Booky Joint owner David Leonard shows off some of the new toy products in the store. MAMMOTH TIMES PHOTO/ERICK SUGIMURA

The recent closing of both Munchkins and The Learning Express has left a hole in Mammoth where locals and visitors alike used to find toys and gifts for children. Booky Joint, already the local source for children’s books, and Minky Monkey, a new business, are ready to fill in.

“We’ve vastly expanded our selection of Melissa & Doug products,” said owner David Leonard of the popular line of educational, classic wooden toys. “If you saw our selection before, you really should come back and check it again.”

Leonard hopes to help keep locals shopping locally.

“If there’s someplace in town to find presents for kids, then there’s one less reason to head up to Carson City or Reno for holiday shopping,” he said.

Minky Monkey is a new retail toy business being put forward by locals Keely Ferguson and Kim Harris, which will be located in the space between Haute Looks salon and the Police Department on Old Mammoth Road.

“I take care of the financial business side. Kim is taking care of merchandise and marketing,” Ferguson said of their partnership.

The hope for the store is to have the look and feel of a boutique toy store, but with affordable prices. They intend to carry some brand-name products, but also some fun, unique stuff with a focus on educational/scholastic toys.

As for the quirky name, “I just kind of stumbled across it,” Ferguson said. “It’s lyrical and fun to say.”
Minky Monkey hopes to open by Dec. 1, in time for the holidays. See full story in this week's Mammoth Times – ES