Bringing a little Northern Westchester to the South

Just in time for the holidays, the Westchester Children’s Museum announces the launch of its Pop Up Shop, scheduled to open December 1. The Museum is partnering with Melissa & Doug Toys and Scattered Books of Chappaqua, NY, to offer a colorful, vibrant, enriching selection of toys and books for infants through middle school-aged children. All the books and toys will reflect the Museum’s own goals of encouraging play and imagination, critical thinking, problem solving, and fun.

A portion of the proceeds from sales from the shop will support the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits. The shop will feature a range of books curated by Scattered Books, from touch books for our youngest children to chapter books for middle school readers. Our toys selection offered exclusively by Melissa & Doug will range from child-scaled grocery stores to the puzzles, toys, and imagination-building playsets that the company is known for.

The Pop Up Shop is a pre-cursor to a permanent gift shop planned for the expansion of the Westchester Children’s Museum, with construction set to begin in early 2019. The Museum, located in the historic landmark Bathhouses at Rye Playland, currently consists of 6,000 square feet of exhibit and program space in the sunlit space designated as the Hoch Laager Boardwalk Galleries. Architectural restoration of the Museum’s full site will increase the space by threefold to 22,000 square feet, enabling the Museum to greatly expand programming, provide space for signature exhibits not found anywhere else in the region, and enhance its role as a vitally necessary, year-round cultural and educational anchor for children in Westchester and beyond.

“The Pop Up Shop will be a welcome addition to the full Museum experience. We are planning a playful, inviting space that gives our visitors a chance to take a little of the Museum home with them,” says Tracy Kay, Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Museum. “We are thrilled to partner with Melissa & Doug, a company that believes deeply in the power of play and is trusted by parents and educators the world over, and Scattered Books, a hometown Westchester bookstore that encourages young readers to find comfort, confidence, and excitement in books.”

“At Melissa & Doug, we believe it’s through unstructured, open-ended play that children discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. That’s why we’ve focused on making toys that nurture creativity and imagination in children for over 30 years,” said Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of Melissa & Doug. “We are thrilled to partner with the Westchester Children’s Museum to allow children to explore, learn and grow.”

The Westchester Children’s Museum Pop Up Shop opens to the public on December 1 at 10am and will be open during regular business hours for visitors’ shopping convenience.

Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10am – 4pm

Open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve til 3pm

Closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

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About Melissa & Doug:

From classic wooden toys to crafts, pretend play and games, Melissa & Doug products provide a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. Since the company's founding in 1988, Melissa & Doug has consistently delivered innovative products that inspire open-ended thinking, encourage kids to see new possibilities, and offer Countless Ways to Play. Because by giving children a true childhood with the space and freedom to explore their world, we give them a path to realizing their full potential. For more information, visit: MelissaAndDoug.com.

About Scattered Books:

Scattered Books is Chappaqua’s family ownedand operated bookstore that is a small town destination for gifts, author signings, events for kids and adults and books! The store is also known for its beloved Bookstore Bunnies Acorn, Oatmeal and Pumpkin #BookstoreBunnies who wander the floor of the children’s book area. Owner Laura Schaeffer designed Scattered Books to feel unpressured, safe and relaxing and is a comforting place where many customers (children and adults) are known by both their first names and reading interests.