Peapods, like a lot of its customers, is experiencing a growth spurt.
The natural toy and baby care store moved into a new, bigger space last week in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
Co-owner Dan Marshall says when the store's Snelling Avenue lease ran up, they wanted to buy a building instead of rent, in part so that they could make their retail space as environmentally sound as possible.
They settled on a former hardware store at 2290 Como Ave. The 3,000-square-foot store is about 50 percent larger than its previous Snelling Avenue location. It also moves them from a busy commercial corridor to a cozier feeling neighborhood, which they hope will appeal to customers.
"We were really drawn to the idea of being part of a community of small businesses and giving people more than one reason to come to the neighborhood and shop with us," says Marshall.
Peapods, which has eight employees, is known for carrying products like wood toys, cloth diapers and organic clothing. Marshall says they avoid selling things like mass-market plastic toys and instead focus on more environmentally friendly items.
Marshall is also known for his active role in the
Handmade Toy Alliance, which is seeking to reform the testing and regulations for small, independent toy retailers and manufacturers.
The new store opened on January 6. Marshall says official grand opening events will be planned after they finish setting up and settling in.
Source: Dan Marshall, Peapods Natural Toys & Baby Care
Writer:
Dan Haugen