Just a five-minute jaunt from the Quad, the Cambridge Toy Box lately has been attracting Cantabrigians of all ages.

But not too many at one time.

The toy store occupies a historic, trapezoidal building that is 30 feet long and six feet wide at its entrance--tapering to just four feet at the back of the store.

Tucked away between the neat row houses and dry cleaners of Concord Avenue, the store could be easily missed by passers-by because of its small size.

Bright, hand-painted signs, doors and windows, however, signal that the building may house more than just an ordinary toy store.

According to store owner and sole employee Greta F. Hardina, the Toy Box building was originally built in the late 19th century.

Named the Spite Building, the structure got its quirky size after the city of Cambridge constructed a road, Appleton Street, cutting through most of the original owner's property.

Left with only a 30-foot by six-foot sliver of land, the owner attempted to sell the property to a neighbor, but the neighbor was not interested, Hardina said.

The story has become unclear over time, but as Hardina best recalls, the owner--unable to sell his property--constructed the building out of spite either to his neighbor or to the city of Cambridge, hence the name.

Despite its unusual size, the building has attracted many tenants and passed through several hands since the 1800's.

Before becoming the home of the Cambridge Toy Box, the Spite Building has served as a cobbler's shop, candy store, newspaper storage area and shoe store, Hardina said.

Hardina, 33, bought the building three years ago after her stand in Holyoke Center was shut down.

Pregnant and looking for a new place to work, Hardina decided to open a toy store.

"I always wanted to open a toy store," she said. "Because I was pregnant that gave me more incentive."

A Cambridge native, Hardina occasionally brings her son Augustin, now two and a half, to work.