Ruckus & Glee toy store now open in Wauwatosa

Scrambling to prepare a new business for opening, Matthew Poulson was having a bad day when he got a package in the mail that turned things around.

"I'm not a plush toy person," Poulson prefaced. "But I opened the box and was like, 'Oh, my god, it's a pink kitty.' And it made me so happy."

The giant pink kitty is now joined by other Squishable plush animals among hundreds of other toys greeting new customers since Ruckus & Glee opened June 16 at 8730 W. North Ave.

Offering modern and retro toys for all ages, the store is in the former location of Fair Trade for All, which closed in March after eight years in business.

Poulson and his wife Sarah Fowles they have been dreaming of starting a business for years. The couple met in business school at UW-Madison and moved to Wauwatosa in 2008 with their daughter Elinor, now a first-grader.

"Our vacations are often spent talking about business ideas," Fowles said. "It got to the point where it was a now-or-never thing."

The couple said they were inspired to try a toy store after seeing it listed as a potential use in the East Tosa North Avenue Plan.

"We were noodling about a bunch of different business ideas, and when we saw that a hobby or toy store was on the plan, it just clicked," Fowles said.

Poulson and Fowles spent about a year looking for space, hoping to find something on North Avenue. When they found the opening in the former Fair Trade space, Fowles said a small-business loan from the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation was instrumental in making the business possible.

The couple hopes to set their toy store apart from others with their careful selection of toys that help children develop motor and cognitive skills with a special focus on outdoor, active, pretend, artistic and musical toys. They have several ride-on toys that can be tested out in the store.

Ruckus & Glee also has some throwback toys that parents might remember from their own childhoods, including Spirographs, Fashion Plates, punch balloons and Lite-Brites.

After opening to the public June 16, Poulson and Fowles are planning a grand opening celebration for July 11 with face painting, balloon artists, crafts, a photo booth, contests, storytelling, and a school-supply drive for Tosa Cares.

Store hours will be 10 am.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. It will be closed on Mondays.