Mastermind Toys is set to open a new location in Langford later this month, the company is opening 12 new stores across Canada this year. (Photo courtesy of Mastermind Toys)

A new toy store will be setting up shop on the West Shore.

Mastermind Toys will be opening at the Westshore Town Centre with a target opening date of Oct. 21. The store will be located on the exterior of the shopping centre next to Carter’s OshKosh.

Since 2011, Mastermind Toys has opened 50 stores across the country in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. By the end of 2017, the company will have opened 12 new locations for the calendar year, including the roughly 5,000-square-foot Langford location.

“From our expansion into Eastern Canada, to the relaunch of our website, 2017 has been a banner year for Mastermind Toys,” said Jon Levy, chief toy merchant, CEO and co-founder of Mastermind Toys. “Mastermind continues to meet the increasing demand for high-quality specialty toys and children’s books in under served markets, and we look forward to introducing our brand to more and more Canadian families as the company continues to grow.”

Beth Merrick with ZAZOU Communications said the company understands how technology is advancing but sees traditional play and screen time co-existing.

“Mastermind Toys has been in business over 30 years and we know the way kids play. There have always been alternatives to traditional toys. When video games first came out, there was a belief that would be the end of traditional toys,” Merrick said.

“Many kids spend a lot of time playing video games, yet the toy industry continues to grow every year. Plus, many families are concerned about kids spending too much ‘screen time,’ and have been pushing back by encouraging their kids to play with quality, educational toys and books. We believe that time spent on the screen does not exclude traditional play for kids, so we actually see the two co-existing in the market place … and a number of our toys integrate traditional play with screens.”

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jessica.fedigan@goldstreamgazette.com

Goldstream News Gazette