When her daughter was two years old, Aubrey Hinkson came up with the idea to open a toy store that offers personalized service, and last summer, she made a major career change and opened that type of store to serve the CSRA.
On Thursday, Hinkson, owner of Orange Otter Toy Store located at 336 Georgia Ave., Suite 105 in North Augusta, celebrated the business’s first anniversary with a ribbon cutting by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce.
“We made it a year, and it’s been so much fun,” she said. “We wanted to have a celebration to thank our employees and customers.”
Prior to launching her business, Hinkson served as associate vice president for marketing at Augusta University, where she still teaches marketing classes. This year, Hinkson and her husband, Jayson became even busier by adopting a baby boy.
Orange Otter sells a variety of items for children ranging from babies to pre-teens, such as stuffed animals, board games, art supplies, and Legos. During the celebration, she gave each attendee a free board game with every purchase.
“People can go online or call us and tell us who they’re shopping for and their budget, and we can help them find the right toy,” Hinkson said. “It’s that personal touch.”
She thanked the North Augusta community for embracing Orange Otter Toys.
“We hope this is a place people can come and make memories,” Hinkson said.
The store is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and throughout the month of August, Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit orangeottertoystore.com/ or its Facebook page.
