The pieces are falling into place for the next phase of Liberty Puzzles' business.

The Boulder-based maker of wooden jigsaw puzzles is weeks away from opening a retail store on the Pearl Street Mall.

The shop, which would be the first brick-and-mortar locale in the company's 9-year history, could lay the foundation for the operation to shift away from a wholesale-focused business model, owner Chris Wirth said.

Liberty Puzzles is setting up shop at 1468 Pearl St., a 685-square-foot space that most recently served as a retail front for Kid Robot, a maker of pop art and street art toys and collectibles.

"It made sense for us to plant the flag on the historic bricks of the Pearl Street Mall and see if that model works for us," Wirth said.

Mike Snow cleans a puzzle before sending it to quality control on Tuesday at Liberty Puzzles on 49th Street in Boulder. For more photos and a video about the company, visit dailycamera.com. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

Liberty Puzzles now sells about "several dozen thousand" puzzles a year through its website and via the wholesale route to about a 100 small stores across America.

The puzzles are made by machine and a 30-person workforce in an east Boulder facility that in recent years has turned into a bit of a tourist draw, Wirth said. About two years back, Liberty Puzzles opened a showroom at its 2526 49th St. headquarters and made an open offer for drop-in tours.

Visitors pop in Liberty Puzzles on a daily basis, he said. During the peak summer tourist season, Wirth's business has hosted more than 10 groups in a single day.

"We've sort of been overwhelmed," he said.

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Boulder's Liberty Puzzles piecing together Pearl Street location