The new Columbus boutique toy shop opening in Highside Market to offer ‘unique items’

Columbus residents will soon be able to find toys and gifts for their children in a new boutique toy shop opening in Highside Market later this fall.

Sude Dellinger, an Alabama native, has developed Dragonfly Toys & Gifts to offer something more than the Barbie dolls and race cars that can be found in most toy stores giving customers a different toy store experience.

“I really want it to be unique items that you may not see anywhere else or definitely are not sold anywhere else,” Dellinger told the Ledger-Enquirer.

The store will carry lines like Sonny Angel dolls, she said. Dellinger realized the dolls could have wide-appeal at all ages when she saw a 20-year-old woman at a market with one tucked in her pocket. Another example of products Columbus residents can find at Dragonfly includes the Maileg Dollhouse.

“I want it to be items that are not sold anywhere else but here,” she said. “That way you can find something completely new that might delight you.”

Dellinger owns two Airbnb properties and manages another, she said, so there are no plans to expand the Dragonfly Toys & Gifts store outside of Columbus.

“I’ve done three stores in New York City and two stores in Atlanta,” Dellinger said. “And I really love the idea of Highside Market.”

Dragonfly will occupy a 265 square-foot space inside Highside Market. The development by the Cotton Companies is a mix of new construction with preserved structures that date back to 1939, according to a news release.

It will be a hub for dining, retail, office and event space at 211 13th St., and is expected to start a “rolling opening” this month leading to a grand opening in December.

The development’s concept is what motivated Dellinger to create Dragonfly, she said, and she wants the store to be something that is unique and exclusive to Columbus.

“It feels like being part of a community,” Dellinger said. “And it’s a gorgeous three buildings.”

How Columbus became home

Dellinger opened a women’s boutique store in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen in 2001. She followed that boutique up with two more stores in Gramercy Park and on the Upper West Side.

In 2005, Dellinger gave birth to triplets and wanted to take her career on a path that fit her new family.

She moved the family to Peru for two years where Dellinger developed Feather Baby, a baby clothing line.

“I wasn’t really into women’s clothing anymore,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Because, you know, having triplets — you don’t really fit in your jeans.”

Dellinger grew Feather Baby until the collection was being sold to 500 boutiques in the U.S., including two stores in metro-Atlanta.

One day, she was staying at an Airbnb in rural Georgia when she noticed there was a nearby town called Columbus. So, Dellinger took a day trip to visit the city where she ended up exploring Broadway. She ate yogurt, watched kids playing on their scooters and enjoyed the RiverWalk.

After the trip Dellinger decided to move to Columbus part-time. She split her time between Atlanta and Columbus for a while before making her move to Columbus permanent.

“I love the sidewalks,” Dellinger said. “I love the river. I love Broadway.”