So, I don’t know if you’ve been into Fountain Galleria lately. It’s sad. Our family is sad. Okay, it’s the adults in our family who are mainly sad. The kids say they’ll miss the store, but they don’t even know yet how much. Maybe I don’t know yet either, but I’m pretty sure I have a sense. This toy paradise has been part of our family since the kids were born, and I’ve been going there since I was a kid myself. Fountain has always been there, and I keep wondering what we will do without it.
Yesterday, Leah’s class trooped over from school to give owner Mary Deets a poster of appreciation and letters they wrote in class. There were a lot of tears held in check - adult tears. Really, I don't know how we all held it together. In what was one of the last opportunities to shop at this store, the kids' teacher allowed them to pick out a few items – games, a poster, a chirping bird – to vote on: Which should they buy for their classroom? For me, and, I suspect, the other accompanying parents, it was a poignant moment. Standing behind the kids as they voted, I was all too aware of the bare shelves, much barer than just two evenings ago, the “sold” signs on the display cases, the finality.
More than just a fabulous toy store, Fountain has served over the years as a neighborhood magnet. It’s where we ran into neighbors shopping for the same birthday party at the last minute, all of us ever so grateful for the free gift wrap. It’s where I ran into countless friends over the years at Christmas time and compared thoughts on toys and whether our kids liked them. Where we went for a card at 9:30 at night when we realized Valentine’s Day was upon us and, oops, kind of forgot. Where we went on rainy days because it was such a cozy, friendly, fun place to wile away the afternoon. Where we shopped for baby showers, for cousins, with gift money, or just because.
We are at the end of an era. We wish you well, Mary, but we’ll miss you and your lovely store.