The Toystore on Audubon Is Newest Addition to Yale's Community Investment Program

The grand opening of the Toystore on Audubon heralds Yale University Properties’ focus on the development of the Audubon Arts District.

Date: Friday, May 30

Time: 3:30 p.m.

Place: The Toystore on Audubon, 77 Audubon Street

Expected: Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.; Bruce Alexander, Yale University Vice President of New Haven and State Affairs; Suzanne and Richard Stack, proprietors of the store

Meeting the needs of the families who throng the area, the Toystore on Audubon will open its doors to provide reasonably priced playthings that range from puzzles to dolls to costumes. The owners, long-time New Haven residents Richard and Suzanne Stack, are both deeply committed to fostering children’s creativity through a collection of high quality educational toys and children’s books. The Toystore on Audubon is an extension of the owners’ dedication to the arts - Richard has taught creative writing at Purchase College for many years, and Suzanne is a long-time teacher at New Haven Ballet.

Previously located on Chapel Street, the Toystore jumped at the opportunity to open its doors on Audubon. Richard notes, “New Haven is one of the few cities in the state with a vibrant downtown community, and the Toystore is excited to a be a part of this community. We have seen many families swarming the downtown and we are ecstatic to be able to serve them.”

For University Properties, the opening of the Toystore on Audubon is the beginning of Yale’s promotion of a family-friendly, arts-oriented atmosphere in the Audubon District. Vice President for New Haven and State Affairs Bruce Alexander noted, “The Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, Creative Arts Workshop and the Neighborhood Music School deserve to be complemented by some great merchants in the Audubon Arts district. The Toystore on Audubon, with its high quality educational toys and excellent children’s books, is a wonderful addition to this family-friendly arts district.”

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. added, “The vision for the Audubon Arts District was to create a gathering place for all kinds of people in the community. Yale’s commercial development of this district, coming on the heels of the transformation of Broadway, will strive to achieve just that.”

The development of the Audubon Arts District follows Yale University Properties’ successful revitalization of Broadway and Chapel Streets. Along with the opening of Sandra’s Place, a family-operated soul food restaurant on Whitney Avenue that has attracted a variety of residents of the community, the Toystore enhances the presence of small, independent and local merchants in the Audubon Arts District that cater to families in and around New Haven.

Yale University is the city’s largest property taxpayer because of its commercial real estate portfolio. Yale leases property to 70 commercial merchants, 65 of which are local and independent businesses.