Loomey’s Toy Boutique to Open in the Palisades

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Palisadian Amanda Rastegar will open Loomey’s Toy Boutique in the space that formerly housed Sew Chateau, located at 833 Via de la Paz. The store, officially opening on March 26, will offer a curated collection of sustainable toys, books, accessories, gifts and more.

Rastegar said when her children were younger, she would joke with local parents about opening a toy store and space for families to socialize. She went on to work as an executive assistant for senior management at Warner Brothers for 15 years before deciding to take a chance and open a boutique in town.

She shared that a large part of her inspiration came from her father.

“During COVID, my father had gotten sick and had a stroke a year ago, and he passed away in June,” Rastegar said to the Palisadian-Post. “On his bed, he had a bunch of regrets that I didn’t know about, and those regrets, and hearing those stories that he kept to himself, inspired me to just take a chance.

“My kids are getting older and I want to teach them to be entrepreneurs, and to do more than I did and go farther than I ever did.”

She began brainstorming in August of last year, then decided March might be a good time to open, following the second wave of COVID-19. With the help of her children and network of friends, Rastegar said the process has been enjoyable.

“We’ve all raised our kids here since preschool, so every toy in here, I run it by them,” she said. “It’s been hard because it’s a new industry to me … But it’s been really fun.”

The boutique will offer toys for infants, children up to 8 years old, and items for tweens—in recognition of her two teenagers, who the store is named after.

“Loomey’s is a combination of my kids’ nicknames. My daughter Darby is ‘Darbaloo,’ but we call her ‘Loo,’ and my son Max is ‘Moomey,’ so we did Loomey’s,” Rastegar said with a laugh. “It’s really bizarre.”

The toy boutique will offer monthly and weekly events, including visits from special guests, a magic hour, tea time and more. Loomey’s will also have a toy donation bin for children in need, and on certain days, a portion of the shop’s sales will go to underserved schools.

The store’s grand opening will be on Saturday, March 26, and will feature entertainment, activities, food and drinks.

“I love this spot, I love my community … There’s space for kids to play in front of my shop. I’m excited for everyone to see it,” Rastegar said to the Post. “My goal is to bring the fun back to the kids of the Palisades after a hard couple of years.”

For more information on Loomey’s Toy Boutique, visit loomeystoys.com or call Rastegar at 424-330-0229.