DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — A beloved Doylestown Borough store will celebrate its 20th year in business on Sunday, and it's inviting everyone to join in the fun.
Busy Bee Toys, an award-winning independently owned toy store located in the heart of downtown Doylestown, opened its doors two decades ago - a dream come true for owner Nerice Kendter.
Nerice opened the store in 2006 after falling in love with several independent toy stores during a trip to Belgium. She took a leap of faith and opened Busy Bee Toys, hoping to bring the European toy store experience to her hometown of Doylestown.
"As my staff and I prepare to celebrate the Busy Bee Toys' 20th birthday, I am pinching myself that 20 years have actually passed," she said. "I can honestly say that I still absolutely love my career choice and remain grateful that my beloved Doylestown and Bucks County communities have embraced my store, my staff, and me.
"We have watched with joy as so many children have reached milestones in our store - from first crawls and first steps to potty training and many first days of school. We are so honored to have played a small role in the lives of so many families. The gratitude that we feel for all of the love and support over these last 20 years cannot be eclipsed by our excitement for what is yet to come."
Busy Bee Toys has planned an afternoon series of events to celebrate the milestone, which will take place on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. In the Pine Street Lot located next to Busy Bee Toys at 58 E. State Street.
The memorable afternoon will include a number of special guests including Crazy Aaron from Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty, Ben from Ben's Balloon Animals, and Kyra, a much-missed former staff member, who will be doing face painting, and more surprise guests to come.
The store will also be raffling off two Jellycat items. There will be games, giveaways, store discounts, treats, and more. And a special Brio wooden train play area will be available for all to enjoy.
(Jeff Werner/Patch)
(Contributed)
(Jeff Werner/Patch)
The community is invited to attend the event free of charge and celebrate with Nerice and her staff.
"I am so proud that Busy Bee Toys has become a staple in downtown Doylestown while remaining true to my vision of bringing unique toys that inspire play to families who want to enjoy time together," said Nerice. "We have watched families expand, and children grow up, and are thrilled when young adults who we once knew as children return to visit. We are waiting for our first wave of Busy Bee friends to get married and bring in the next generation," Nerice says.
While Nerice's focus has been on their brick-and-mortar storefront in Doylestown, Busy Bee Toys has also stocked the gift shop at the Bucks County Children's Museum in New Hope for over a decade.
More recently, she launched a website to fulfill requests to ship their curated selection of toys throughout the U.S. They can be found online by clicking here.
(Jeff Werner/Patch)
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