ELKINS – With a large crowd on Friday afternoon, Serendipity Gifts and Toys celebrated its grand opening with an Elkins Randolph County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Owners Hope Anderson and Sherry Hammer recently combined Third Street Trading Co. and Hopscotch to form a new store, Serendipity Gifts and Toys.

Hammer and Anderson both expressed their excitement about the new location and having a new building large enough to allow for additional growth.

“I think that when our customers come in they will really like our new surroundings,” Hammer said.

Customers will still find their favorite Pandora, Vera Bradley and Melissa and Doug items, along with new products like Alex and Ani bracelets.

“We’ve picked up brands that we’ve wanted to pick up for a long time and that the customers have been asking for,” Hammer said. “We did expand both the children’s line and the gift line.”

Hammer emphasized that the new location was remodeled inside and out to suit their expanded merchandise line and the consolidation of the two stores.

“We’re anxious for our customers to come in and see the store and shop with us,” Hammer said.

Hammer explained that when choosing the name of the new store, she and Anderson found that serendipity may have various meanings including “unexpected miracles” or “celebrating the unexpected.”

“We thought this was the perfect name for a gift store because you may come in looking for one thing and find something totally different,” Hammer said.

Serendipity Gifts and Toys’ extended hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday to allow their customers with more time to shop in the evenings.

“We’re going to try to live up to the name and celebrate the unexpected,” Hammer said.

Serendipity Gifts and Toys is located on the Beverly Pike near Crazy Harry’s.