Thursday, January 10, 2013
Shawnta' Ray and Rick Harmon opened the Maryland Avenue storefront last October, and hope you're as ready as they are to test the merchandise.
At Clayton’s new toy shop, fooling around with the merchandise isn’t just welcomed—it’s heartily encouraged. And you may just get roped into play by the owners themselves. “There’s a kind of warning that we’re gonna throw things and shoot things and play the games with you in the store,” LagoonaMagoo Toys owner Shawnta’ Ray said. “You might get your foot run over with a scooter, but that’s how we like it.” Ray says she regards customers as guests in her second home, and wants the toy-buying experience to be positive for both children and their parents. With products stacked to the ceiling, the hands-on approach takes some of the anxiety out of selecting the “right” purchase from a sea of bright, shiny things. And she wouldn’t have it any …
The toy store moved from St. Louis Mills to downtown Clayton last October.
LagoonaMagoo Toys isn’t your ordinary toy store. Owners Shawnta’ Ray and Rick Harmon encourage hands-on play—even if it means breaking a toy out of the box. “Some things aren’t as cool in the box as when you take it out,” Harmon said. “It’s funny for us when parents come in with a gaggle of kids and are like, ‘Don’t touch anything!’ We don’t want to undermine them, but we’re like, ‘Well, we want you to touch things.’” Harmon's wife, Ray, began selling toys in 1995 as a sales clerk. Rick built experience in sales at Once Upon a Toy before the couple took ownership. You won’t find video games or the latest Barbie doll in the store. LagoonaMagoo specializes in unique toy and game offerings that are based more in the physical world than the …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Passersby on Maryland Avenue took pictures with Santa Claus and Vixen outside LagoonaMagoo Toys. See when they'll return for more pictures.
While driving through town searching for Christmas present ideas for their teachers, three Clayton teens stopped on Maryland Avenue when they spotted the perfect gift. Faye Laufketter, 16, Eloise Stephens, 17, and Sorrell Lindsay, 17—all juniors at Clayton High School—saw Santa Claus and one of his reindeer stationed outside LagoonaMagoo Toys around 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Santa and Vixen were working with Morning Star Reindeer Productions, a company that takes pictures and prints them on the spot. When asked why they decided to stop, the three girls said in unison, "Because it's a reindeer on the side of the road in downtown Clayton!" For $20, visitors can pose with Santa and a reindeer beside his sleigh and immediately receive either an …
