MIDDLEBURY —  Becky Dayton has set June 30 as the closing date for Ollie’s Other Place, the book, toy, game and educational gift store for babies and children on Washington Street in Middlebury. Since it opened in 2015, Dayton said, community support for the venture has been great, but sales have not been strong enough to keep the store open.
“Having Ollie’s has been fun, but because of weak sales, the strategy of securing a backup location for the Vermont Book Shop has not proved to be workable,” Dayton said of her experience at Ollie’s Other Place. “I will focus my efforts now on creating a Vermont Book Shop that can survive the bridge and rail project.”
Much of the inventory at Ollie’s Other Place will be sold during a clearance sale starting Tuesday, June 19, and ending on the store closing date, Saturday, June 30. Hours until then will be Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A number of the quality toy brands, such as Janod, Folkmanis, Blue Orange Games and HABA, as well as the gift and classic books and select games and activity books will come to Vermont Book Shop as enhancement of the  children’s section is planned.