Holiday shopping season is here! We have details on a local toyshop and gift store

About two-thirds of every dollar spent at a small business stays in the local community.

But beyond sales, small businesses contribute to Fort Wayne’s growth in other significant, yet perhaps harder to quantify ways – expanding horizons, shaping character and supporting creative culture.

Step inside the cheery pink doors of Hopscotch House at 1301 Broadway in Downtown Fort Wayne, and you’ll see it firsthand. Not only will you find a revitalized 1880s shop with a thoughtfully curated selection of new and vintage toys, games, puzzles and more; you’ll also see murals by local artists on the walls and a colorful event space upstairs where a local playgroup, Paper Boat Playtime, meets monthly. 

“I always believed Fort Wayne deserved cool shops like you’d find in bigger cities,” says Owner Taber Olinger, whose flower-printed flare pants match the flowers painted on the desk by her cash register.

Olinger is a lifelong Fort Wayne resident who was one of the first boutique retailers to take a chance on Downtown’s revival. In 2015, she opened her first shop, Fancy & Staple, a modern-day general store that sells unique home goods, books, candles, jewelry, children’s toys and more.

“I felt this city had so much potential,” Olinger says.

Over the years at Fancy, she’s hosted community concerts and events, and provided wall space for artists to display work as well as sidewalk space for a mutual aid food pantry. In 2020, the concept for Hopscotch House was born in response to her customers’ desire for her to expand her children’s section. 

Just as small businesses might be more agile and inclined to meet community needs, they’re also counting on the community to support them, particularly amidst the pinch of post-pandemic inflation.

“People don’t realize how important it is to shop small and support small businesses, like mine,” Olinger says. “Every single sale makes a difference. Every ‘like’ on social media helps, and every share is so important."

Watching what appears to be a recent trend of small business closures in Fort Wayne, Olinger took to social media recently to remind residents about the importance of where they spend their dollars, particularly as the holiday shopping season approaches. 

“If consumers might consider shopping small just a few times a year, it would likely have a substantial impact on our local businesses,” she says. “Instead of what feels like, "Everyone is closing,” it will be more like: Our amazing city is growing in the best of ways.”

After all, growth is good, but not all growth is created equal for cities – or as beneficial to the community as growth driven by small business.  

To contribute to this circular economy, we’re teaming up with Hopscotch House to bring all paid subscribers to The Local a special $5 off any purchase in November.  Learn how to claim your free offer here. 

We sat down with Olinger to learn more about her shops, her favorite products and her tips for the holiday shopping season.

Give us a little background on you. How long have you lived in Fort Wayne, and what did you do before opening your shops? 

TO: I’m from Fort Wayne! I went to Lindley, Portage, and Elmhurst. :) Right now, we live in the ‘07, and love it! Before Opening my shops, I worked in a variety of retail (go figure) for more than 15 years. I did go to college and earned a bachelor's degree in fashion design and merchandising and was the valedictorian of my class (2008). Woo-hoo!

What inspired you to open your small businesses? 

TO: A couple things: I felt so connected to Fort Wayne and very sentimental having grown up here. I love thinking up all sorts of business ideas (entrepreneurial brain I guess), but “gift shops” really appealed to me most. 

My love language must be “gift giving” because I love buying gifts, curating gifts, receiving gifts, etc. All that mixed in with wanting to be my own boss, make all the decisions, do all the work, do it the way I want…is why I opened my first shop, Fancy & Staple. Going forward a few years, opening up the toyshop was inspired by my daughter, Eleanor (now 8), as well as Fancy & Staple parents wanting more childrens goods and my obsession with toys, personally. 

Tell us about the concept for each business. 

TO: I like to carry products that are more unique than you’d find at Target, a department store, or some other big chain store. When you come to my shops, you’ll find items and brands that you’ve never seen or heard of before, making them special and perfect for gift-giving.  

At Fancy & Staple, I have found that the silly (or snarky) items are most popular with the clientele there, and at Hopscotch House, it’s definitely all about cute, cute, cute. At both shops, I try to include everyone, always be welcoming and accommodating, stay connected with our community, and "do good" using my role as business owner. 

