Lisa Gerr has a simple rule for her employees — play.
“You’re basically a camp counselor now,” she tells them. “I want you to work with these parents; let them breathe a sigh of relief.” And if a kid picks up a toy? “They should say, ‘Yes, you can bounce that in here’ and ‘Yes, you can Hula-Hoop that there,’” said the owner of the brand-new but old-school Santa Barbara Toy Company on State Street. “I want a real toy store; I want to people to think of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.”
Maybe it hasn’t reached that spectacular height yet, but it’s a refreshing addition to town that has long supported its educational toy store with the famous stuffed bear. Our town hasn’t had a place on State Street where kids can browse the latest playthings since Tom’s Toys left in the early 2000s — unless you count the Game Seeker on the corner of State and Cota, which Gerr also owns. “This is our new little cousin,” she said of the new spot.