Aug. 18, 2014 By Michael Florio
A store that will be similar in concept to Build-A-Bear will be opening in Astoria next month.
Teddy Mountain, which focuses on providing entertainment for young children, will be opening at 29-21 21st Ave in September by a husband-and-wife team who live in East Elmhurst.
“We are similar to Build-A-Bear, but we are hoping to offer more,” said co-owner Morris Davis.
Inside the store there will be a train that will run on tracks. There will also be a “dolly and me” section, where girls will have the opportunity to wear the same outfit that they pick for their doll.
There will be a party room in the back, which will feature a popcorn machine, a cotton candy machine and a pizza maker. In this room Morris plans to host events such as mommy-and-me, karaoke and a movie night.
This is Davis’ first store, which he co-owns with his wife Karen Bennett-Davis. He picked Astoria because the couple spends a lot of time in the neighborhood.
While he lives in East Elmhurst, he views himself an Astoria resident. His wife has lived in the greater area for 15 years and he has for the past five.
“We are always in Astoria shopping or going to some of our favorite restaurants,” he said.
Morris said he felt that there was a need for a place where children can go and have fun for an extended period.
Davis, who worked as a district manager for Build-A-Bear for three years in the early 2000’s, said kids in this area do not have access to this type of store unless they travel to Manhattan or Long Island.
“Just seeing the kids smile when they finish making their own bear makes this all worth it,” he said.
This will be the first Teddy Mountain location in Queens.
Davis said that Teddy Mountain is part of an international franchise, which is popular in England, Ireland and many countries in Europe.
Morris hopes to open more stores under the Teddy Mountain name, in locations such Long Island City and parts of Brooklyn.
However, the main store will always be in Astoria.
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2 Comments
Bless you for this!!!!!!!! Actually a place for children right in Astoria! Wish you the best in success! An empty space that didn’t open as another bar or bank! Hail to you for thinking of Astoria’s future adults our children and grandchildren. Hope others will take your lead and open businesses to help our children grow into functioning adults and push out “A Bar on Every Corner” mode we are in now.
so happy for my granddaughter will be sooo happy to be going their so close to home on 29th street yes