Sunday, March 28, 2010

Key West has its share of attractions, but there's only one place in town where you can walk through a tropical rain forest and emerge in an underwater shipwreck surrounded by exotic fish and spoils of toys, books and other treasures.

The Key West Toy Factory recently opened in Clinton Square Market, beckoning adults and children alike through its doors into a Key West-inspired fantasy land on the building's second floor.

While oversized sharks and colorful fish hang from the airy ceilings, a giant waterfall, 48-foot Spanish galleon and cargo nets dominate the rest of the interior. The various rooms are lined with a unique assortment of toys, games and books.

"Ninety percent of the stuff in the store has educational value," said owner Fran Gonzon. "You won't see any electronics or videos."

Among the findings in the store are Legos, hand-carved wooden toys and building blocks, model car and airplane kits, card games and brain teasers, art and bead kits, kaleidoscopes, ant farms, activity boxes, yo-yos, rubber band guns, tops and sock monkeys.

"We want to bring back the basics, and the grandparents are begging for that," Gonzon said.

Many of the toys were selected with the help of Gonzon's two children, ages 7 and 10.

"I figured I had the best consultants in the world," he said. "We sat down and talked about a lot of things -- why they liked it, what was cool about it."

His wife, Nichol, an artist, also helped with many of the murals.

The Toy Factory also features a reading room with books for all ages, including some works by local authors, and a pillow-laden reading area where kids are encouraged to hang out and read.

"All day long I find parents in there with one of our books reading to their kids, which is exactly what I wanted them to do," Gonzon said.

Toy story

The inspiration for the toy store came in the summer of 2004 when Gonzon and his family were in Key West on one of their extended vacations. Gonzon, who then worked as a developer in Delaware, had promised to buy his young son a toy if he behaved. True to his word, Gonzon and his son, Mario, set out in search of a toy.

"We came downtown to find some toys and couldn't find anything that he wanted," Gonzon said. "We went home and he got back on his computer, which is what I was trying to avoid."

That same day, Gonzon called his lawyer and asked him to research if the name Key West Toy Factory was available.

"My enthusiasm for being a developer just fizzled out," he said. "I was kind of over it and looking for something new. ... I've always enjoyed creating things."

As Gonzon shared his idea with people in Key West, he often met resistance.

" 'This isn't a kid's place; this is Duval,' " he said people told him. "But I looked around and thought, 'What about all these families?' "

As he sat at an open-air restaurant on Duval Street, he watched family after family walk by with strollers -- families just like his. He overheard parents telling their kids to stay out of the doorways of bars and shielding them from storefronts with less-than-family-friend merchandise.

From then on, it became his mission to bring a fun, whimsical toy store to Key West.

By August 2004, Gonzon had found his ideal location in Clinton Square. He felt the character of the building matched his concept for the store.

"I didn't want anything on Duval," he said. "My vision was as soon as you hit the top of the stairs and saw (the Toy Factory), you forgot about the congestion of Duval Street."

He contracted with a group of designers who had worked on Disney's Atlantis, and construction started in June 2005. Many of the store's elements were inspired by Key West, including the giant strangler fig that marks the entry to the business. It's a replica of one found growing at the West Martello.

The work was slowed by hurricanes, though, and it took almost a year to design and construct the rain forest entryway, giant shipwreck and waterfall.

Then a minor crisis struck: A contractor left a valve on while inspecting the waterfall and overfilled the catch tank, flooding six stores in the mall. Gonzon was in litigation for more than a year.

"I couldn't put another dime into it until I knew the outcome," he said. "It just set us back. It was a crucial time for us to have the store open and operational."

It was at that same time that Gonzon faced challenges in his land developments in the Northeast. He sold off several restaurants in Delaware, while continuing to operate Salute restaurant at Higgs Beach in Key West. Gonzon eventually sold that business in late 2008, but retained the rights to the beach concessions until November 2009, when he was able to go full-steam ahead on the Key West Toy Factory.

Use your imagination

Gonzon continues to be struck by new ideas for the store, including the addition of a magic room, which is staffed with local magicians most afternoons. He also turned two large storage areas into an arts and crafts room -- Gonzon calls it the Imaginarium Workshop -- which also doubles as space for birthday parties.

"Families can come and get creative, make a mess, have fun, and have something to take home with them," he said. Gonzon and his family "decorated" the floor with spatters of paint -- there were 12 cans in different colors left over from the renovation -- so there's no need to worry about making a mess.

There is no fee to rent the room for parties, and families can bring their own food and cake. A magician is available for a magic and balloon act, and art activities for guests can be purchased at a discounted rate from the store.

Gonzon estimates he's on track to see 250,000 people come through the door this year.

"You really do have a 'wow' effect here," said Mary Ann Hunter, a cruise ship passenger visiting from Houston who was browsing the aisles with her family last week. The former teacher was relieved to find the Toy Factory after promising her son, Ethan, 4, he could pick out a toy during their stop in Key West, she said.

"We were desperately looking for a toy store, and we were delighted to see the Toy Factory," she said. "I do like the classic toys that a child can entertain themselves for hours with."

Throughout the store, children exclaim excitedly about all the toys and the larger-than-life decor.

"It was pretty spectacular for a toy shop," said Australia resident Sara Gillam, on vacation with her husband and 5-year-old daughter, Maddison, who said her favorite thing was all the animals hanging from the ceiling.

"The range of toys was fantastic," Gillam added.

amswary@keysnews.com