Orange Otter Toy Store celebrated serving over 5,000 children and families in its first year of business in downtown North Augusta.
Owner Aubrey Hinkson said her first child, Parker, 4, inspired her to open the toy store.
“I remember loving going to the toy store when I was little, and there was nothing like it for Parker,” she said.
Hinkson said she’s always looking out for new toys at vendors across the Southeast.
“Thankfully, with my kids, I have a direct line to figure out what’s cool to them,” she said.
As part of the event, the store hosted the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce for a celebratory ribbon cutting.
North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams thanked Hinkson for investing in the city’s downtown.
“When you look at Greenville and Hendersonville and downtowns that you want to hang out at, they all seem to have some kind of toy store,” he said.
Hinkson said she wanted “otter” in the name of the store because from pup to adult, otters never stop playing.
The store caters to kids from the ages of 0 to 12. The top sellers from the first year include arts and crafts, slime, stuffed animals, baby books and retro ribbon dancers.
“I want this to be a place for kids to make memories and when these kids grow up, I want them to bring their kids here to make memories,” Hinkson said.
