Peter Mills wants Ridge Road Station to be a shopping experience filled with fun and wonder, as well as and impetus for economic development in the Town of Murray.

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Western NY's rival to FAO Schwartz
to be found in Holley

Is this a store or a museum? That's the question Ridge Road Station owner Peter Mills sometimes gets. The answer is that Ridge Road Station is definitely a store, as nearly everything in it is for sale, but the line between store and museum is sometimes blurry.

Much of the blurring is due to the Train Room where Mills boasts the largest g-gauge train layout east of the Rio Grande. It has taken more than six thousand hours to lay the 3,000 feet of track that travels across 2,000 square feet of landscape, through 14 tunnels, a mine and 11 bridges. There’s no charge for viewing the train display, and many train buffs, young and old, spend many an hour doing just that. "A work in progress," Mills calls it, adding that another 3-4,000 hours of work and "we might just be finished with it."

Also blurring the line is one of the toy rooms where kids can play with interactive toys, the hands-on kind, not the electronic kind. "Our number one rule here is to have fun," Mills said.

Customer Bob Whelehan of Greece agrees. "I have two grandkids here with me today and I had two here last week," he said. "It’s a great place to bring kids."

A nearly 30-year resident of the Town of Murray, Mills opened Ridge Road Station on a lark. He bought a train set in 1991 and couldn’t find a train store in the area that he liked. So he built one in an unlikely location on Ridge Road, half way between Rochester and Buffalo.

Soon customers were asking him to add some toys, then some Christmas merchandise. Now the building stands at 22,000 square feet and Mills hopes to add another 7,000 square feet next year. "If I could afford to triple it I would," he said.

Wonderland for all ages

"Hello, kids," Mills greets adult customers. One woman laughingly replies, "That’s what we’re like when we’re in here."

And it’s no wonder. From the winter wonderland full of every Christmas collectible imaginable to the train room, to the collectors’ series rooms to the toy rooms, adults’ eyes grow as wide as their children’s.

Mark Dudwick is the Christmas Department manager and Mills calls him "the most knowledgeable Christmas manager east of the Mississippi." Among the many Christmas collectors’ lines to be found at Ridge Road Station are Department 56 villages and ornaments, Snow Babies, Slavic Treasures, Heritage Lace, Seraphim Angels, Fontanini, Christopher Radko, Byer’s Choice, Flower Fairies, Swarovski crystal and more. New this year is a line of foot-tall elves and intricately decorated and edible bird houses.

There are life-size Santas, moving wire-sculpture reindeer, child-size Christmas mice and toy soldiers. Hanging on dozens of Christmas trees are thousands of ornaments, with elbow room in which to move around.

Of course, Ridge Road Station carries every type of G-gauge train accessory made and also has HO and N scale accessories. Collectible lines include Franklin Mint, Boyds Bears, and Madame Alexander dolls.

For the non-collector, there are one of a kind items, like the five feet high copper and brass roller coaster built by Phil Kaiser. The track is 100 feet long in G-scale and took nine months to plan and construct. Imagine finding that under the Christmas tree.

Shoppers won’t find any violent toys at Ridge Road Station. "We steer well clear of any of that," Mills said. What shoppers will find are Brio, Playmobile, Legos, Rokenbok, Thomas the Tank, Ty, ERTL, American Girls, Estes rockets, and more.

One customer calls Ridge Road Station a "rival to FAO Schwartz." Mills relishes that compliment and as one of the few remaining independent toy stores in western New York, and probably the largest, he knows his work is cut out for him

On-line shopping may be growing in popularity, but one wouldn’t think so by looking at Ridge Road Station. Customers are willing to drive 45 minutes from Rochester and Buffalo, and longer from Pennsylvania and Canada, for the experience. A new Station Master Club rewards regular customers with exclusive offers, discounts and bonus points.

Special events like the bi-annual train races on the high-speed outdoor track bring in a lot of visitors. In May, Mills is hosting the "World’s Largest Wagon" built by Radio Flyer. The 27 feet long by 13 feet wide wagon weighs 15,000 pounds and can hold 75 children at one time. Although Mills hasn’t worked out the details, he plans to donate the proceeds from the visit to a children’s charity.

Mills hopes as his store grows that it’s an economic stimulant for other businesses in western Orleans County. "If we had opened on the east side of Rochester, we’d do three to five times the business we do here," Mills said. "But we’re interested in this location, in making something happen in this community. And we know that once people do come here, they do come back."