Wonderment, the “no batteries” toy store, is closing both of its locations in Linden Hills and on Grand Avenue. “We’re out of money,” says owner Lisa MacMartin. It’s yet another reminder that we may be coming out of recession, but the fallout is still very real. Wonderment, which had a devoted following especially among Waldorf School parents, opened its St. Paul store just three months before the recession hit and has just never met the projected goals that would have justified the high rent. “I don’t blame our customers,” MacMartin says. “Timing is everything, and you can’t control it.”
Remaining merchandise is 25 percent off at both stores. Grand Avenue will close first, by Feb. 14, with Linden Hills to follow by the end of the month.
This will not be the last we shop with MacMartin. “I still feel compelled to be a retailer,” she says. She’s already plotting a come back, provided she can devise a “creative funding solution.”
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