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Iconic Cleveland toy store is closing after 27 years

Kai Ryssdal Feb 6, 2018
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The view from outside the Big Fun Toy Store in the suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Charlton Thorp/Marketplace

Iconic Cleveland toy store is closing after 27 years

Kai Ryssdal Feb 6, 2018
The view from outside the Big Fun Toy Store in the suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Charlton Thorp/Marketplace
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Operating a small business, especially in a niche industry, can go either really well or not. For a couple decades, business at Steve Presser’s vintage toy store in Cleveland was booming, despite the challenges. We checked in on him on several occasions to see what it was like to be a small business owner in America’s heartland.

Now the “cornucopia of delights,” the “cathedral of counter-culture,” the “warehouse of nerdabilia and nostalgia” that is Big Fun Toy Store is closing.

Marketplace spoke to Presser about how he made the difficult decision and to find out what this says about mom-and-pop stores nationwide.

Click the audio player above to hear the full interview.

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