A rubber chicken display, a wall of puzzles for every age, and a baby boutique stocked with plushies and books now fill a storefront on North Main Street in Belmont. Woodson's Toys held its grand opening on August 28 at 25 North Main Street, Suite B, giving downtown Belmont its newest family-owned shop.
The store is owned by Samantha and Kenny Moniz, according to the Gaston Gazette, which photographed the shop's opening days, including Samantha and Kenny posing together inside the store and Irene Kesselman helping set up a display. Kesselman is Samantha's mother-in-law and had retired after selling her own toy shop, Ali Cat Toys in Carrboro, in 2024. Rather than stay retired, she came back specifically to help Samantha get Woodson's Toys off the ground, as Kesselman explained in an interview with Marketplace.
What's on the Shelves
Per the Gazette's photo tour, shoppers will find a wide variety of games, puzzles for every age group, dolls and dress-up items, cars and trucks, and toys that teach about science. There are also lighter, novelty picks mixed in, including rubber chickens and plush pigs, alongside washable markers and glitter gel pens. The store has also rolled out books and toys geared toward fall, along with bath bombs and toys that make music.
Families with the youngest shoppers in mind have their own corner of the store. Woodson's Toys includes a baby boutique stocked with toys, books and plushies, rounding out a mix that spans from infant gifts to games for older kids.
A Storefront With Its Own History
Before Woodson's Toys moved in, the space at 25 North Main Street had a different community purpose. It previously housed Bliss Gallery, an art space run by the non-profit organization Holy Angels to showcase artwork by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Holy Angels operates several social enterprises along Belmont's Main Street corridor, making the toy store's arrival a shift in use for a storefront that has long served the local community in one form or another.
Belmont's Growth Is Reshaping Downtown
The new shop is opening into a downtown that looks considerably different than it did less than a decade ago. Belmont's population grew from around 12,000 residents in 2018 to roughly 16,000 by early 2026, according to WCNC, prompting city leaders to update the Center City Small Area Plan to guide further downtown commercial expansion. Mayor Joe Jordan has pointed to that population growth as a key factor in shaping strategic development decisions downtown, the station reported.
That local surge lines up with a broader boom in North Carolina entrepreneurship. Business applications across the state grew 11.7% in 2025 to reach 182,653 filings, with volume expanding another 15.7% through May 2026 compared to the year before, per NC Small Business Statistics. Meanwhile, visitor spending in Gaston County reached $395.2 million in 2025, directly supporting 2,487 local jobs and generating $25.57 million in state and local tax revenues, according to Visit North Carolina — a sign of the retail and hospitality economy Woodson's Toys is stepping into.
Toys Are Having a Moment Nationally
The timing also lines up with a nationwide rebound in the toy industry. U.S. toy sales grew 17% in dollar terms during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier, driven by demand for collectibles, board games, puzzles and licensed products, according to market research firm Circana. Games and puzzles alone surged 45% in sales during that stretch after generating $4.9 billion in 2025, making the category the largest single supercategory in the industry, with trading card games and collectible properties cited as primary drivers.
Adult buyers are a big part of that growth. Consumers 18 and older accounted for 35% of the toy market's overall dollar growth in early 2026, with female buyers generating more than half of the gains, according to Mass Market Retailers. Independent shops like Woodson's Toys are entering the market at a moment when specialty retailers have real room to compete alongside national chains, backed in part by trade groups like the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, which represents more than 1,800 independent toy retailers, manufacturers and sales representatives across North America.
