Toy store to open in Highland Village

A new toy store is scheduled to hold its grand opening on the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday.

Learning Express Toys & Gifts will kick off the holiday shopping season with a weekend-long celebration, Nov. 27-29, with many promotions, discounts, free prizes and goodie bags distributed to the first 25 customers each day. The store is located in The Shops at Highland Village at 4081 Waller Creek, Suite 150.

This isn’t a normal Black Friday, though, and the store aims to make holiday shopping safe, easy and convenient for parents this holiday. Learning Express offers free gift wrap, holiday wishlists, personalization, toy expertise, online shopping and curbside pick-up, according to a news release.

Safe, socially distant in-store shopping measures will be put in place, including: mask requirement for anyone over the age of 2, hand sanitizer stations, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch areas, limited in-store capacity and markers for 6-foot distancing at register lines.

As a Lantana resident and mom, owner Jen Kaplinsky said she is excited to bring a new, woman-owned business into her community that will bring joy to families in the area during such a challenging time for many.

“Owning a toy store has always been a dream of mine and something that my family and I can work on and build together,” Kaplinsky said. “While many small businesses are closing this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not naïve to the challenges that we face, but feel that a toy store is just what the community needs to bring joy to local children and provide screen-free play alternatives if kids find themselves at home again.”

Kaplinsky said the store will also set up a Giving Tree in the store so that customers can buy gifts for children who have been victims of abuse, and they’ll be donated to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Denton County.

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