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After Williamsburg resident Loretta Gendville had her first child, she decided to expand her Carroll Gardens businesses—Area Emporium and Spa and Area Yoga Center—to accommodate a younger clientele. She opened maternity store Area Mom and Baby, toy store Area Play, and six locations of Area Kids, the Brooklyn chain’s general store for children. Part of Williamsburg’s MiniMall, the Bedford Avenue Area Kids has a welcoming chalk-covered exterior; inside, a one-room space with white-washed brick walls, wood floors, and a tin ceiling is crammed with toys and clothes for children up to age eight. Popular clothing items are Tea’s onesies with floral patterns and Mini Rotation’s T-shirts, printed with unicorns, bubbles and robots. Even older kids are attracted to the offbeat, well-designed toys, like Automoblox connectible trucks, and the Twilight Turtle stuffed animal, which doubles as a nightlight that projects constellations. The shop is also a favorite with moms en route to birthday parties, who can pick up cute Melissa & Doug gift sets or soft Blabla dolls handcrafted with organic yarn and get complimentary gift-wrapping to boot. — Caroline Kinneberg