Just 15 months after customers’ unexpected crowd funding campaign to save their toy store, co-owner Shawnta’ Ray finds its tremendously gratifying to hear the business’ new name, Happy Up, coming from the mouths of children who shop there.
“Before the change no one ever said our name,” Ray commented. “Now we hear children of all ages saying ‘Happy Up.’ It’s really heartwarming and very humbling.”
The toy store formerly known as Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville, and LagoonaMagoo in Clayton, Mo., has regained its financial footing – thanks to support from the Illinois Metro East Small Business Development Center.
The story of Happy Up reads like a children’s book with a fairytale ending that continues to emerge. Ray, a 1999 sculpture graduate from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, worked for 10 years as a sales clerk and later as manager for the company’s previous store owner. Ray and her husband eventually purchased the three-store operation with help from a Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loan.
Then the recession hit, adversely affecting the nation’s small business community and especially independent toy retailers. Stagnant sales along with pressure from the bank forced Ray to make the difficult decision to close. But once diehard customers heard the news, more than 1,000 of them mobilized and raised $80,000 in three days to keep the operation open.
Three months after the successful crowd funding campaign, Ray and her loyal staff packed up everything and moved into a new space in Edwardsville Crossing Shopping Center under its new name Happy Up. By expanding its offerings to include more than toys, the store now stocks products to promote an active lifestyle for adults, too.
“We’re embracing the whole family,” Ray said of Happy Up’s inventory. “Slack lines, zip lines, fun bags, good lunch gear, puzzles and games for adults, jewelry and more are among our offerings to conscientious customers of all ages.”
Ray is grateful to Illinois Metro East SBDC Director Patrick McKeehan and his team at SIUE for bringing multiple resources together including marketing savvy and additional funding sources for her business. The retailer’s recent investment in a new point-of-sale-software system was made possible through a creative funding source that the SBDC pinpointed for Ray.
“Patrick has continued to help us find funding for our business, and he has also worked right alongside us to promote big events at our store,” Ray said.
A major public event – a book signing by Emmy Award-winning actor and co-author Tony Hale (VEEP, Arrested Development) of his first children’s book – will take place at the store’s Edwardsville location on Saturday, Sept. 27th at 1:30 p.m. Happy Up is the only St. Louis-area retail outlet that’s part of Hale’s book signing tour.
Customers who want to ensure they have a book to be signed by Hale may stop by the store, 6654-A Edwardsville Crossing Drive in Edwardsville, before the 27th to pick up a copy. For store hours, see happyupinc.com.
“The SBDC has been great in helping us get the word out across the region about this book signing,” said Ray. “Overall, Patrick and the SBDC have been extremely valuable to our business and provide these services without charge. Thanks to them, we’re well on our way to becoming, once again, a small business success story.”