A Darlington family business selling sensory toys on TikTok is set to take its next step by opening its first-ever in-person store in the town later this month.
Thirteen-year-old Alex Stubbs took a chance during the Covid-19 lockdown when she began selling squishy toys on the social media site TikTok's shop under the name Funky Fidgets Shop - and quickly went from six orders a day to a matter of hundreds.
The toys, which range from teddies to putties, lanyards, joke toys, poppers and more which are used for fun but are also often used as sensory objects for the SEN community.
Mum Melissa Brunskill was next to get involved - and quit her job in 2021 to support the business which as of July 2024 boasts an impressive 433,000 followers on social media and they now have their own website.
Now, after four years in business, the family are set to open their first walk-in store on Borough Road in Darlington on July 20.
Melissa told The Northern Echo how the idea to have a dedicated store came about.
She said: "We had simply outgrown our home unit, we needed to move the online shop into a bigger space.
"We moved into that space at the end of February and quickly decided to turn part of it into a walk-in shop."
She added: "It’s madness. I can’t even describe it. Words can’t even describe how big this is gone from an 11-year-old brain to a fully fledged family run business.
"It’s astonishing when you think about it, but we are all just really happy."
Pictures of the store show shelves filled with toys of all shapes and sizes as Melissa and her family make the final touches to the store - with just over two weeks to go until the grand opening.
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However, the family have admitted they are feeling a tad daunted at the prospect as they say they are expecting a "large footfall" of visitors from their online community to attend on the 20th.
Melissa said: "I am quite nervous for opening day. We chat to our online community all the time and some of them say they are going to stay in hotels nearby to come on the opening day.
"They just coming to see this Darlington family open this shop – it’s crazy."
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