2 minute read
Toys for Everyone
BUSINESS
After 10 years in business, local Jewish-owned toy store chain Toyology Toys is sticking to the same goal: to remain in the Klar family and to continue being there for the community.
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“We want to be a staple in everyone’s home,” says Nori Klar, 62, founder of Toyology Toys. “We don’t want to be the biggest company around.”
Launched in 2011 at their inaugural West Bloomfield location by Nori Klar and her sons Aric and Jonathan Klar, Toyology Toys now includes two more locations in Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills. Their fourth location in Rochester Hills ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, unable to survive the crisis like thousands of other brickand-mortar businesses across the U.S.
However, this didn’t put a dent in the Klar family: They kept Toyology Toys going, despite the setback.
“We appreciate everyone who supported our business over the past few months to make sure we’re one of those businesses that never went away,” Aric Klar, 32, says. “We’ve been through a lot over the past 10 years, but this was the most internally rewarding 14 months for us because of the unbelievable support that we saw from each one of these communities.”
The Klar family will celebrate that support during Toyology Toys’ 10-yearanniversary, which includes festivities this July. Though the Klars can’t yet reveal the exact details, Nori Klar says customers can expect some kind of birthday party, goodie bags, discounts and other surprises.
for Everyone
Toyology Toys celebrates 10 years in business.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COURTESY OF TOYOLOGY
PHARMACIES TO TOYS
As they look back on 10 years in business, the Klars never anticipated owning toy stores — but it was a natural transition. Prior to Toyology Toys, the family operated a chain of local pharmacies. One location at 14 Mile and Middlebelt Road in Farmington Hills carried a toy section with four feet of Beanie Babies and 3,500 square feet of toys for education and brain development.
This section inspired Aric Klar into his college years. While attending Eastern Michigan University, he gave a presentation for a business class about a toy store. The idea clicked, and the next day Aric called his mother, