They climb ladders, zip down slides or crawl through play tunnels.

Some will draw on the magnetic chalkboard or raise and lower the top on a full-tilt desk.

Kids, it seems, love to play here, but the newest retailer in Town Square isn't a toy shop, it's a children's furniture store.

The Danish-based furniture manufacturer has made being sent to one's room a treat.

"That's the cool thing with Flexa, the kids gravitate to it so much," said Christian Vedel Egly, sales and marketing coordinator for Flexa. "It's like a playground in the bedroom."

The children's furniture store Flexa is now open at Town Square. TIFFANY BROWN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Flexa focuses on growth in many ways.

From a business perspective, the company has grown throughout Europe and into the United States. It manufactures more than 11,000 beds each week. Flexa has a facility in Virginia, where its American products are assembled.

The furniture is made from knotty pine grown in a Russian forest that the company has owned for more than 30 years. The forest, which is about half the size of Connecticut, is replenished using an environmentally friendly method. A selection of trees is taken from various areas of the forest, and the remaining trees then repopulate the area naturally by dropping seeds. The company employs a zero-waste production process in which even the chips and sawdust that are left over are compressed into fuel pellets used to heat homes.

For customers, growth begins with the classic Flexa bed.

The bed and accessories can grow with a child from about the age of 3 all the way to adulthood.

As a child grows, the bed can be changed into a loft, bunk or sofa-and-bed combination. Accessories can be added as a computer desk or other items become more suitable than a slide or tent.

Children find their bed a reassuring place, Vedel Egly says, and being able to have the stability of one bed throughout childhood can be comforting.

Unlike some other furniture manufacturers, Flexa does not offer children's furniture as a convenience for its adult customers. Children are the focus of the entire line, and all of the pieces, including the mattresses, are designed specifically for them.

The children's furniture store, Flexa, opened recently at Town Square. TIFFANY BROWN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

"It's very important that kids sleep on a mattress that is aligned perfectly," Vedel Egly said. "Often manufacturers use a normal mattress, which is a lot thicker."

Flexa offers five mattresses that are designed to adjust to the height and weight of children as they grow. A wood veneer slat system, which was developed to provide flexible support, has replaced the conventional box spring.

The company uses only ultraviolet lacquers in the furniture finishes, which contain no formaldehyde or toxic colorings. Vedel Egly says this method is more environmentally friendly and does not emit annoying or potentially dangerous fumes, even when the furniture is new.

Because the furniture is sold in many countries, it must meet or exceed different safety standards. Vedel Egly said the uniform manufacturing process ensures all pieces are designed to exceed the most stringent of standards in all countries.

The products come with a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects and a five-year availability guarantee that ensures products will be available to update and support the initial item.

With condominium living becoming more prevalent and many rooms in homes being built with smaller dimensions, space is often at a premium. Many of the Flexa setups are designed with this in mind. Desks and dressers can be set up directly under a bunk bed, adjacent to a traditional bed or in a separate part of the room.

The combination of accessories allows a Flexa bedroom to become as elaborate, or simple, as a customer desires or as space allows. Flexa boasts it offers two systems with 1,001 options. A selection of bedding and linens is also available.

Vedel Egly says that, despite the high-quality materials and the guarantees, Flexa furniture is not sold at a luxury price.

"We want these systems to be affordable to many people," Vedel Egly said.

A sample room, which included a dresser, desk, chair, bunk bed with mattress, a ladder and a slide, retails for about $2,200. Flexa has also partnered with a local company that will provide delivery and assembly services for an additional fee.

Flexa's other U.S. stores are in Miami; Washington, D.C.; Hawaii; and Virginia Beach, Va.

Vedel Egly said the company usually targets high traffic malls, but chose Town Square because it is kid-friendly. The company has already spoken with Town Square officials about moving some of the center's child-focused activities, such as the bedtime readings program, into the store during inclement weather.

The company has also recently begun an aggressive advertising campaign in several markets.

"We know if we get the product in front of people, we will have success," Vedel Egly said.

Flexa plans to open 50 stores in major markets throughout the country in the next five to 10 years.