www.ChildrenoftheWorld.BIZ
The Latest Adventure
Now, we are moving on and up! We have closed the bricks and mortar to concentrate on the multitude of off-site events and conferences that focus specifically on adoption and multiculturalism.
March 31, 2006
We have closed the doors to our storefront to concentrate on our core market, the adoption community. We had a wonderful 3 years with the physical store but were turning down events to be sure the store was covered. That's not why we started this business. First and foremost we have always wanted to be a resource for adoptive families and now we can focus on that even more. So we have our website for ordering and we are out and about and strive to be at each and every adoption related event that we can get to. We appreciate all the support at the store and look forward to seeing you at cultural and adoptive events.
And we are always available at 508-839-9200. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone to ask for a gift suggestion, book review or just to say hi. Or e-mail at childrenoftheworld@hotmail.com
Xie Xie (Many thanks!)
Maureen Tallon and Ken Knoblock
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THE STORE...
Rose Lewis book signing
Maureen Tallon and Ken Knoblock, new parents of a baby girl adopted from China, wanted to find her a doll that looked like her. But most had blonde hair and blue eyes. Likewise, finding other toys and books that represented their daughter Tara Fei’s Asian heritage proved difficult.
Out of their frustration eventually came inspiration. One night Maureen suddenly sat up in bed and announced she had an idea for a store for families who had adopted children outside the U.S. While her husband admits he probably told her to go back to sleep at the time, he came to share her dream. And, in fact, their vision grew.
"We realized the store could be a resource for not only people who adopted internationally," says Ken, "but for people who have immigrated to the U.S. from other countries, people who want to teach their kids about their heritage, and people who just want to educate their children about other cultures." He adds the store can be a resource for teachers and day care workers who want to teach their classes about other countries as well as diversity.
On March 29, 2003 Children of the World opened its doors at in downtown Westborough. The store offers multi-cultural books, videos, CDs, musical instruments, puzzles, and out-of-the-ordinary stuffed animals. In addition to traditionally dressed dolls, the store carries musical dolls and a variety of bilingual-speaking dolls (currently Spanish, French, Hebrew, Italian, and Chinese, with German and Russian to come). Children’s books are available as well as books on parenting and adopting. "The store is a way of promoting understanding among people of different parts of the world," says Ken.
In the future, the couple hopes to use space at the rear of the store to host meetings for adoption organizations and talks on other cultures. They also plan to have author appearances. "We want it to be more than just a place to shop," says Maureen. A portion of the store’s profits will be donated to children’s organizations.
