In a place that's all about happiness, it doesn't feel right to be sad.
At Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's Toys, which closes in two weeks after 34 years in Tucson, manager David Correa and his staff are determined to keep smiling until they lock the doors for the last time, even if their eyes are a little misty.
"Someone said to me, 'I don't know how I'm going to tell my son,'" Correa said. "Our reaction here is to reach for a puppet."
Locally owned Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's won a loyal following with its kid-friendly sales floor and playful staff, with lots of toys outside of their boxes, ready for a play-test, and plenty of impromptu dance parties and puppet shows.
But after struggling mightily to weather a down economy and the shift toward online shopping, Correa said the store is going out of business.
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Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's, 4811 E. Grant Road, is offering 25 percent off its entire inventory until the store closes.
Until then, Correa said his small staff is going to do what it does best: play.
"Ultimately what we've always done best is lift people's spirits. I'd like to end on that," he said.
A steady stream of customers browsed the shelves at Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's throughout the day Friday as news of the closing made its way from the store's blog and onto other local websites.
"It's sad. It's (been) an atmosphere where you can come and play with your kids," said Kim Greene, who has been coming to the store since her 8-year-old daughter was a toddler.
Greene, who stopped in to give her best to the staff and for a few last toys, said she's sorry to see a unique local store go away.
"We try to shop local. Even though sometimes you may pay a bit more, it's worth it for the service," she said.
Correa said he's been inundated with calls, emails and Facebook posts from around the country.
"It brings a lot of emotions to the surface," he said. "You can lose touch with the personal aspect of a business, but it's really all about relationships."
Longtime manager Lisette DeMars, who left the store in January, got her first real job at Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's. She said her time at the store sparked her passion for local advocacy and children's issues. In her time at the store she worked her way up to manager, becoming a spokesperson for buy-local movements with Local First Arizona. She now works as an early-childhood-education advocate for First Things First.
"This place definitely shaped hugely who I am now," DeMars said.
Most of all, she said, she became a better grown-up by taking up childish things.
"At the end of every day we'd talk to each other about what funny thing happened that day," DeMars said. "That's easy in a toy store, but even now that I wear grown-up clothes and work in an office, I see there are still as many funny things, you just have to keep your eyes open."
DeMars said she'll miss sprinkling fairy dust on the kids when they walk into the store and then seeing an adult stick out their hands and say, "My turn."
"The world is really fast and big," she said. "I think it's important to focus on what's really valuable, which are those shared experiences."
Thinking about his store, Correa said there are plenty of memories to smile about:
Harry Potter parties with a live owl from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
A ring-tailed cat that took up residence in the ceiling, living off grapes and bananas from the staff.
Bubbles that never failed to stop a tantrum.
"All good things come to an end," Correa said.
But there's at least one thing that can't be boxed up and moved out.
Correa and DeMars said one of their favorite parts of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's is the big glass door. At a certain time in the afternoon, when the sunlight hits the crack between the glass door and the glass storefront, the prism effect casts a rainbow right up the center of the store.
"You can set your watch by it," DeMars said.
"It's sad. It's (been) an atmosphere where you can come and play with your kids."
Kim Greene,
a customer
Contact reporter Alex Dalenberg at adalenberg@azstarnet.com or 807-8429.