BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

FAIR HAVEN -- At the new specialty toy shop in Fair Haven, customers won't have a problem asking the owner to "Do me a favor."

"That is just what I want," Fran Stern said about Do Me a Favor, a children's clothing, toy and party favor store that opened at 803 River Road on April 29.

"I want people to call me on the phone and say, "Fran, do me a favor."

Stern, of Colts Neck, is a first-time business owner, who said she has spent the last 10 years dreaming up an idea for a business.

Her inspiration for the new venture? Her three children: Zachary, 8, Jackie, 7, and Jason, 18 months, supplied the idea and a friend suggested the name.

"I was really struggling over a name for the store and one day my friend called and asked, 'Do me a favor?' " Stern said. "So I said, 'OK, what favor?' But she replied, 'No, the name of your business,' and I just loved it."

"The whole idea behind this is to make things easy for moms, aunts and everybody else," Stern said. "I want someone to call me and tell me their budget is x amount for, let's say, a 7-year-old boy, and I will offer them five choices, wrap it, offer an enclosed card at no cost and send them on their way."

Fran Stern hopes customers of Do Me a Favor, her new children's toy and party favor store in Fair Haven, call on her to create custom gifts and party treats. The store will offer items "not seen elsewhere" that are "beautifully made, high-end toys," according to Stern, who added, "Just because toys are high-end does not mean they have to be expensive."

Stern's store will feature toys and clothing for infants up to "tween" ages 10 to 13 years with prices ranging from $3 up to $300.

And Stern added that she will create custom orders for customers at "the sky is the limit" for toys and prices.

Specialty toys include a four-tier treehouse made of material that looks like real twigs and branches with an attached pulley system to pull pails of water to the top of the tree, according to Stern, who said that item starts at $160.

Special illuminated globes with an ocean that lights up for children ages 8 and up at a cost of $99.

The store will carry the Corolle accessory and doll line with accessories starting at $15.95 and dolls starting at $19.95.

Stern added that the store will feature a Parisian watch line for different age groups, beginning with children as young as 5 who are learning to tell time up to mother-and-daughter sets for children who already know how to tell time.

Other fun items include a pottery wheel, dinosaur painting kits for younger children, and painting kits for older girls to paint on silk halter tops, cookie-, pizza- and cupcake-making kits.

"I have three children, and I get tired of seeing the same things at toy stores," Stern said. "When I first got into the industry and started going to trade shows, I got to see what was out there. There was a world of talent and diversity."

"I have been doing research for the past four months, and I just really wanted to bring something a little different to this store."

The store will also offer classic toys such as Lego blocks and old-fashioned pedal cars as well as Magna Morphs and magnet animals, dinosaurs, reptiles and marine life.

Since the store is opening just in time for summer, Stern said she will offer a summer line with a selection of more than 70 kites for children as young as 3 years up to experienced kite-flyers, beach buckets, water guns, beach chairs, Frisbees and T-ball sets.

Stern explained that toys are generally not geared for the "tween" age group, so items such as room decor and desk and vanity accessories, along with science kits, remote-control cars and board games, such as Monopoly, Scrabble, and major league baseball-themed checkers, will be offered.

Seasonal clothing and the summer season clothing line will include bathing suits, cover-ups for suits, flip-flops, sandals, sun hats and Lemon brand T-shirts, which are tie-dyed and decorated with rhinestones.

But come August, Stern said she is thinking about having a denim back-to-school clothing theme.

Stern said Do Me a Favor will also offer party favors for birthday parties. Favors can be personalized to match the theme of the party, including pencil boxes, banks, hair clips, picture frames and purses.

"These are all things that kids can actually use and not just look at," she said.

A candy cart can also be rented for parties in different sizes, ranging from small for 50 to 70 people to large for as many as 300 people.

"We can decorate the cart with graphics to match the party, and the candy can be specialized to mom's liking," she said.

One thing that Stern said she is considering is a wish list for children.

"There have been many times when I have stood in a toy store and I just didn't know what to look for," Stern said. "But with a wish list, a child could come in before a birthday party or even at Christmastime and create a wish list. Then when someone comes in to buy a gift, they can view the list."

The 700-square-foot store has parking in the rear and a ramp at the side entrance to make the store a stroller-friendly environment, Stern said.

"I am just so excited," she said. "I want to make things fun and exciting. In this little space, I am jam-packing it with goodies."

Summer hours at Do Me a Favor will be Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon. Hours will change in the fall.

For more information, visit the Web site domeafavorfran.com or call the store at (732) 530-5777.