Room To Grow celebrates 40 years in Zelienople
Over the last 40 years, Room to Grow in Zelienople has made a name for being the store for children’s books and nostalgic toys.
“I try to carry things you don’t necessarily see in the big box stores,” said owner Robin Fleming. “It’s kind of a mix of nostalgic toys as well as modern things.”
Fleming grew up in Wexford and moved to Zelienople in 1982 when she married Dr. Mark Fleming, a chiropractor at New Health Solutions on Main Street.
“(When) we saw the building go up for sale, my husband (asked) me, ‘If you could have a business, what would you do?’” Fleming said. “I’d always been interested in children’s books, so one thing kind of led to another and we went to some toy shows and I just decided to give it a whirl.”
Not only has Fleming been in business for 40 years, but she has been in the same location throughout that time.
Customers can find books, baby toys, dolls, puppets, wooden toys, games and puzzles, science kits, arts and crafts, and more for every age group.
“I try to keep a mix, I think there are a lot of educational toys because people look for that, and they’re not as easy to find,” Fleming said. “We try to keep a lot of those. There are STEM toys for older kids too, especially in our science display.”
Throughout the years, Room To Grow’s inventory has grown in variety and amount.
“I’ve managed to figure out creative ways to display so I can fit more products,” Fleming said.
Throughout her career selling toys, Fleming has found her niche, selling items that aren’t found in big box stores.
“I never tried to compete with those stores because it’s two different philosophies,” Fleming said. “I was always trying to carry things that they didn’t and they were more geared toward carrying TV-promoted toys.”
With the help of events put together by the Zelienople Area Business Association, Room To Grow has been a busy place during small business events throughout the year.
According to Fleming, these events include Fall Festival, Horse Trading Days, Miracle on Main and the Open Air Markets every Thursday evening from May through October, in addition to Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
“I think that our business association has really made a point to try to make this community more inviting as a place to shop, eat (and) spend time with your family,” Fleming said. “That has really helped. I think by doing that, there’s more of an awareness of small businesses and everything that we have to offer.”
Room To Grow has the option for customers to shop online and in-store, but “I think that the majority of our customers like to come into the store and see things firsthand and have the shopping experience,” Fleming said.
For Fleming, 40 years have passed, but she continues to plan for the future.
“I hope to be here for many more years,” Fleming said. “I think that I take my cues from my customers of what they like and what they’re interested in, that has worked for me in the past.”
