Big changes at The Toy Chest just in time for St. Patrick’s Day

WARWICK — Sue Loughren, owner of the Toy Chest at 62 Main St. in Warwick, and her partners in the store’s T-shirt screen printing business, Jeff Padham and Joe Hallmark, have created 10 different styles of T-shirts for this St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

But the whimsical green shirts, along with green face paint and hairs pray, while timely, are not the only news.

There are big changes taking place at one of Warwick’s most popular stores.

Changing markets
The Toy Chest will now discontinue its selection of dance wear, streamline its inventory of toys and expand its T-shirt screen printing business, which has been increasing and building for the past two years.

“The current trend in toys, even for toddlers, is in electronics,” said Loughren. “And with competition from online retailers like Amazon, we found that we cannot compete in that market.”

She reported, however, that the store will still carry specialty games like Banagrams, Spot It and Mancala along with puzzles, novelties and strong lines such as Innova, Disc Golf, Ty stuffed animals, Magnetic Poetry, Auric Blends Incense and unique animal hats made in Peru.

Loughren and her husband, Ray, are longtime residents of Warwick where they raised their three children: Ray, Julia and Eric.

Story begins in 1985
Sue Loughren and her father, Richard Kuntz, started the business in 1985 on Prices Switch Road in nearby Vernon, N.J. It was Loughren’s first retail venture, which she established because her father’s health was prohibiting him from continuing his career as a precision machinist.

Loughren had been an animal science major in college and had worked as a veterinary technician for 10 years.

In 1994 she and her husband opened The Toy Chest on South Street and five years later, after purchasing the building, expanded the retail space to include both the South Street and Main Street entrances.

Going forward, The Toy Chest will concentrate on screen printing along with producing vinyl banners, window lettering and both vinyl and screen-printed lawn signs.

“We are the only screen printers in Warwick,” said Loughren, “and we enjoy working with our local schools, fire departments, teams, clubs, churches and businesses. We are currently selling tees and hoodies for a Sanfordville PTA fund raiser and the proceeds will go to the PTA.”

For information call 987-1133.