The Frisco Train Store (24 Front Street) in Valley Park should be filled with squealing preschoolers making "chug chug chug" noises as they push wooden trains around a giant track. The store is a common gathering spot for playgroups and parents trying to avoid screen time.
The shop was previously known as Whittle Shortline Railroad, Kristin and Tom Berry, who bought the shop in 2013, renamed it after the historic hotel building it inhabits. They've also expanded its offerings to include more trains, books, puzzles, and classic imagination-based toys.
They kept the 16-foot train table with its oodles of track and bridges open for free play, using it to showcase their merchandise. Every piece of track, building, and car on the table is available for sale on their shelves.
But since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down businesses across the country, the shop has been eerily quiet. Families have stayed away even after the Berrys were able to reopen for limited foot traffic.
"We miss the kids so desperately," Kristen says. But what they really need is paying customers. The store always ran on a tight margin, but the pandemic's economic impact is majorly hurting them. The Berrys relied on foot traffic to bring in customers—the Berrys didn't think of adding an online shop until the pandemic.
Their first attempt at online sales was simply posting toys on Facebook and offering curbside pickup. When that didn't work out, they added a storefront to their website.
However, things were still slow. Even after the county allowed them open for in-person shopping, they discovered people were unwilling to stop if their kids couldn't play.
The Berrys tried applying for a small business loan through the federal CARES act, but that money dried up before their request was processed. A second round of grants awarded them $1,000 per employee, but since the Berrys run the shop themselves, the grant couldn't even cover a month's rent.
Courtesy of Tom and Kristin Berry
In desperation, Kristin turned to Facebook. She explained to thousands of fans that the store was in dire straits, with no sales coming in and the need to refund numerous canceled birthday parties. She asked people to support the store and help them make it through the crisis.
Kristin sadly announced that free play at the shop might need to end so the business can recover.
The response was an overwhelming 1,200 shares and hundreds of comments. Many parents pledged to make a purchase—even those with kids well past the wooden train stage. Some offered to make a donation or book a party room.
Many parents supported the store's need to end free play and said they didn't mind paying an admission fee or paying to become a member.
"The generosity we received through our online store sales and several donations resulted in us having the best couple of sales days we have ever had," Kristen says. The train table might still have a dust cloth over it, but now it's covered in bundles of sold toys awaiting curbside pickup.
The Berrys plan to reopen the play area on June 30 when St. Louis County allows them to open at 50 percent of the store's capacity. That means visitors will be capped at 26 people. Customers can book a timeslot online to shop and play for an hour.
They will clean and sanitize the toys between playtimes. Kristen said they plan to divide their train toys into two batches so that one set can be cleaned while the others are being played with by kids.
