SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Several kids spent their mornings shopping for family members on Black Friday.
Santa Express opened Friday at the Spokane Valley Mall to allow kids to do their own holiday shopping this season. All proceeds from the shop benefit Vanessa Behan, a safe shelter for kids who are in crisis situations.
At Santa Express, parents can drop their kids off to enter a secret store made just for kids to shop for their families.
From rings to cookware, Santa Express has many gifts for everyone in the family.
“I got to pick out presents for my brothers, my dad and my mom and my grandpa and grandma,” said Tenley, one of the young shoppers at Santa Express.
When kids enter the store, they are paired with an elf to help them shop and stay on budget.
“Everything from our store ranges from $1 to $12 for the kids,” said Hayley Lydig, the director of Santa Express. “I think it’s extra cool that none of our gifts need electronics. Everything is kind of old school fun, so it’s ready to be played with.”
Once the kids are done shopping, they get to wrap all their gifts.
“I picked out for my daddy a cup that says ‘The Best Dad’ and I also picked out a Winnie the Pooh spoon for my mommy and daddy,” shopper Freya King said.
All the money goes back to helping local kids in the community.
“Santa Express is in our 32nd year. So it’s cool that we’re becoming kind of a tradition for families and we’re seeing kids that shopped, or people who shopped when they were kids now bring their kids. Over the course of our 32 years, we’ve raised over $3 million.
Santa Express is open at the Spokane Valley Mall now through Dec. 22 for kids between the ages of 4 and 12. You can find out more about the boutique here.
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