Deb Tandy, owner of Learning Express Toys, holds a bachelor's degree, a master's degree in finance and marketing and once worked for the Ford Motor Company in Michigan. When her family moved to The Woodlands 10 years ago, she stayed home with her kids. She said she took a sudden turn from a professional life in Michigan to being a stay-at-home mom in The Woodlands.

"I used my MBA for the [Parent Teacher Organization]," Tandy said.

Six years later, Tandy was shopping at a previous Learning Express Toys store in The Woodlands and learned the store was planning to close. She inquired with the owner about the toy business, and the more information she gathered, the more her interest was sparked.

"It just sounded like the perfect fit," Tandy said. "I love marketing. I love toys."

She opened her own Learning Express Toys in the Alden Bridge Village Center in October 2011.

Tandy said everything Learning Express Toys offers has educational value. She said toys should be like the best teacher a child has, the one who made school fun as well as educational.

Popular toys at the store are often classics like Fashion Plates, Spirograph, Life Bright and Simon.

"We are back to the classics," Tandy said.

She said the retro toys like Life Bright are designed to help kids learn patterning and color recognition. Toys like Simon reward children for following directions.

PlasmaCar, a riding toy crafted to help with gross motor skills, is a popular seller at Learning Express.

Tandy said wooden toys are popular now, too, because people are concerned about their children being exposed to the harmful chemicals in plastics. Customers visit Tandy's store to find toymaker Melissa and Doug items such as wooden dollhouses, toy blocks and wooden puzzles and trains.

"Wood is antibacterial, so people love it," Tandy said. "You don't have to worry about chemicals with wooden toys."

Learning Express Toys also offers a variety of educational books with a pre-teen section.

"Toy stores tend to forget about tweens," Tandy said.

The store also features BeanBoozled, a jelly bean game in which players take a dare with flavors. The game offers pleasing flavors such as juicy pear, berry blue or peach, but players run the risk of munching on the taste of lawn clippings, stinky socks or baby-wipes.

"You wouldn't expect baby wipes to taste horrible, but they do," Tandy said.

Store openings and features:

Southern Home Furnishings opened in October 2004 as a spinoff of Woodlands Clocks & Gifts. The store features traditional and transitional furniture and home accessories.

Boutique at Woodlands Unique launched in July and offers an array of gift options.

Woodlands Unique opened in November 2014 and features medium to high-end furniture, art and home dcor as well as fashion apparel.

New Year Sip & Shop:

Woodlands Unique will hold a New Year Sip & Shop event featuring cocktails, healthy snacks and organizing tips for customers. The event will be hosted at Woodlands Unique on Jan. 8 and 9 from 2–6 p.m.

Learning Express Toys

8000 Research Forest Drive, Ste. 140, The Woodlands

281-298-0444, www.learningexpress.com

Hours: Mon.–Wed. 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Thurs. 9:30–7 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–

6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m.