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Mr. Mopp owners Devin McDonald and Jenny Stevenson. Photo: Berkeleyside.com |
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The owners of Mr. Mopps' Toy Shop, Berkeley, Calif., plan to open a children's bookstore this fall two doors down from their current space on Martin Luther King Jr. Way at Rose Street. Co-owner Devin McDonald told Berkeleyside this was something he and his partner, Jenny Stevenson, had wanted to do since they purchased the 51-year-old store in 2010, after the previous owners were forced to close.
"We've always wanted to have a good book selection," McDonald said. "We spent the first couple years of our business really trying to stock up on toys.... [Now] we are able to finalize this dream we had." He added that they want to create a "totally immersive literary environment for kids."
The new bookstore will be located at 1417-A Martin Luther King Jr. Way, next to Mr. Mopps' warehouse. McDonald said that after necessary renovations in the space were completed recently, he and Stevenson learned it was available for lease and jumped at the opportunity. The owners are now in the process of preparing the location for its new life as a bookshop.
"I think there's something very special about places that are kind of geared just for kids, and I think kids really respond to that," McDonald said. "The community we live in here is really supportive of small businesses and appreciates the fact that you can go in and check things out."