The Toggery excitedly and officially celebrated the Grand Opening of our new store in Pleasant Ridge Town Center March 4-6. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the fun! We had tons of giveaways, including goody bags for customers who spent more than $100. 

Saturday was our big day - Kids Activity Day! We had a balloon artist, crafts, face painting and more! The store was bustling with balloon-clad children with brightly colored cheeks! We loved it! We hope you all had as much fun as we did, and by the looks of our pictures, you did!

To view these photos and more as a slideshow, click here: Grand Opening Slideshow.mov (4.56 mb)

Our balloon man was a big hit! From mermaids to crocodiles, flowers to hats, dogs to swords... we heard all kinds of requests! 

These beaming beauties are sporting BFF headbands from The Toggery, and the sweet sisters below wore their matching party dresses from our store!

We even had some triplets scoping out the party scene while Big Sister had her face painted!

Our face painters did a great job! Check out the cheeks on these cuties!

Oh, how we love seeing a crowd of happy kiddos in front of our store! If you look closely, you can see a little girl peeking in the front door windows!

Thank you again to everyone who joined us!

Grand Opening Slideshow.mov (4.56 mb)

 Our new store is open! Your children and grandchildren will love throwing pennies in our fountain and picking through pages in our comfy reading nook, and you will love our wide selection of adorable clothes, shoes, toys, books, school uniforms, accessories and more. We've also added special accents throughout the store, like our fun and personalized dressing rooms (with kiddie chandeliers!) Shoppers will also appreciate the stroller-friendly aisles, the spacious cashier's counter and the creatively-organized shelving.

There may be a lot of changes, but it's the same family store you've always found in The Toggery. Come in and see it for yourself!

And it's a great time to swing by! Starting Friday, Jan. 15,

all fall and holiday clothes are 50% off! Select shoes are 30 to 50% off!

The sale is under way in both stores. We're clearing out our fall and winter, as new spring styles are arriving daily!

Here's a sneak peek at our new location (and the goodies on the shelves and racks!)

(If you're new to the blog, you can find more information about the new store by scrolling down through our most recent blog posts!)

 As always, thanks for reading, and happy shopping!

The Toggery at Pleasant Ridge Town Center is officially OPEN! We kindly ask you to bear with us as we get the final kinks out, and we happily invite you to come check out our fresh and fun store, located on the same side of the center as Panera Bread. While our GRAND OPENING is scheduled for later, today's opening marks the closing of our store on Rodney Parham (not our Heights store!)

To our valued west Little Rock customers and beyond, we appreciate your business, and we hope you and your children will visit us at our new location. To customers of our Heights store, we will continue to provide you with the best service and quality products that you expect from our home location of 50+ years on University and "R" Street.

Why did we decide to relocate our Rodney Parham store to Pleasant Ridge Town Center? To better serve you! Our west Little Rock customers have shown preference for this center, both because of convenient location and the surrounding shops. The Toggery will neighbor fantastic boutiques like Tuck & Cover, The Sassy Stork, Solemates, Kitchen co. and more. Shoppers can enjoy a variety of dining like Panera Bread, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Capi's, or dinner to-go at Fresh Market, and little shoppers can even get their hair trimmed at Pigtails & Crewcuts. (For a complete store listing, click here.)

Located just off of I-430 on Hwy 10/Cantrell Road, Pleasant Ridge Town Center also provides a convenient and easily-found location for our school uniform-seeking customers and other out of town shoppers. (For directions, click here.)

At The Toggery, we hope you will find that the convenient location, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, various boutiques and vibrant atmosphere enhance your overall shopping experience. We know you will love our new store; it is fresh, clean, full of energy, fun and OPEN!

Amidst the excitement, our MOVING SALE is still underway! All fall and winter items in BOTH locations (Heights and Pleasant Ridge Town Center) are 30 to 50% off. So swing by, bring a penny for the fountain out front, catch some great deals and tell your friends!

Below you will find some photos of the new store (taken last week). Check out the spaciousness, the cool check-out counter, the vibrant colors, and more. More photos are coming soon of the finished store (but it's so much better to see it in person!)

The Toggery is excited to announce that our store on Rodney Parham is moving to Pleasant Ridge Town Center in late January! The new location will offer an expanded selection of toys, books and shoes, and it will continue to be our school uniform headquarters. Our Heights location remains the same, as it has for 50 years.

As part of the relocation, BOTH Toggery locations are having a MOVING SALE! Come into one of our stores for 30 to 50% off all fall and winter items!

You can view photos of our new store (in progress!) below. Be sure to check back later for updates on the big move!

