NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's the kind of place any child dreams about. Phillips Toy Mart has earned a spot in the hearts of kids of all ages.
"This is part of our Christmas memories," said customer Veronica Martinez Bland. "It's so special."
She used to bring her sons to the store, now she shops with her granddaughter.
"We have one day a year where we go out to breakfast. We go to Phillips Toy Mart and then choose [toys], and then go home to make Christmas ornaments and bake cookies," said Martinez Bland.
"There's not a lot of situations like this anymore that people survive the test of time like this," said Powell Phillips.
His parents began the business in 1946. Now, he and his sister run the toy store.
"You know back in the day, Easy Bake Ovens," said Phillips. "Stuff like that was big."
To this day you'll still find many of those classic toys. But much like the city of Nashville, the store has had to evolve, too.
"The worst one was certainly Amazon when they came on in the early days," he said.
With the holidays in full swing, it's the peak season for Phillips Toy Mart.
"December is like three or four of a summer month," said Phillips.
Although the toys and the city have changed over the decades, Phillips has held on.
"I have people that you wouldn't even expect going 'please don't go out of business, we love this store' and stuff like that," said Phillips.
It's a feeling of nostalgia that customers experience, bringing out the child in every shopper.
"This is part of our Christmas tradition," said Martinez Bland.
