Greetings Learning Expressions Readers!
We’re thrilled to announce the re-opening of our Columbia, SC store! Today we’d like to introduce Tom and Tory Brock, our new storeowners. The Brocks and their three children are, like many of our storeowners, longtime Learning Express customers. When Columbia’s first storeowner announced his retirement, Tory and Tom decided to purchase their beloved toy store and join the Learning Express community in a whole new way.
No strangers to the world of business, the Brocks own and manage three construction firms and Tory is a retired Air Force Officer. They have lived in the Columbia area for seven years and have enjoyed dining and shopping in the Village at Sandhills.
After announcing their decision to reopen Learning Express, the community feedback was overwhelming. Tom and Tory received excited emails and Facebook messages from customers who were thrilled to see their neighborhood toy store reopen its doors. The Brocks spent the spring hiring staff, unpacking boxes, and getting Learning Express of Columbia ready for its grand opening.
Learning Express Toys of Columbia re-opened their doors with a weekend full of fun this April. Customers enjoyed face painting, raffles, giveaways, and a special grand opening discount. The weekend also featured visits from a balloon artist and everyone’s favorite red monster, Elmo. In addition, 5% of the weekend’s proceeds were donated to Sistercare, Inc of Cayce, SC.
“Our goal is to bring in new and exciting items for kids of all ages,” Tom and Tory told us. “We have hired and trained toy experts who can recommend toys for every child including those with special needs. The toy industry brings many exciting products to market every day, and we can’t wait to introduce them to our customers.”
For more information about the Columbia store and pictures from the grand re-opening, you can visit their Facebook page. Please join us in welcoming Tory, Tom, and the kids into the Learning Express family.
Thanks for reading!
Kathryn