Everything Under The Sun: Buying A Whole Store For Good

Carol Suchman (right) packing up store items, with a volunteer.

Hudson Party Store in NYC's West Village had recently gone out of business. There was a sign on the door, reading "FOR RENT", and the remaining stock was still on its shelves. Then, Carol Suchman, a local philanthropist and director of her family's New York Venture Partners, happened to walk by, and noticed the stock that remained in the store.

Ms. Suchman explained, "I thought it was so sad that all the toys were just sitting inside this closed store. When I saw the FOR RENT sign go up, I got the idea to call the owner and see if the toys were for sale."

After she did a quick inventory of the toys in the store, she made an offer for the entire stock. The owner was quite satisfied, especially after she found out where the toys would be headed, because, you see, it was Carol's intention to donate the toys. She noted, "She though it was great that the toys would be donated. She has been very helpful by opening up the store for the volunteers and helping us to organize the pickups."

Buying the inventory was the easy part, but where to send the items to those in need was another challenge. Carol contacted Liz Hopfan, executive director of FREE ARTS NYC and Antonio Rodriguez, special events coordinator of NYC DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES, for help with identifying homeless shelters with children. When she had contacted Mr. Rodriguez, he was probably awe-stricken, to say the least. She said, "I emailed [Mr. Rodriguez] and said, 'I just bought a toy store, can you help?' He got right back to me and laughed and said, 'No one has ever said that before.'"

Obviously, Ms Suchman had help from volunteers, who collected and labelled the toys and other items from the store. When all was said and done, the spokeswoman for the Department of Homeless Services, Nicole Cuerto, provided an official thank-you, "They've packaged all the toys and they're ready to be distributed. We're very excited. These kids really go through a lot. We have resources to help these kids in their time of need. The fact that the community is coming together to add yet another layer of kindness for these children - especially during the holiday season - is really a beautiful thing and really impacts these kids in a positive way."

The Hudson Party Store, which was going out of business.

As for Ms Suchman, she's used to giving anonymously, but broke that anonymity on this occasion, not for the publicity for her actions, but hoping to inspire others to be kinder. When that Christmas Day comes, when the children at the shelters receive their gifts this year, they may notice an extra visitor at the shelter, watching them open their gifts. For, Carol is planning to be at one of the shelters when it's time for the kids to unwrap their gifts. As she said, "My family and I feel very lucky. We were able to build a business and thrive in New York City and we always think of how we can help out to maybe help someone have some good luck too." Here's hoping she also brings the rest of the family, to pass on her wisdom and kindness to the next generation.