At 2:30 in the afternoon, the bell inside Edward Devotion School releases students onto Harvard Street in Brookline.’ Many students gather outside of the red and white awning of Irving’s Toy and Card Shop

As students walk inside the small red door, a bell rings, but Ethel Weiss, the 94-year-old owner of Irving’s, has been sitting in her chair wrapped in her purple blanket. Her candy shelves are within arms reach, so she doesn’t need to move her aching knees and back too much and can still talk to the kids and watch to make sure they don’t take anything.’

‘Tie your shoelaces,’ Weiss says as she hurries the kids along on their way to play outside.

Weiss and her first husband Irving Kravetz married in 1937 and moved to Chelsea.’ The two then bought the store in January of 1939 and called it Irving’s.

They eventually earned enough money to expand the tiny space in 1953. Even after Irving died in 1960, Weiss continued to run the store on her own and with her second husband, Abe Weiss, who passed away in 1981.’ Today, Weiss runs the store by herself.

‘I didn’t sleep last night because I was thinking about how much I had to do today,’ Weiss said about the daunting task of unloading boxes.

‘I like it here,’ Weiss said. ‘What else am I going to do? It is more fun being here than staying at home. I can be useful. If you keep busy and care about people, most of the time you can last a little longer.’

Irving’s stands out from the franchises that line Harvard Street not only because it is family owned and operated, but also because it is not buckling under the weight of the latest economic woes.

Weiss has experienced many different economic situations in her 70 years in Brookline, yet her business has never seemed to suffer because of her consumer base is made up of the children, parents and grandparents.

It helps that Weiss has a personal relationship with customers.’ She keeps a running list of the school children’s’ names so that she will remember the next time they come in.

‘ I keep writing names down, and the same name will be down here and here and here because I have forgotten it,’ Weiss said. ‘I rarely remember everybody, but I try.’

She looks out for the best interest of the neighborhood kids, even if it means losing business, she said.

‘I tell them, ‘Don’t buy too much candy, you are getting too fat,” Weiss said. ‘I try not to say anything because they will only go someplace else, but if I can discourage them, I do.’

Ethel does not have shoplifters because the children respect her. If she were to catch a shoplifter she requires the student write a letter so she will not tell their parents.

‘I say, ‘Stealing is not cool,” Weiss said. ‘The kids also respect me.’

Ethel’s customers are very loyal, they said.

Jona Karina, a mother of two, occasionally drives an hour into Brookline from Grafton to visit Irving’s.

‘It reminds me of where I grew up,’ Karina said. ‘I grew up in New York City with small corner stores. My kids don’t remember being in here, but they are going to have such a great time looking around next time we come in.’

Judy Jacobs, a Brookline native, shops at Irving’s because it is a one-stop candy shop, but her dog, Sophie, comes in for the graham crackers Ethel gives her.

When Weiss passes away, she will leave the store to her daughters to do with as they please, she said. Weiss’ grandson’s fianc’eacute;e has shown an interest in the store, so Weiss hopes she will help create memories for future pint-sized customers and their families.

‘I don’t exactly know how it will work because I cannot anticipate every little thing because when I do, I get upset,’ Weiss said about the future of Irving’s. ‘I hate to see the place go, too because it has been such a great place.’