Thanks to a raffle held on Friday, August 9, the Wily Owl Toy Store is keeping its doors open. Owner Vin Philip posted that raffle tickets were being sold for their iconic, 6 foot tall ferris wheel.
Once word was out that the downtown toy store was struggling, other local businesses came to their aid. Urban Brick, Persimmon Hollow, Sporty’s Car Wash, DoBros Pizza, Lace & Accessories, Elusive Grape, Airboat & Gator Charters and Outsiders USA each donated gift certificates, baskets or items to be raffled off as part of the Wily Owl fundraiser.
The grand prize for the raffle was the iconic Ferris wheel in the front window of Wily Owl or a $300 shopping spree in the store. Second and third place winners received a $75 and $50 gift certificate, respectively.
After the announcement of the raffle winners, Philip went on to share that the Ferris wheel would be staying downtown along with the Wily Owl.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: “We took a while to post this because the proper words were hard to find and still are. We cannot express how overwhelmed we are by your generosity, kindness, compassion and love. Our community rallied around us and helped us through a very difficult time.
A very special thank you to all of the loyal customers and local businesses that shared our posts, promoted our raffle and donated their time and merchandise to our cause.
We still have a way to go to take care of some issues but the incredible support that we have received has gone a long way in helping us keep the doors open.”
Wily Owl carries unique, educational and development toys and games. They also host birthday parties, game nights and special events in their store. The announcement said they will be expanding their product offerings to help local teachers have innovative, fun learning tools. The store’s goal is to open their doors to everyone who wants to “take a break from everyday life and find relief and joy in the fun of play.”
The grand prize for the raffle was the iconic Ferris wheel in the front window of Wily Owl or a $300 shopping spree in the store. Second and third place winners received a $75 and $50 gift certificate, respectively.
After the announcement of the raffle winners, Philip went on to share that the Ferris wheel would be staying downtown along with the Wily Owl.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: “We took a while to post this because the proper words were hard to find and still are. We cannot express how overwhelmed we are by your generosity, kindness, compassion and love. Our community rallied around us and helped us through a very difficult time.
A very special thank you to all of the loyal customers and local businesses that shared our posts, promoted our raffle and donated their time and merchandise to our cause.
We still have a way to go to take care of some issues but the incredible support that we have received has gone a long way in helping us keep the doors open.”
Wily Owl carries unique, educational and development toys and games. They also host birthday parties, game nights and special events in their store. The announcement said they will be expanding their product offerings to help local teachers have innovative, fun learning tools. The store’s goal is to open their doors to everyone who wants to “take a break from everyday life and find relief and joy in the fun of play.”