Santa's helpers surely had a hand in creating the nearly floor to ceiling collection at The Cute Little Shop Toys and Gifts on West Main Street.

Aisle after aisle is filled with toys for the young and the young at heart, said owner Dorine Ad, who considers herself a "toy expert."

Ad came to the U.S. from Lebanon about 10 years ago from a career in graphic design. She entered a completely different field when she opened The Cute Little Shop in 2010.

"I wanted to do something by myself," Ad said. "I worked back home with the Red Cross for 10 years—I volunteered," she said. "I worked a lot with kids and spent a lot of time with special needs kids. It came out that toys are the best and easiest way for them to communicate and to teach them things," she said.

Ad said she grew up in the war era in Lebanon, and toys were not common.

"When I came here [to the U.S.] and saw all the toys, I just fell in love," she said. "I just wanted to know more and more and more. That's why I say I'm a toy expert. Basically I just love toys. I love playing—who doesn't?"

Dolls, puzzles, games, trains, dress-up clothes, baby toys, magic sets, brain teasers, books and much, much more line the shelves on a regular basis, with more in for the Christmas holiday.

But they aren't just any toys. Ad meticulously researches the brands of the toy collections the shop carries.

She makes selections based on educational value, quality and durability, and also researches where the toys are made, what materials they are made of and if they are tested for quality.

Ad said she is proud of the fact that The Cute Little Toy Shop's return rate is "almost zero."

"We work hard to find the perfect toys," she said. "We are a family-owned business. We don't choose toys just based on their names."

An example of her business philosophy is the wide selection from one of Ad's favorite toy brands, Melissa & Doug, which lines a wall in the store. She said the puzzles and classic toys are not only educational and fun, they are quality enough to be "passed down from generation to generation."

Ad's 8-year-old son is also instrumental in helping choose toys. What he plays with and likes—and what stands up to that play—is often carried in the store's collection.

In the baby section, Hape toys are featured. The German-based company focuses on musical and educational specialty toys. The popular Taggies stuffed animals are also a hit, Ad said.

Dollhouses, accessories and dolls—including Madame Alexander dolls, which are so realistic they smell like baby powder—are available at a variety of price points. Plastic and ceramic tea sets add to the doll collection.

The shop carries a huge selection of Breyer model horses, coveted for play by the young and as collectors items for adults, Ad said.

Brio train sets, racing car sets, arts and crafts, hair and fashion accessory kits, sports and outdoors activities, magnet kits, remote control cars, science and discovery sets, and Ravensburger interactive puzzles round out the collection. The brain teasers and puzzles are popular with adults, Ad said.

A small section of the store is dedicated to gift items, from cookie jars and a Painted Pony collection to greeting cards, salt and pepper shakers, and more.

"We have something for the whole family," Ad said. "The idea is to have unique items—items nobody else has."

Quality toys

The Cute Little Shop carries a wide variety of toy brands from makers all over the world. Owner Dorine Ad researches toys thoroughly for quality and educational value before carrying them in her store. Some of the brands include:

Taggies

Breyer

Brio

Tinker Toys

Madame Alexander

Melissa & Doug

Carrera

Blue Orange

Ravensburger

3245 W. Main St., Ste. 225

214-705-0907

www.thecutelittleshop.com

Holiday hours: Mon.-Sun. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.