. However, the owners are hopeful that they can fill a niche now.

“We’ve learned that in order to compete as a small, specialty business it’s important to have a volume of products so you don’t run out, as well as have variety,” said Sanford, noting they have 30,000 products at various times of the year.

Some of the new products include a variety of strategy games and construction sets. They also want to stay focused on those types of toys and not try to get into the mass-market toys seen at the larger stores, Sanford said.

The store was able to successfully expand into the toy business two years earlier, when it moved into a location on Prince Avenue at a time Toys R Us had left the Bellingham market.

The store’s location is a bit off the beaten path (near Meridian Street, by the Holiday Inn Express) but that seems to be working out well, too. It doesn’t get the visibility or the traffic count that a place like Fountain Galleria had, so it has to do more to get the word out.

“We’re easy to find as soon as you’ve been here once, but we still get calls every week from people asking for directions,” Sanford said. “The one advantage customers have found is that this is a very calming area, where it’s easy to find parking.”

For more information about the store, call 527-2641 or visit www.launchingsuccess.org.

OTHER TIDBITS
Moving & Storage Solutions will be having a groundbreaking ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Stonegate Business Park, northwest of Slater Road near Cascade Dafo. The company, owned by David and Kim Powell, is building a 20,000-square-foot warehouse. It was previously in a 6,000-square-foot warehouse and is temporarily at a facility at 468 W. Horton Road until the new warehouse is completed. ... Lowery Furniture disappeared earlier this month after having what was billed as a “moving sale.” The 10,000-square-foot furniture store was at the Cordata Place shopping center, next to MeridianCost Cutter. A sign on the front door from a property management company said Lowery vacated the premises on June 9, violating its lease agreement.

Retail Tip Sheet runs each Monday. Reach Dave Gallagher at 715-2269 or dave.gallagher@bellinghamherald.com.