By ISAIAH FRIZZELL
You walk in and the scent is instantly relaxing. The aromatherapy of the candles makes for a gentle and delightful visit. Two women, in unique and charming apparel, greet you with mile-wide smiles. Claudia Cayeros and Kerensa Lizzarago are two of the most beautiful and easygoing women in the Valley. The store they tend, shape and design might as well be a product of their thinking, style and passion. The large, flowing space is split, with the front arranged in graceful home décor—everything from pillows and candles to sculptures, brass wall hangings and unique apparel—while the back is a childhood fantasy of toys, games and puzzles reaching nearly to the ceiling in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. If you know emiejames, you know the style and it’s superb.
This is EJ Kids The Toy Store in Hailey with the EmieJames signature. Each of these ladies is passionate in their own right about style and exposition. “I’ve been living in Hailey for over 20 years now. I’m from Nayarit, Jalisco, the coast of Mexico,” said Cayeros, smiling as she speaks and dressed head to toe in gold with a fun and fresh style. “I started working with this family, the toy store, a bit over a year ago. They’re from Utah. I was like, how come we don’t have this in Hailey? We need this in Hailey. And they were a little, like, are you sure we can do good there? This used to be the Sun Valley toy store at the village. And then we found this place and I kept sending pictures and then we decided to make it just the EmieJames in the toy store and bring it to Hailey.”
“We all love candles and once you step in the store, the smell that you get in winter, you’re going to smell it in spring and summer and fall. This is our signature smell. We love it year-round. It’s balsam and cedar. We like to, you know, just keep the life in the store, with how we look, with our music. We have our style. We love what we do. We’re here just because we love it.”
It’s obvious when speaking to them along with the array of products, which is amazing. Even chocolates shipped in from where they’re made in Texas are tantalizing and delicious.
Cayeros is a self-described soccer mom, mother of three with two bulldogs who loves decorating her home and helping her husband bake.
Lizzarago is an outdoor enthusiast. “I like to go skiing and camping, hiking and just be outside. But, I do like to be home, too. I love to decorate. In fact, this is the reason I’m here. I came in and was like, ‘Oh, I love this place. I want to live here!’ and she (Cayeros) goes, ‘Well, then come work here!’ And so I did!”
Their soda fountain has become a huge hit with the teenagers, along with unique chocolates, and all the beautiful, high-quality items mentioned above. This is a unique and, frankly, amazing shop that graces the hallowed halls of Hailey. We clearly need more places like it, what with all the closures and drying up of local culture. This is one of a few of the last bastions.
What’s more is they are actively seeking people who want to do classes or workshops, such as fashion styling, watercolor painting, candlemaking, floral design, charcuterie and pretty much anything you might think of pitching them.
Step inside, visit the most friendly ladies, indulge in the smell, and bring the entire family. All possible ages are welcome. But, mainly, support the walk-in shops that we still have here in Hailey and perhaps offer to do a course that’ll get your career going as well!
EJ Kids The Toy Store with EmieJames is located next door to First Lite:
111 N. 1st Ave. in downtown Hailey directly adjacent to Atkinsons’ Market.
Phone: 208-622-5966
Their website: https://emiejames.com/