How would you describe each shop? 

TO: Fancy & Staple is like a modern-day general store. It’s got a little bit of everything, a little bit for everyone! There are home goods, books, candles, gifts items, pantry goods, candy, children’s toys, pet toys, tees, jewelry, stationary, cards, giftwrap, and so much more! Over at Hopscotch House, it’s all colorful, fun, and child-like. When kids come in, I usually hear a lot of squealing (from the kids and the adults) because it’s just so stinking cute!!! 

At Hopscotch, I carry a lot of wooden toys, games/puzzles, stuffed animals, books, baby dolls, cars/trucks, baby gifts, outdoor play, dress-up, art/craft, books, tons of tiny things and fun inexpensive items, and now (since Feb 2024) an awesome selection of vintage toys mostly from the 80’s-90’s!

Do you have any favorite products or product lines at each shop? 

TO: Oh yes, over at Fancy, I’m obsessed with all the stationary items, statement earrings, cool tees, and art! And, at Hopscotch, some of my favs are Candylab cars, Minikane babies, markers and pens from OOLY, all the plush, and my main weakness is the vintage stuff. You don’t even want to know how much of that I keep instead of putting our on the sales floor. No joke!

Tell us about the local products you carry about each shop. 

TO: I carry (and love) a lot of local artists, and here are just a handful of names that come to mind: Imaginary Animal, Adeline Griswold, Jared Andrews, Grace Yencer, Phangear, K F Strasen, Corey Purvis, Tuff Girl Gang, Fleur to Gather, Hyde + Alchemy, Knotoday, Waya Mama, Rock Paper Print, Justin Lim, David Birkey, Afro Plump, and Daniel Dienelt. Some of these artists have hung on my gallery walls, or sit on the shelves of the sales floor, and some of them are permanently on the walls and fixtures, inside and out!

Do you have any pro tips for visitors to the shops? 

TO: YES! There is an awesome free public parking lot at the corner of wilt and van buren, that is just about one block away from either one of my shops. There’s also a ton of other cool local businesses, galleries, and eateries, that I would visit while in the area. If it were me, I’d make a day of it, for sure! 

Another tip, regarding events: Be sure to check out First Fridays on Broadway (every first Friday) which Fancy & Staple is part of. And if you have kiddos around the ages of 3-6, you’ll definitely want to check out our Paper Boat Playtime that happens monthly here at Hopscotch House. It’s an hour of themed play, craft, sensory and story time hosted by Miss Emily.

What products and plans do you have for the holiday season? 

TO: Usually, I order heavy on good gifts items at both stores. I know that’s very vague, but there’s just so much coming in. We receive orders pretty much every day and cover all the categories!  

Over at Fancy, it’s turning into a holiday wonderland at this very moment. I believe we have become known for our holiday displays over there because it truly does feel magical when you walk in. There’s a ton of bottlebrush tress, unique ornaments, tabletop decor, garlands, holiday candles, cards, etc. If you haven’t experienced it yet, please stop by, and you’ll immediately understand what I mean. And Hopscotch House will be filled to the brim with all sort of goodies, for children of ALL AGES and adults who fancy themselves as a kid at heart. When I say I buy myself stuff from Hopscotch House, all the time, that is not an exaggeration. If you like cute things, tiny things, cool things, vintage things, then Hopscotch is for you, too! 

What has been the most challenging part of being a small business owner? 

TO: I’m not sure what the most challenging part is, because there are so many challenges. Staying in business and hanging in there through all the ups and downs might top the list though. It is absolutely a constant battle of coming up with one thing after the next to generate traffic and stay in everyone’s “algorithm." I have literally tried EVERYTHING to grow these shops, and it’s exhausting. And doing all that with now two kids of my own has made it almost impossible. I’m not even sure how I’m doing it, haha!

What has been the most rewarding part? 

TO: Just like the challenges, there are a tooooooon of rewards. The amount of joy I feel when people talk about how much they enjoy my shops or something they’ve purchased or received from one of the shops, is absolutely priceless! It really makes it all the hard work worth it.