GREENWOOD — Matthew Waldwell’s purpose is clear.
“My mission is to improve the community,’ Waldwell said. “I want to improve the collector community. I want to improve Greenwood's community and just give people a chance to go somewhere where they can do stuff for free and just enjoy themselves.”
Waldwell is the co-owner of Faraday Toys in Greenwood. A lifelong collector himself, Waldwell wanted to create a space for the collector community.
“I look at everything from the view of the collector,” Waldwell said. “I know what I would want to spend on a product so I bring that to the people.”
The move to brick-and-mortar came as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted life as we knew it.
“After our careers were killed by the COVID pandemic, we decided to take the shot because we had the stock available and we were and we found a really good deal on location,” Waldwell said.
It’s a move that’s paid off. Faraday Toys is not just a shop for gifts, it’s also a gaming destination.
“A lot of people are starting to come here to play Dungeons and Dragons,” Waldwell said. “We have a D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) group that meets every Sunday. We just tried to make this more of a community event center more than just a toy store.”
But if you want toys, Faraday has them, most of the time.
“The most popular thing that we sell are Transformers,” Waldwell said. “We have a hard time keeping those in stock.”
It’s a good problem to have for a small business that’s been embraced by the community it calls home.
“The support from Greenwood is amazing,” Waldwell said. “They all have just welcomed us and let us into their community and they make us a part of everything.”
