Toy retailer celebrates 20 years supplying enjoyable for Park City children

J.W. Allen & Sons Toys & Candy has gift-wrapped presents for 1000’s of Park City birthdays since opening in 2005. On Saturday from midday to 4 p.m., the shop will host a Halloween-themed birthday block celebration of its personal, celebrating 20 years at 1675 Redstone Center Drive at Kimball Junction.

J.W. Allen & Sons will present all ages with refreshments, raffles, video games, giveaways and a mask-making craft station within the verandah house exterior. The retailer will group up with Live Like Sam, a neighborhood youth psychological well being nonprofit, to promote J.W. Allen’s in-house brainchild, PARKZARS skier and snowboarder collectible figurines, with half of the proceeds benefitting the muse. Books will probably be 20% off. Minnows youngsters’s clothes subsequent door may even have a sidewalk sale.

Jon Allen, the eponymous proprietor, moved to Park City along with his spouse, Jackie, and their three boys in 2004 from Long Island, New York, the place he ran a packaging firm. The household had usually vacationed in Park City, and a not too long ago closed Main Street toy retailer left a distinct segment to fill. J.W. Allen & Sons supplied a mixture of time-tested and trending video games, toys, puzzles, plushies and sweet that has bridged generations for generations.

“I did kind of shoot from the hip with it, but having young boys and always being a toy guy, it was an easy idea to do a toy store,” Allen mentioned. “We were the first ones in as Redstone was being built.”

Kent Allen was 13 when his father opened J.W. Allen & Sons. After graduating from Park City High School, Kent attended school in Massachusetts, then lived in Washington, the place he met his future spouse, Avery Yeatman-Allen. The two moved to Utah and have spent the previous 12 months taking the reins of the household enterprise. They married earlier this month.

“When I was younger, if I was ever grounded or got in trouble, this was usually my punishment, working here,” Kent mentioned with amusing. “I definitely appreciate it more now.”

Oldest brother Liam Allen is a veterinarian in Arizona, and youngest brother Pierce Allen is a Brooklyn, New York, firefighter. Kent is a working visible artist who maintains containers of childhood toys and accompanied his father to business conventions as a teen.

“In the back of my head, at least as a safety net, I knew it was there,” Kent mentioned of the chance for him to hold on the corporate. “As I got older, I realized how lucky I was for that, and it is a good opportunity. A lot of times the hardest part of starting businesses is the first couple years, and having that already baked in with regulars is huge. Having a community that cares about keeping Park City local and keeping small, cool, independent businesses here and not being taken over by big box stores makes our town unique.”

“It’s amazing now that kids are out of college, coming in and saying they remember coming into the store at six years old. It’s great to see their faces and hear the stories that we were a part of their childhoods,” Jon mentioned.

The Allen’s relationship with Live Like Sam started when Sam Jackenthal, the muse’s namesake, was a toddler mannequin for J.W. Allen who liked selling and enjoying with PARKZARS. 

“At the time, Sam was 7 or 8 and he was my hired gun for commercials and being out on the slopes and passing out product at demos. I have fond memories of Sam. He was a great kid,” Jon mentioned.

Childhood toy purchasing is a household expertise and grandparents are desirous to create and share recollections. 

“I think there’s a nostalgia for this kind of place that doesn’t exist a lot anymore, too,” Kent mentioned. “A lot of grandparents come in with their grandkids, and it’s their first time in a toy store. There aren’t a lot of them and I think they just appreciate the space being able to do that.” 

“I think it’s cool how many classic things are still popular,” Yeatman-Allen mentioned. “We get a lot of kids who just want a Yo-Yo or a Rubik’s Cube, things that I would sometimes suggest to parents or grandparents and they’re not quite convinced that kids still like those things, but I think they’ve all stood the test of time. No matter how much access kids have to screens, they still don’t change too much what they enjoy playing with.”

This twentieth birthday celebration will occur on the retailer that has hosted Pogo-palooza world championships, touring Yo-Yo professionals, and “Harry Potter” film events as Kimball Junction has developed right into a residential base and vacation spot of its personal.

“I’m passing the keys to them so hopefully they can keep it going for another 20 years,” Jon mentioned.

“Splendor Beauty Emporium right next to us is also celebrating 20 years, so I think it goes to show that local and small businesses continue to be able to stay here and be supported here, standing the test of time,” Yeatman-Allen mentioned. “What it ultimately says is that Redstone remains a community-centered place. I think that’s part of why so many kids’ movies are playing at the movie theater all the time.”

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