Toy story

Finding the perfect gift is child’s play at Hopscotch

By Andrea McCabe

Oregon Coast TODAY

There’s nothing like the thrill of rushing into a toy store and gazing upon the colorful array of toys as a child. Life-size plush animals, dolls living in mansions with mini furniture sets, bouncy balls that light up when enthusiastically thrown on the ground. Imagination runs wild and stories are created in toy stores.

And what feeds creativity better than sugar — especially packaged as gobs of gum balls, suckers the size of your face, decadent chocolate and mounds of saltwater taffy? You can find all of these and more at Hopscotch Toys and neighboring Sirens’ Sweets, located at the Salishan Marketplace in Gleneden Beach.

Linda Hays, owner of both stores as well as Hopscotch Toys and Candy in McMinnville, has a job many children can only dream of.

Growing up observing her parents running a shoe repair and leather shop in McMinnville helped Hays understand the importance of small businesses to the local economy. So, when previous owner Erin Bowman was ready to close Hopscotch Toys and Candy in 2003 after two years of operation, Hays knew she had to step up and keep the business going.

“I felt like we needed to have that in our downtown,” she said. “Local economy is really important to me. The ability to buy things locally and particularly to teach our children to have a relationship with their community through commerce through their downtown is really important to me. So I picked up the mantle and I have been running with it ever since.”

Now, Hays is following her passion for local economic growth and the importance of providing children with toys that expand on their creativity.

“I have always believed in open-ended play where child development is concerned and that's why we focus on low-tech things,” she said. “No batteries. Just the kind of play that is 90 percent child, 10 percent toy. Things that inspire imagination. I believe strongly in it.”

Research has shown the importance of creativity in every aspect in life, as it builds confidence, allows people to see other perspectives, creates strong relationships and is an important characteristic in careers.

Hays believes cultivating creativity at a young age through play is vital for this type of development. She promotes toys that require children to think outside the box. And though some of these toys may not be flashy ones that originally catch children’s eyes, they are the ones that last the longest.

“When they see them on the shelf most kids are not like ‘Oh my gosh I need that set of blocks so badly,’” she said. “But when they get them home and start to play with them and work through things, those are the toys they come back to over and over and over again. The bells and whistles and button-pushing toys lose their appeal.”

Hays has enjoyed watching children in her community grow throughout the years. And while they might quit playing with toys, they never seem to quit their love of candy.

“I love having candy for maintaining that relationship as people get older,” she said. “I am seeing kids come in with their babies now that grew up with Hopscotch.”

Hays’ toy stores are interwoven with the lives of the families in the communities they serve.

“Families get a lot of their birthday presents from us,” she said. “Everybody goes to parties and Hopscotch is everywhere. We are very connected that way. We contribute a lot to our local nonprofits.”

The McMinnville store works with Family Place, a local relief nursery for at-risk families, and their annual toy drive with Santa during the holiday season supports local firefighters.

The Hopscotch location in Salishan and connecting candy store Sirens’ Sweets sees more out-of-area visitors than local foot traffic, but as the location continues to gain popularity among both locals and visitors, Hays hopes the community will continue to feel the positive effects of this local business.

Hopscotch and Sirens’ Sweets are located in the Salishan Marketplace at 7755 Hwy. 101, Gleneden Beach. open from 10 am to 5 pm daily except Mondays and Tuesdays.

For more information, go to hopscotchtoys.com.