About Grammy and Nonna
Grammy (Lanette Hadley)
My background is in retail and my dream was always to own a fabulous little toy store. I didn’t know that I would need to meet Nonna for it to really come true. When we moved to St. John’s in the spring of 2008, we didn’t know what we wanted to do with our time. After attending the St. John’s parade and seeing so many strollers, we knew exactly what was needed in the neighborhood and so a toy store was born.
It is because of our grandchildren that I am working hard at becoming a “green” gramma. I want them to be able to enjoy this beautiful planet called Earth when they grow up. I believe that through play I can help teach them how to take care of the earth now and in the future. It is through creative play that their minds will find the solutions help bring balance back between people and the planet.
Nonna (Larraine Petrone)
Hmmmm….I am the daredevil grandma because I teamed up with Grammy and am having the time of my life. Owning a toy store was the furthest thing from my mind but it has been and is a wonderful adventure.
I was a grade school teacher for awhile and then moved into retail which is where I met Grammy and the adventures began.
As with Grammy, it is this group of beautiful and growing grandchildren that made me really stop and think about what I wanted them to play with and what kind of a place I wanted them to inherit from me.
One of the ten joys in my life is the grandson who is in the autistic spectrum and when his mother, my daughter, was visiting us, she had her first chance to see the toy store. What she saw was the same and yet different from what we see.
Our focus has always been to help kids of all ages have fun but to also have plenty of “educational” options and what she saw was a lot of toys that could be used by children and their families who live with Autism. Since she works in the field, she inspired me to single out some of the toys and picture them on the site. Please check out the toy box and take a look. We offer only suggestions for toys for these very special kids. It is always up to the parents to choose the appropriate level toys for their children and we are not professionals
Because of my background I like to purchase toys that encourage thinking logically and problem solving. Although some may think this isn’t much fun, the toys and games I have found are creative and exciting. I used to do miniature doll houses for a hobby and who knows what might show up in the store window.
Note: If you want to support the development of environmentally safe toys for you and family to play with and purchase, please contact us and we will pass on your thoughts and aspirations to our developers!
