Daisy & Mac has expanded with the grand opening of a new store in Hamilton set for tomorrow.

The children's store, which bills itself as the 'Biggest Little Store in Town', is opening its third outlet in just over two years since it was first launched, with a focus on toys and educational products.

The new store, which will be based in the Somers Building at 11 Front Street, opposite HSBC, is already open for business, having had a soft opening earlier this month, in addition to the other stores in Washington Mall and Dockyard.

Owner Dawn Zuill said her latest venture gave the shop an opportunity to showcase all of its different product lines and categories properly in a bigger space.

"We are expanding in order to be able to accommodate the toys in the meaningful way due to the wide range of products we offer from clothing and accessories to toys from birth to age 16," she said. "We decided to move the toys out so that they had their own focus and own area and make them more attractive in their own right."

Mrs. Zuill, who had been planning the move for about one year, admitted that she was taking a big leap of faith in setting up another store during these tough economic times, but added that as a whole her stores had performed well considering the difficult circumstances.

"Retail is not showing very good numbers at all, so we are really going on blind faith and that our community at large will support the local retailers and understand the value of doing it in helping them to continue to provide great products on our own shores," she said.

"Business for us has been steady – we only opened in June 2007, so we have a relatively short lifespan, but I don't think we have really lost any ground at all, particularly in our main store.

"In splitting the two stores up, we have really increased the numbers substantially because I think people can see the products more clearly in their own right."

Mrs. Zuill said that Daisy & Mac had also been putting its bit back into the local economy and community, having taken on two new full-time employees at its Dockyard store in the past six months to cope with demand from the increased number of visitors, with plans to recruit two more full-time and two part-time staff as the business expands.

She added: "I would like to encourage the local community to support all of their local family, friends and colleagues that work in the local retail businesses – it is very important for their jobs that we consider buying at home rather than overseas for everybody's sake."

The store will carry a range of products, including German brand Playmobil, play and collectable dolls, accessories and furniture, to model boats by Billings Boats, as well as outdoor games, such as big snakes and ladders, ideal for kids parties and adults alike.

The grand opening will include cotton candy and face painting for the kids, with a ribbon cutting ceremony held at 12.30 p.m. A number of gifts will also be given away as well as discount cards handed out for use in all three stores during November.