PEABODY — 2 Donkeys Toy Shop may have opened in March, but city officials gathered on Monday to formally welcome the store, tucked inside the North Shore Children’s Museum, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Peabody location marks an expansion for 2 Donkeys, with the original store in Hamilton. The store’s owner, Angela Arvanites, said opening up inside the children’s museum, itself a recent addition to the city’s Main Street, was a natural match.
“It’s a great fit because obviously kids and toys go together,” Arvanites said in an interview at the event. “It was a great opportunity with a customer base that makes sense for me.”
“It was a no-brainer really,” she added.
The museum’s executive director, Ali Haydock, said the idea for a toy store embedded inside the children’s museum came about naturally based on the space the museum was moving into. With a small staff, Haydock said it quickly became clear that having a gift shop inside the museum would require some outside-the-box thinking.
Knowing 2 Donkeys from Hamilton, Haydock said she approached Arvanites with the idea. Arvanites quickly got on board.
Haydock said most of the items for sale in the store align with existing exhibits at the museum.
“There’s lots in there for kids, from STEM kits to outdoor activities and stuffed animals,” she said, adding that the store has been a success thus far. “We see the kids wanting to stop in there before they leave.”
Both Haydock and Arvanites said they intend to ramp up marketing efforts for the store with the goal of expanding its reach, with 2 Donkeys open to more than just museum visitors.
Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr., who has touted the museum’s opening as a major part of the city’s downtown revitalization, said he hopes to see more local businesses tied into the children’s museum.
“I look at it as a next step in our growth,” he said. “Looking forward to this working out well, and seeing what else we can do here.”
Bettencourt said the idea for a toy store connected to the museum had been part of the planning since city officials visited a similar museum in Dover, N.H.
That museum, which was similarly built in the center of town, led to a number of businesses springing up in the Dover area, he said.
“The hope always would be if we could have a toy store, things can build off of that,” Bettencourt said. “Again, kind of keeping in mind what we saw when we started this idea. This, to me, fits in very nicely.”