As you know, our panel of Santa's elves met to select the winning name of our "Name Your Elf on the Shelf" contest. It was quite the decision. They made a list (and checked it twice), chugged pots of hot cocoa, and tapped their pointy shoes on the floor. Only one stubborn elf had to be reminded that he better not pout, better not cry... At the end of it all, they selected our winning name.....

... Elfie Sneakins!

Congratulations to Emily, Maisy and Brady - Elfie Sneakins' family! You have won a $50 Toggery books gift card!

To our other entrants, THANK YOU for participating. The contest was so much fun for everyone at The Toggery, and we loved hearing our customers' names for their elves. To express our gratitude, all contest entrants will receive an e-mail coupon for 25% off one item in our store!

(If you submitted a name but don't receive your coupon this week, we may not have your e-mail address. Please e-mail amber@toggerykids.com with your previously-submitted name and current e-mail address.)

We hope you have enjoyed following our contest. Merry Christmas!

Angela Foy is a single mother of three, including a daughter who is confined to a wheelchair, and works two jobs to make ends meet.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, she answered a knock on her door to find a crowd of people, cameramen, photographers, reporters and Bill Rancic standing in her front yard. Rancic, the first winner of Donald Trump's reality TV program The Apprentice, is the head of Gradient Gives Back, a community outreach program that helps struggling families get on positive financial footing. Foy was the second winner in the nation, and The Toggery owners Phil and Penny Olinghouse were there to witness her surprise.

She won an entire financial makeover, six months of paid mortgage payments, and many additional free services and donations, including school uniforms provided by The Toggery.

Here are some pictures of the eventful morning: 

Bill Rancic with Penny and Phil Olinghouse

To watch video footage of the surprise, visit KARK Channel 4 Web site.

Read about Foy and Gradient Gives Back.

Save on pre-holiday shopping and support cancer outreach with The Toggery!

The Toggery is proud to support the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute by offering a 20% discount to shoppers with a Partners Card during the 2009 Parners Card Week, Oct. 30 - Nov. 8.

For these 10 days, shoppers who purchase the $50 cards will receive the generous discount at almost 200 participating shops and boutiques in central and northwest Arkansas. All proceeds from the sale of the Partners Card will go to the cancer institute's volunteer auxiliary to fund projects that directly benefit cancer patients.

This is the sixth year for the fundraiser, and The Toggery has been a participating merchant since the founding year. In addition to accepting the Partners Card, our friendly staff will also wrap all Partners Card purchases for free!

To purchase a Partners Card, or for more information, call (501) 686-8286 or go to http://cancer.uams.edu/partnerscard. A list of merchants and testimonials are also available at the web address.

To read UAMS' press release regarding the fundraiser, click here: http://www.uamshealth.com/news/?sid=1&nid=8560.

Welcome to The Toggery Blog! Now I know what you are thinking, "What could The Toggery be blogging about?" And the answer to that is: YOU - your kids, your grandkids, your friends, your neighbors... This blog is about you and for you - our customer. In our bi-weekly posts, you'll find:

• Valuable Information - like how to recycle last summer's crocs, ways to sneak learning into playtime, and gift ideas for that special friend's birthday.
  
• Entertaining Stories - about where the babies are squeaking in their WeeSqueak shoes, what the toddlers are talking about, and how Central Arkansas' kids are celebrating the holidays.
  
• Fun Photos - of my child, your child, and other Toggery shoppers, both in the store and out on the town! Make our blog their runway by e-mailing pictures of your little loved ones wearing or using our products to Caroline@toggerykids.com. If we use your photo, you will receive a coupon or online promotional code for 10% off of one item!
  

Your e-mails will come to me, Caroline, the primary blogger. I am the mother of a 5-year-old princess who keeps me on my toes (literally) in ballet moves and pink tiaras. I recently added "Proud Aunt" to my self-description, a role that involves spoiling that baby boy with blues and greens and attention. When I'm not writing or pleading for giggles, I enjoy reading magazines, baking cupcakes, and playing at local parks with my kiddos.

Thank you for your interest in The Toggery's new Web site, toggerykids.com, and for checking out our blog. We hope you'll send us your photos and read our informational and entertaining posts. For up-to-the-minute updates on new shipments or clearance sales, become our fan on facebook or follow us on twitter.

Until next time, thanks for reading! 

With the help of Little Rock web design company1011 Web Solutions, The Toggery is proud to launch our new website.This new site provides another option for you to shop for school uniforms and new clothes for your child or newborn baby.

We wouldlove to hear your thoughts on our new site.