Whether it’s mini dinosaurs or tea sets, Homewood’s new Goodies Toy Store has everything a kid needs to live in their toy fantasies. 

Unlike your ordinary toy store, Goodies encourages interactive play and allows kids to explore what kinds of toys they like. Upon arrival, kids can choose a bucket of a variety of sizes and fill it to the brim with small toys of their choice from dispensers on the wall, like a candy store. 

Ginny Leavens, co-founder of Goodies as well as co-owner of local favorite Homewood Bagel Co. thought of the concept after feeling a need to have a place to take kids in Homewood where they can play and be themselves.

“As a mom, I felt like there were only so many places where you can take your kids and they are able to just play and be kids,” Leavens said. “There’s the park and library, but not places you could just pop in and let your kids play here in the local area.” 

Leavens says another factor contributing to Goodies was a lack of a place to host birthday parties or large groups in the community. 

The toy dispensers reach from wall to wall featuring over 100 types of small trinkets for kids. After filling their bucket, they can bring it to a table where they can play with the items they got or exchange them with others. 

For birthdays, customers can purchase a “birthday bucket” that comes with a gift card of an amount of their choosing for the recipient to come back to build their own bucket. 

Small toddlers and even young teens can enjoy what the store has to offer. Squishes, model airplanes, silly string, cars and pirate masks are just a few of the vast variety of toys, guaranteeing kids will find something they will enjoy. 

After Hero Doughnuts relocated to a downtown Homewood location, the opportunity to claim the space opened. 

“We got really really lucky with the space,” Leavens said. “My good friend Tina Liollieo secured the space from Hero but thought it was too big for her market because she wanted it to be more of a take-home concept.” 

Leavens then thought to introduce the toy store alongside Tina’s Market so that there could be an opportunity for adults and parents to enjoy themselves while the kids played in the toy store. 

“We realized it was a great opportunity,” Leavens said. “Parents could bring their kids to play and hop down to grab some dinner and have it as an all-in-one spot.” 

Following opening weekend on April 6 and 7, Leavens was very pleased with the outcome.

“It was everything we had envisioned,” Leavens said. “It was so neat to look around and see kids fully engaged in their activities and parents who could sit back and relax or enjoy our complimentary coffee station. The feedback has been so positive.”

Students at HHS have seized the opportunity to get involved with Goodies. Junior Tate Robertson has taken a role at the store and enjoyed her first couple of weeks there. 

“It seemed like such a good way to get connected with my community,” Robertson said. “It has been so fun and I love seeing so many cute kids who look so happy to be there.”

Leavens hopes Goodies can grow to be a staple for the many families in Homewood. Having a place for kids to engage in play and fellowship is something crucial for the community that Goodies has already done a fantastic job implementing.