BY BILL FREEHLING

An hourly child care 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 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.

Leslie Fisher and Chrissy Gibbs have owned and operated Wiggle Worms for almost three years.

Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405
Email: bfreehling@freelancestar.com