Jan 16, 2011

Toy store matches products to customers’ wantsBy Becca Nelson SankeyGoSanAngelo.com

San Angelo, TX – Toy store owners George and Linda Bell’s biggest critics really aren’t so big.

Seeing the smiles and happy faces of the children who visit Specialties Games, Toys & Gifts is the most rewarding aspect of owning the business, George Bell said, and he and his wife, Linda, meet that goal by ensuring they find the right toy for the right child.

“You don’t want to force something on someone,” George Bell said. “I’d rather have the kid get the right toy and get good play value out of it at $20 than make $60. You help them with their toy purchase and help them find the right toy (and) they’ll walk out of here and it’s going to be a good experience, and they’re going to come back.”

The Bells’ mindsets seem to have served them well. While other toy stores in San Angelo have come and gone, Specialties has been open 17 years and has expanded into a seasonal Halloween shop in Sunset Mall.

“We have lasted because we carry a lot of the things Toys ‘R’ Us and KB Toys and Walmart and Target don’t carry,” Linda Bell said. “We carry the unique, the special. We carry the things we think appeal to our local customers. When we buy toys, we say ‘Oh this person would really like this.’

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