ONE of Helensburgh’s most popular independent shops has been saved from closure in a move that has delighted the store’s legions of fans in the town.

The Toy Shop, a magnet for a generation of youngsters, has been taken over in a welcome move by one of its employees – just two weeks after its owner said she’d decided to close down to pursue other interests.

Hero of the hour is Val Reynard, who has stepped in to prevent the shutters coming down on the Clyde Street shop – and she has pledged to preserve its magical appeal with a range of traditional and new toys and games.

She told the Advertiser: “I am very excited about it. I have been working in the shop for about five years or so, but have been a customer since the start. I have three daughters who are also excited at the prospect of running it with me as a family business.”

As reported in the Advertiser, owner Fiona Miller had taken the decision to close “with heavy heart”.

However, in a surprise announcement this week, she declared: “It is with enormous delight I am able to say The Toy Shop will continue under the new ownership of our very own Val Reynard.

“Val has been with us every step of the journey, firstly as a mum-of-three she was a regular customer from the outset when her girls were little, while for the last five years she has been a key part of the team.

“She is passionate about Helensburgh and has a strong desire to see independent retail thrive on our high street, I am confident she’s the best person to take The Toy Shop into the next generation and I wish her every success.”

News that Val had taken over was welcomed in the town, with hundreds of Facebook comments wishing her well in the business.

Val, a trained florist, had previously worked at the award-winning Plantation and The Rowan Gallery.

She said: “It’s important to get to know your customers. The Toy Shop has parents, grand parents and great grandparents coming through the door and it’s important to remember what they like and what they bought previously – it’s all about building on good customer service and maintaining good quality.

“We are always on the lookout for new products and we have a couple of exciting new suppliers which we are keeping up our sleeves at the moment but will make an announcement in due course.”

Now the Toy Shop’s focus is switching to the key date on every child’s mind – Christmas.

The Christmas Club is open now, and Val is planning a quick one-week sale to make room for lots of fresh ideas.

Fiona said in her Facebook message: “In the meantime, I’ll be here for the next few weeks, so why not drop by.”