The pieces are falling into place for the next phase of Liberty Puzzles' business. <\/p>\n
The Boulder-based maker of wooden jigsaw puzzles is weeks away from opening a retail store on the Pearl Street Mall. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\"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. <\/p>\n
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) <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\"We've sort of been overwhelmed,\" he said. <\/p>\n
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See the rest here:<\/p>\n
Boulder's Liberty Puzzles piecing together Pearl Street location<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The pieces are falling into place for the next phase of Liberty Puzzles' business. Continue reading