Toy shop set to close its doors

Masterton's specialist toy shop will close unless a deal to find a shop with a cheaper rent comes to fruition.

Wayne and Marie-Therese Evans, owners of Masterton Toys which was once called Toyworld, will shut the doors on their Queen St shop on Saturday.

Mr Evans said high rent coupled with a lack of parking close to the shop had combined to force their hand.

He said they expected to hear shortly whether they could secure another shop in town on a better deal and if so would re-open.

Meanwhile, Wairarapa AA, which has been forced to quit its premises in the earthquake prone Academy Building on the corner of Church St and Queen St, is expected to move into the toy shop premises.

The AA centre was closed yesterday in the wake of the 6.5 earthquake that rocked Wairarapa on Sunday.

Mr Evans said he and his wife had taken over the Florus Bosch-owned Queen St shop in October last year and traded as Toyworld until becoming a privately owned business in January.

They had formerly traded further south in Queen St out of the central business district, in a building owned by Lands Trust Masterton and which had been earmarked for demolition. Moving into the centre of town had brought an expectation the business would thrive because of increased foot traffic but that had not come to pass.

"We are no worse off, but no better off either. Customers used to drive to the old shop and park, but now we get more foot traffic but no one driving here, and we have no parking."

Trading conditions were tough, he said, and not just in Masterton either.

Last Christmas had not been as profitable as the previous one, Mr Evans said.

People were now coming into the shop saying how sorry they were to learn Masterton Toys was closing, but many had not supported the shop prior to the closing down sale.

"It very hard to hear people say 'we have shopped in Wellington, in Palmerston North and now have come here as a last resort'.

"Why as a last resort?"