OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — As national retailer Toys "R" Us continues its resurgence, including a location at Crocker Park in Westlake, a local toy shop owner plans to shutter her store at the end of August.
Dawn Reese emailed me last Friday, ahead of the announcement she plans to make on Wednesday morning.
I first visited Toys, Dolls and Minis in Olmsted Falls in December of 2023 after seeing a viral Facebook post that the store was struggling.
The beloved shop saw a big boost in business following that post, but the surge in sales was short-lived.
Reese crunched the numbers after Christmas last year and realized that holding onto her brick-and-mortar store was no longer sustainable.
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The majority of what she carries in her store will now be sold online.
"The store and the business are not going away completely, but the miniatures and the dolls will be moved online. The toys are going to go on sale and I'm going to sell the toys off because I just can't compete with Amazon with free shipping for the toys," said Reese.
Reese tells me this isn't the end of her story.
Her hope is to now have more time to manufacture dollhouse kits, which she could never do while running a store she’s had for nearly two decades.
When Reese’s store closes, a bit of history goes with it. She said hers is the last miniature store in Ohio.
A market research database found there are between 1,500 and 2,500 independent toy stores left in the U.S.
Olmsted Falls' historic railroad junction, which includes Toys, Dolls and Minis, is currently up for sale.
Reese said that did not play a factor in her decision to close after nearly a decade in that location — it was purely a financial move.
