Popular Wolfville stores have reopened

After two devastating floods in March, Inquisitive Toy Company and Inquisitive Baby reopened on April 15.

Water leaking in a residential space above the toy store spilled into the neighbouring Inquisitive Baby space, as well as the basement shared by the two stores. The first flood occurred on March 5 and though significant, caused less damage than the second.

“Our motion detectors picked up the ceiling falling out from the water at 4:15 a.m. on March 13,” recalled owner Miranda Rideout. Immediately, she and her husband and co-owner Jake Rideout rushed to the stores to find inches of water throughout the entire space.

The couple is unsure exactly how much water poured into their stores, but early estimates of the damages total nearly $100,000.

“It was devastating at first but there are so many silver linings,” Jake explained, “it’s almost a fresh start, certainly cosmetically, but it gave us a chance to step back and look at how we could do things better when we were up and running again.”

The Rideouts, both Acadia University graduates, opened Inquisitive Toy Company in 2013. Their success in that venture led to discovering the market for baby essentials in the local area. Inquisitive Baby opened last July and has now expanded following post-flood renovations.

The break in retail operations gave the couple time to bolster their consulting business for start-ups. This most recent occurrence of navigating commercial insurance claims and operating without revenue coupled with their experience from building two successful stores from the ground up make them a valuable resource for would-be entrepreneurs. They encourage anyone who is thinking about starting a small business to reach out to them.

Inquisitive Toy Company and Inquisitive Baby are located at 360 Main St., Wolfville. For more information, visit the stores on Facebook or call 902697-3009.