The Shenanigan's Story: CVille's First Neighborhood Toy Shop

The Shenanigan’s Story: CVille’s First Neighborhood Toy Shop

Shenanigans
601 West Main St.
Charlottesville, VA 22903

Shenanigans offers a vast selection of quality toys, art supplies, games, puzzles, dolls, dress up, stuffed animals, children’s books, and music from hundreds of toy companies all around the world.

When Kai Rady was a little girl growing up in a small New England town, birthday party invitations always prompted a trip to the neighborhood toy shop. In 1974 when Kai was a grown-up with babies of her own she and her family moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. Kai was very happy because Charlottesville is a beautiful town with wonderful things to see and do. But, alas, there was no toy store – big or small. And so Kai set about to create a magical toy shop for Charlottesville’s families. At the very beginning the store was right in the little house where Kai and her family lived.

Everyone worried that Shenanigans would outgrow its magical feeling, but there was no need to worry. The magic of a toy store comes from the imaginations of the children who visit. Many of the children who shopped at the little house when they were small are now moms and dads. And so, Kai and her wonderful helpers playfully welcome another generation of children to explore and enjoy the magic of Shenanigans, Charlottesville’s very first neighborhood toy store.

Children want to exercise their curiosity in enjoyable and original ways which is, after all, the best prescription for life long learning.

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