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"This was a reward for Jake if he had good behavior somewhere. We would go to the train store," Jill Driver, Jake's mother, said.
She remembers the happiness the toys brought to Jake and the happiness it in turn brought to her.
On Sept. 25, 2009, that happiness faded when Jake passed away from a rare genetic disorder.
For the next 12 months, Dan and Jill Driver put their lives on hold. They couldn't find happiness without their little boy and his toys.
"We're tired of not being happy and for the last year it was hard to get out of bed some days," Dan Driver said.
To find some happiness, the Drivers looked to the same place Jake had always found it: A toy store. Dan Driver had always wanted to own a toy store and it seemed like a perfect way to remember their son. They were so committed to the idea that the couple quit their jobs in corporate sales.
"I mean, we started the toy store with the idea of, should we really be doing this, but we're tired of not being happy and tired of waiting for the day to be happy," Dan Driver said.
They looked at several possible locations for a toy store when fate intervened. The owner of Ages and Stages Toy Box, the store where Jake loved to play, decided to sell and the Drivers quickly made arrangements to purchase it.
The play area and wooden train set is still in the corner of the store to entertain children. A toy airplane of Jake's now hangs from the ceiling above the play area. Children play in the store and smile, the same way Jake did.
"This is the closest I can be with my son while still here physically," Dan Driver said. "I get to see the happiness and the joy that I saw in his eyes, in the eyes of other children."
On Feb. 6, Jake's birthday his parents will officially change the name of the store to Jake's Toy Box.
"He would be the best greeter if he was still here," Jill Driver said. "He would be so excited."
Ages and Stages Toy Box is located at 14455 W. 64th Avenue in Arvada.
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