Nostalgia Toys More, purveyor of retro toys on Burlington’s Church Street, is going out of business after just seven months, owners Shlomi and Miriam Lavi said on Monday. Its last day of operation is Sunday, July 5. “We opened it with the hope of bringing something fun, affordable, and fami ly-friendly to Church Street, and we are proud of the effort we put into it,” the Lavis said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, between the realities of rent, operating costs, staffing, and theft, the business was not sustainable for us.” Their announcement comes just days after Lippa’s Estate and Fine Jewelry announced that it is moving to Colchester after 93 years on Church Street. Already, the four-block-long Church Street Marketplace has about a dozen empty storefronts. Church Street Marketplace director Samantha McGinnis did not immediately return a request for comment. The Lavis opened Nostalgia Toys More at 80 Church Street in November, shortly after closing Weenies Hot Dogs, which they operated in that compact corner storefront for fewer than nine months. Although they have leased the 300-square-foot store for another three years, they do not plan to open another business there, they said: “We have now tried two concepts in that space, both with the goal of serving the community and adding something positive to Church Street, but neither ultimately worked financially.” No changes are planned for Flora Fauna, the large, second-floor curiosity and gift store they own at 70 Church Street. Shlomi Lavi and Nostalgia employee and consultant Nancy Rissler met earlier this month with McGinnis and Jeff Dube, community planning and project manager for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, to discuss collaborative efforts to keep a business in the Nostalgia space. Nothing came of that meeting, Lavi said, though he expressed gratitude to McGinnis for sharing resources. “The Marketplace has gone above and beyond, in my opinion,” he said in a brief phone interview. He and Miriam also expressed gratitude for customers who supported Nostalgia and Weenies, “and we still believe strongly in downtown Burlington and Church Street.” Rissler, 70, said she would like to see the street return to its vibrancy of the 1980s, when she brought her four children there. “There was so much energy here, and I just loved it,” she said. She wants to see families on the Marketplace, she continued. “I think children are going to save Church Street … How can we support businesses so they don’t have to close a toy store?” The post Nostalgia Toy Store on Burlington’s Church Street to Close appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less