Bury St Edmunds Starlings Toymaster staff prepare for move to the arc shopping centre and share memories from last 16 years

Bosses at a popular toy shop which will begin a new era as it moves to bigger premises have shared their memories of the last two decades.

Starlings Toymaster in Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds, announced earlier this month its move to the arc shopping centre.

Jon Starling, manager director, said the exciting new chapter would see them double in size with 25 metres of LEGO products including display models.

For Jon and his staff, it has been a moment to reflect on the history of the store which launched in 2006 and was part of the 110-year-old company’s expansion.

He said: “We opened up on November 26, five weeks before Christmas, and it was just so busy from day one.”

Since then, Jon and the Bury St Edmunds team have seen many toy trends hit the shelves.

Although toys have become more technically advanced, a lot of the most popular names have stood the test of time.

Manager Hayley Pearce, who has worked in the store for 21 years, said: “To be fair, a lot of dolls and Barbies are kind of the same from back in the day - LEGO has definitely come a long way though and new toys like Paw Patrol and Bluey are proving to be very popular.

“Christmas is always our busiest period - people end up queuing out of both doors around then, I think people like to actually see the product in person compared to doing online shopping.

“Over the years we’ve seen children grow up and then see them come to visit us with their own families - it’s so lovely and we’ve been speaking to our regulars for years.

“I’m thrilled about the new store, but I’m sad too. It’s the end of an era for this side of town - but we’ve got exciting times ahead for sure.”

The building in Cornhill has a long history as a toy shop and, before Starlings, was Bridgens in the 1970s followed by Beatties and Toymaster Kingdom.

After an appeal on Facebook, members of the public shared their memories of the store.

Emma Lucy Tayler said: “As a kid in the 90s, I remember they used to have trikes and ride on toys hanging from the ceiling - it always felt so full of stuff and exciting.”

Anya Pratt shared a story of getting lost as a child in the 1980s.

“I got separated from my mum on market day,” she said. “I went into this toy shop and told the staff I was lost - they looked after me until a police officer came and collected me.”

Roz Copley said: “I used to get my son’s Tonka trucks from there, we also got him a rocking horse from Brigdens when he was a toddler.”

This year marks a milestone for Starlings Toys as the family company has been selling toys for 110 years.

The business started in Sheringham in the early 1910s and Jon is excited to continue his family’s legacy in the new store.

He said: “We’ve been looking for somewhere for the past six or seven years because the old shop is just a bit too small to deliver the best shopping experience possible.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 16 years and it is sad to be leaving - Cornhill has treated us very well but it’s time to move on to new and exciting things.”