For three decades, Big Fun was practically a tourist attraction in Cleveland Heights’ Coventry Village—an eclectic shop crammed to the ceiling with vintage toys, gag gifts, old-time candy, and funky jewelry.

Although Big Fun owner and Coventry Village area resident Steve Presser shut the doors in June 2019, you just can’t simply stop the fun.  As of Saturday, Nov. 18, Big Fun is back in its original Coventry location—operating as a holiday pop-up shop through January 11.

The temporary Big Fun presence on Coventry Road is due in part to nostalgia and partly because Presser still has an entire warehouse of merchandise, but Presser says it’s mostly an attempt to revitalize the struggling shopping district and area hangout. His former space, example, has been vacant for almost five years since he left.

“When you look and see a vibrant Coventry not-so-vibrant as it used to be, you take it personally,” he says. “These are my friends, [the merchants] on this street are my family.”

A 30 year old tradition, the donning of the fun vest that Steve's wife, Debbie made for him to wear on Black FridayPresser says he is excited to be back on Coventry for even a little while. “I have a warehouse full of stuff that’s been sitting there for years and years,” he says, adding that he’s been running to that warehouse once and twice a week to keep the store stocked. “What fun it is to take my stuff and go into my store again. And I get to see all of my old customers again.”

In addition to the expected vintage toys and games, “I’m uncovering some good stuff—the stuff Big Fun was famous for,” he says, Presser has brought in some local artisans for the Big Fun pop-up.

Big Fun will be carrying goods from Lux and Daisy, makers of mounted laser-cut wood figures; an artist who creates bags made from old kimonos; and other hand-made local goods. Presser’s wife, Debbie Apple-Presser, the lead artist at Planet Joy Studio in Medina, brings coffee mugs and paintings created by the Planet Joy artists with developmental differences, as well as jackets she makes from old Afghan blankets.

Additionally, Presser, who is a founding board member of Heights Arts, is offering 10% off coupons to the organization’s store with any Big Fun purchase.

“I call it “Big Fun 2.0,” he laughs. “It’s kind of like a smorgasbord of delights.”

It’s invigorating for Presser to be back on Coventry, he says, although he and Apple Presser still live right around the corner. “I needed to get my battery charged,” he declares. “I missed Coventry, I missed my customers, and now I’m in there every minute of every day.”

Presser first opened Big Fun as a pop-up shop in March 1990, and then officially opened on April Fool’s Day 1991 in a 1,700-square-foot space at 1827 Coventry. Presser’s quirky little shop thrived and, 13, years later, he moved down the street into a 3,325-square-foot space at 1814 Coventry, where he continued to prosper for another 18 years before declaring it was time to move on in June 2019.

But Presser couldn’t quite shake the nostalgic toy bug, so he says he’s held Big Fun pop-up stores in places like the Grog Shop since he closed the store. In April 2018 he joined b.a. Sweetie Candy Company owner Tom Scheiman in announcing they would soon be opening Sweeties Big Fun at the newly built Pinecrest in Orange Village. The store ultimately closed in August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Big Fun, 1814 Coventry Road, is open Monday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., snd Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. through January 11.