Wiggle Worms getting new home at mall

Leslie Fisher (left) and Chrissy Gibbs own and operate Wiggle Worms. Click for a larger image. (October 24, 2011/Suzanne Carr Rossi)

An hourly childcare facility at the Spotsylvania Towne Centre is getting a new home, much to the relief of its two owners and devoted customers.

Wiggle Worms recently received notice that it would be forced to leave its 4,200-square-foot space at the mall by June 25. The business has been operating on a temporary lease in a space near the interior entrance to Costco. That storefront is now needed to accommodate the expansion of existing merchants and the arrival of several new tenants that have not yet been identified, said Joe Bell, a spokesman for Spotsylvania Towne Centre owner Cafaro Co.

That led to protests among Wiggle Worms’ many customers. A Facebook page was created called “Save Wiggle Worms.” Melissa Palmertree and Jennifer Homendy organized a gathering at Wiggle Worms on Friday morning to talk to mall management in an effort to keep the facility open.

On Friday afternoon, Wiggle Worms’ owners got the word they’d been hoping for from Cafaro — the mall operator had found their company a new home.

The new 1,700-square-foot space at the mall will be near Macy’s in a hallway where the business conference center is located. Wiggle Worms is expected to begin operating there shortly after leaving its current home June 22.

Here is a Q&A we did with the owners of Wiggle Worms, Leslie Fisher and Chrissy Gibbs, this past fall. The business has been open almost three years.

Below is a shot of Homendy’s daughter, Alexandra, giving her 2 cents on Wiggle Worms.

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