WICKER PARK — After just over a year in business, the owner of a small family-run toy store in Wicker Park has decided to close up shop.
"We have great clients and we tried, but the numbers weren't there. It is what it is," said Rashid "Reza" Rashid, owner of Kids Rule at 1534 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The hardest part of deciding to close Kids Rule, he said, was breaking the news to his own children who asked, "Where will all the toys go?"
Kids Rule features a variety of Gund stuffed animals — including Sesame Street characters — as well as books, educational science and art kits, Thomas & Friend train toys, and handmade jewelry and accessories like iPad covers.
With a "Total Inventory Blowout" sign in its window, all items are on sale, with discounts ranging between 25 and 75 percent off, Rashid said.
Additional items such as Wildkin backpacks and lunch boxes can be found on a new Amazon.com virtual storefront that Rashid just launched, too.
A father of two young children, Rashid opened Kids Rule one block south of the bustling Milwaukee-Damen-North avenues intersection in December 2011 with help from his sisters who assist him in running the store.
Rashid said he's not sure of an exact closing date, though he predicted perhaps mid-April.
"We wants to clear as much inventory as possible first," he said.
Kids Rule store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday - Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Ph: 773-227-7525.