Glen Innes Toy Library may need help to pay the rent

"This is a commercial building, so we've gone from paying $1800 a year to paying $18,000," said employee Anna Villella.

Glen Innes Severn council rented them a building on Wentworth street at mates' rates, allowing the Library to keep running with very low membership fees of $40 a year plus state government support. Their new premises, in the Glen Innes Examiner building on Bourke street, means better digs, but at great cost.

The council kicked them out in June to make way for a new youth centre which opens next week.

"In our move I found our birthday, the opening of the Toy Library. We opened on the 19th of July 1983 and so we're hoping we're not going to close down," said Ms Villella.

"That (rent increase is) a huge amount of difference as you can imagine.

"We're going for as many grants as we can. We need to become more businesslike, we need to make money. We have to make money."

The Library, which is administered by a committee, is tossing up a number of ideas to raise the extra cash.

One idea: convince a handful of benefactors to donate the difference. They're now a charity so any charity would be tax deductible.

Another is to bring in volunteers and apply for government support to train them.

They could also offer businesses advertising space, potentially outside with council approval.

Anna Villella thinks the shift is an opportunity to grow into a "hub" offering not just rented toys for businesses and children but child minding services, specialist education options like a phonics program they're planning next month, a playground and more.

"But we've got to do it, we've got to do something or we won't stay open.

"It's exciting to offer (customers) this nice new building with a bigger space. People are coming to play and stay and we do have some programs starting up next term."

The toy store, which also runs a spin-off business in Tenterfield, is administered by a committee.

The library has had several homes over the last few years. All councilors agreed that they didn't want the store to close and ordered council staff to assist in finding grants to fund the move, and new premises.