LittleBits Toys, the independent toy store run by Wellesley-ite Billy Thelander that set up shop in town back in 2003, is closing. The business recently shuttered its other location in Natick.
LittleBits got its start in Waltham, moved to Wellesley on Linden Street, then relocated to 304 Washington St. in Wellesley in 2007. The Natick shop opened in 2010.
A LittleBits Facebook post on Sept. 16 announcing the Natick store’s closing seemed to indicate the Wellesley store would be sticking around (“Please visit our Wellesley store going forward.”). But apparently things changed. An email note to LittleBits patrons issued on Sept. 27 reads:
We have enjoyed being your neighborhood toy store for the past thirteen years and loved watching your children grow, but sadly we are closing our stores for good and moving on to other adventures, possibly on another coast. We are thankful for your business over the years and hope you will keep us fondly in your memories. Our customers were always the heart and soul of LittleBits–we will miss you each and all!
A heartfelt thanks,
Billy and the staff at LittleBits
If you have store credits or gift certificates, please come to our Wellesley store by September 30 to redeem them. Everything on September 30 will be 1/2 off the regular price.
The business succeeded for years in the face of competition from big box stores by adhering to customers’s wishes, Thelander said in interviews with the Globe and Metrowest Daily News a few years back.
Readers who reached out to us about the news lamented the toy shop’s closing. One said: “I don’t make nearly the visits to Little Bits that I used to but always counted on Little Bits to have that new challenging game for a long rainy weekend or the special photo mounting pages for the high school photography class. So I was very surprised (and sad) to learn upon stopping by today… that the store will close Wednesday.” Another wrote: “They were always very helpful and their suggestions were spot on . And, they wrapped the gifts! I wish them well, but I’ll miss the store and the women.”
