Jacobs: Business couple makes Tonopah Christmas special for kids

A new holiday tradition is unfolding in Tonopah, one focusing on kids, family, and of course, Santa.

The owners of the Tonopah Liquor Company, Marc and Tiffany Grigory, debuted a Christmas party for kids on Christmas Eve afternoon. They closed the bar but opened the business’ space so that area youngsters could have fun for four hours in a family-friendly atmosphere.

Festivities included the chance to meet and chat with Santa, plenty of games, a bounce house, Christmas snacks, including candy canes and cookies, and Christmas music. The pool table also was opened for the kids.

A highlight for many was the visit by Santa. He arrived just a few hours after a winter storm dumped up to eight inches of snow in the Tonopah area.

Brynlee Frazier, 5, of Tonopah, spoke with Santa about getting a makeup kit for Christmas.

“Good!” Brynlee said of how her visit with Santa went inside the business known around town as the TLC.

Her mother, Ashley Frazier, a lifelong Tonopah resident, is pleased how the party turned out.

“I am grateful that they’re doing it,” she said. “The kids are all having a lot of fun. It is a good thing.”

“It’s awesome to bring different things to Tonopah,” Frazier added. “That’s for sure.”

Social media outreach

Tiffany Grigory announced a few days earlier on Facebook that the TLC was interested in holding the kids’ event, also promoted as a kids’ Christmas Eve pajama party.

Word spread quickly via social media. “People were really excited about it,” Tiffany Grigory said.

The party’s goal was simple. “It’s just to have fun,” she said during the event. “We closed the bar just so we could have some good, clean fun with the kids because there isn’t a whole lot of stuff to do with the kids.”

“We have a bounce house so we decided the kids could come run some energy off,” she added. “Tonopah is a family place, so we decided we’d have a family Christmas Eve party with everybody.”

The Grigory couple bought the Tonopah Liquor Company, 133 N. Main St., in August 2015, moving to town from the Las Vegas area. This year, they decided to add the free kids’ Christmas party to the TLC’s lineup of activities that also includes live weekend music.

“We just wanted to spend some time with other kids, let our kids spend time with other kids,” Tiffany Grigory said.

Marc Grigory describes the Christmas party’s creation as a “last-minute decision” and one with kids in mind.

“We have this jump house, and we’ve always talked about having kids coming over to play,” he said. “We’re like, ‘let’s set it up at the bar and have something to do on Christmas Eve just so the kids have something to do.’”

Thinking of ‘17

The flow of families and children was steady, with a crowd estimated at 30 at one point.

“We’ll definitely do it every year and plan it a little bit better ahead of time,” Marc Grigory said.

Tiffany Grigory noted that even before the snowstorm, the weather in Tonopah the past few weeks hadn’t been very good.

“It’s been cold, and the kids have been stuck in the house,” Marc Grigory said.

“So the kids haven’t really gotten outside to play very much,” his wife added. “So we thought this (party) is fun, to run around.”

The arrival of the snow piled up in downtown Tonopah, added to the party’s holiday backdrop, especially with Santa’s visit.

“It’s awesome, except for having to shovel my driveway this morning,” Marc Grigory said jokingly. “But it’s awesome to have snow on Christmas Eve.”

“It’s a lot,” he said of the amount.

He’s already thinking about party additions for Christmas Eve 2017.

“We’re thinking about doing a potluck, maybe have people bring food or something. Having the bar closed all day, maybe make it an all-day thing or something. I don’t know. We’ll see next year.”

Contact reporter David Jacobs at djacobs@tonopahtimes.com