Hunting for a Little Fun? Try Ruben's Wood Crafts and Toys

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ STORY UPDATED TO INCLUDE DATE/TIME FOR NEXT SCAVENGER HUNT!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

There really is no end to the fun and creativity that Dixie and Ruben Valdez bring to the Boulder City community, especially when it comes to the kids. As long time small business owners (they opened their store in 2003 – WOW!!!!), they are constantly looking for ways to create memories for the young shoppers at their store. We told you about their super popular Young Entrepreneur's Market last summer. They also provide art instruction, birthday parties, and other kid get togethers that make a lot of fun memories. Recently, they've taken their act on the road, making slime with kids in Las Vegas.

The store is also your go to place for all things Barbie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which have been so incredibly popular with the feature films that debuted earlier this summer. There's even a cool "Barbie Box" built by Ruben, of course, where you can have your photo taken as the iconic doll. Check out our picture above to see it!

They've also been hosting FREE monthly themed scavenger hunts for all ages for several months. These hunts, the brainchild of Ruben, take shoppers to a number of other businesses in the downtown area. At each stop, the hunter performs a task or activity and then receives a small token that represents the theme of the hunt. This month's theme is "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner" and we were able to see quite possibly the smallest rubber chicken ever lol! It was so cute! The hunt is scheduled for this Friday, August 25 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. The starting and finishing point is the store itself, located at 555 Hotel Plaza. While you're there, take a look around the shops. We plan to stop by again and pick up some Rubik's Cubes!

For each scavenger hunt, Dixie and Ruben reach out to 6-8 other small businesses downtown to participate in the hunt. Ruben hand draws a map of the locations to stop at, and the kids are turned loose. Previous participants include Cards O' Glee, Ragtown Tattoo, Beer Zombies, Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum. All of the activities are kid-friendly and fun for families.

According to Nicole Twardzik, owner of Cards O' Glee, "It's helped families who've never been in my shop to learn about it. I always here at least one parent say, 'Wow, I didn't know this was here! I can't wait to come back without my kids so I have more time to shop!' And kids often come back and tell me how much fun they had. As an educator, it makes me feel good that kids see my shop as a fun, safe place for them. It's just a great, wholesome way to feel connected with our community. The sales are a nice little bonus, too!"

In talking with Ruben and Dixie, they stressed how much they enjoy catering to their young customers. "We love the children, and the mommies and daddies who come into our store," Dixie said. "We want to create memories for the shoppers," Ruben added. He also went on to point out that small businesses "together, we're better", so sharing the scavenger hunt fun has been a boost for other businesses as well. At their last scavenger hunt (remember when we were all dying from the heat in July???), they had almost 80 scavenger hunt participants!

The scavenger hunts will continue for the foreseeable future because Ruben is a man of ideas...lots of ideas! You can always stay tuned to what's happening at the shop by following them on Facebook HERE.