Yes, Mini Oakville IS the Happiest Place on Earth
A few weeks ago, I shared with you the tale of Ryder’s jaunt down to Mini Oakville, his personal happy place. Who knew hanging around a closed car dealership on a Sunday afternoon could bring about such joy?
(Well, I kind of suspected he would be mildly interested. To put it mildly, of course.)
Three takeaways from my post:
1. Ryder is obsessed with cars – Mini Coopers in particular.
2. Mini Oakville is a local dealership which just happens to have Mini Coopers in its parking lot.
3. Ryder treats cars like people; he likes to talk to them, hug them, etc.
In fact, if you haven’t read the original post, I’ll just wait – you’re really missing out on a cute story.
Read “The Happiest Place on Earth?”
Now the spirit in which I originally wrote the post was simply to point out that sometimes, the best things in life are free. (Disclaimer: the best things in life cost a lot of money.) And to a four-year-old boy who really doesn’t know the difference between a lavish vacation or trip to a local car dealership, it was heartwarming to see his enthusiasm, inquisitiveness and unbridled joy.
I thought the tale ended there; a simple account of a young boy and cars. However, through the magic of social sharing, Mini Oakville was directed to my post and asked one of their sales professionals to reach out to me. Within hours of publishing the story, I received an e-mail from (the very sweet and lovely) Valerie Harden, who wrote:
“We just had your blog brought to our attention by our marketing coordinator. What a special boy!! We would like to do something special for him. Let us know when you can come in.”
I was stunned. And blown away.
First, by the kindness and generosity from Mini Oakville; who recognized that a love of cars is often a life-long addiction, stemming from the innocence and enthusiasm of a young child. Second, by the realization of just how social our world really is; that a simple blog post with pictures could inspire a company to reach out to a young fan. And third – it was incredibly heartwarming to know that in the midst of our very busy lives, there were strangers who were not only willing to set time aside to entertain a little boy, but actually shared his excitement too.
And so, we revisited The Happiest Place on Earth.
Now I didn’t actually tell Ryder about my conversation with Valerie; he was simply over the moon to go and spend time with the Mini Coopers once again. Plus, I’ve learned that alluding to any sort of toy or special treatment can often backfire with pre-schoolers; hence, we drove to the dealership without any preamble whatsoever.
And that’s where the magic began…
Upon entering the dealership, Ryder insisted that I take a picture of the flaming Ribfest Mini.
Will this white Mini Convertible be my next ride? #agirlcandream
All ready to pose: Ryder with his favourite Red Mini Cooper.
The special treatment begins! Valerie unlocks the very same Red Mini Cooper and allows Ryder to climb into the driver’s seat.
For a four-year-old, he looks pretty darned comfortable with his surroundings!
Inside the dealership, Valerie presents Ryder with every pre-schooler’s dream: Mini stickers. (Side note: I’ve already found a few stuck on the most unlikely places – including our toaster.)
I ADORE Ryder’s body language in this picture. It says: “Whatcha got there sugar?” Also love the excitement on Valerie’s face – she was SO sweet to my boys!
A very special Mini Clubman die cast! And, in SILVER! (Remember Ryder’s observation from the previous post: “What? A Silver Mini Cooper? This is a special car! This is the most special car ever!”
Yes, Ryder did ask if this was a present for him too. Ha!
Still, he was able to pose in front of the bowed Mini Cooper – sporting his new,very cool “I ♥ Mini” t-shirt.
Well Hello Reid! He came along for the fun too, and enjoyed taking a spin in the Mini Cooper ride-on. Check out Ryder’s green-eyed monster glare from the background.
Valerie, I salute you. Somehow, I don’t think pushing toddlers around the sales floor is noted in your job description. And for your time, enthusiasm and kind attention, I can’t thank you enough.
A very important lesson: learning how to correctly close Clubman rear doors (just like on the real thing!).
A late afternoon chilling with a super sporty Blue Mini Cooper. (Thinking my next Mini will be blue – thoughts?)
Two Mini Cooper enthusiasts, offering a hug to show their affection.
Ryder’s protest as we pulled away from the dealership. Oh, sweet Ryder! We’ll return again this weekend :)
I’d like to once again thank Valerie, David Chisholm (Mini Oakville’s Marketing Coordinator who originally spotted the post and passed it on – he also took time to hang out with us during our visit!), and the entire team at Mini Oakville for their warm hospitality. But mostly, for taking time out of their busy day to show a four-year-old the time of his life.
Oh wow, that just warmed my heart! What a wonderful thing to do for such a little fan. I’m sure he’ll remember this always and it’s true – sometimes the best things in life are free!
Just like those huge smiles from Ryder.
LOVE!
I think the littlest fans are the BEST fans. Ryder has not stopped talking about his experience – he’ll definitely remember it for years to come!
That is AWESOME!!!! What a great experience for Ryder – I’m sure he’ll be carrying that silver mini with him everywhere he goes :) It’s incredible to see how Mini embraced your first post, and took the time to make a little boy’s dreams come true. LOVE this story!
Oh Shauna – he won’t let it out of his sight!!! And yes, the folks at Mini Oakville give me renewed faith in how awesome people can be :)
What a wonderful day for you and the boys! Way to go Mini Oakville for making a boys day out a great one!!!!
Indeed! We love Mini Oakville!
I love everything about this! Good on Mini for reaching out to fans in the community. Ryder looks adorable and so happy.
Thanks RubyRed :)
What a sweet surprise for your little man. Love the post, great writing as always Lena.
Thanks Jana! It was certainly an awesome surprise for him – he asks every day if we can go back!
Ryder has a passion for cars and you can tell from all the pictures that he’s in love with the Mini. It was really very sweet of Mini Oakville to go out of their way to make Ryder’s day and also present him with the silver Mini. I’m sure Ryder is going to treasure his collection of Minis especially the big silver one for a long, long time. Lucky kid!
He is such a lucky kid – and we’re lucky to know such generous, kind people like Valerie and Dave.
hey what a great story! thinking way back to when i was a kid if my mom had a connection like this i would be on cloud 9! that’s awesome!! i think i should pay a visit to this mini dealership, that valerie is a mini hottie!
Ha! Are you in the market for a Mini? They’re awesome cars! (But I’m biased because I LOVE my Mini)
What a priceless experience! The pictures of the boys are adorable.
It WAS a priceless experience! Thanks so much Alanna :)
wow, how amazing is this!
It was such a great experience for Ryder, Jennifer. One of those times that you really feel close to the community – something that’s few and far between these days!
Oh my goodness! What an awesome post! I love this. How amazing and wonderful that Mini Oakville made your little boy’s day! :)
It was quite the dream come true! So happy to know that awesome people are everywhere :)
love it. My son would have re-acted the same way (he kind of did anyways, even though he’s 18 now). Can’t wait to go back and pick out my next car!