By Jessica Legge Borders
FAIRMONT — Duck Soup Books and Toys offers hometown service in a hometown atmosphere.
Sisters-in-law Connie Cerullo and Donna Gorbey-Michael opened the store at 325 Adams St. in downtown Fairmont six years ago.
Cerullo said the family-owned and -operated shop carries one-of-a-kind toys and games that are educational or have developmental aspects to them and keep children active. For example, some items are designed to help with math skills or teach science. The store also has arts and crafts, cooking sets, puzzles, building blocks and much more.
“We try to have just unique things that you can’t get at chain stores,” she said.
Duck Soup offers gift wrapping, gift certificates and registries for baby showers or birthday parties.
Cerullo said she and Gorbey-Michael decided to start their own business because they had both been having a difficult time finding a place to shop for their children.
“We found that we were always going out of town to go shopping,” Cerullo said. “We just thought it was a need in Fairmont.”
Gorbey-Michael said they wanted to create a store downtown where people could buy toys and books, and the business evolved out of that desire.
“It’s definitely been a growing experience,” she said.
“We like trying to encourage people to come to Fairmont, to come downtown,” Cerullo said.
She said they have watched many of their regular customers grow from kids to teenagers over the years, and new people continue to stop by the store every day.
Cerullo’s two young children can still go into Duck Soup with her and enjoy spending time there. She said it’s fun looking through catalogs for items to sell in the store.
Customers love the individualized service that Duck Soup provides, she said.
“If we don’t have it, we’ll try to find it for you,” Cerullo said. “We try to get things in house that you can’t find other places.”
If parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles come into the shop and ask for gift recommendations for a child, Duck Soup can help them find the perfect item, Gorbey-Michael said.
“That’s a service that sometimes you don’t get at big box stores anymore,” she said.
Gorbey-Michael said they strive to keep up with the times and offer new products that are on the market. They always think about the safety of the items, and never put anything on the shelves that they wouldn’t feel comfortable giving their own kids.
“I like being in the hometown atmosphere,” she said. “That’s one of the draws for me, and that’s the kind of service we try to provide.”
Duck Soup will hold its Holiday Open House on Sunday, Nov. 15.
For more information, call Duck Soup Books and Toys at 304-366-2100.
E-mail Jessica Legge Borders at jlegge@timeswv.com.
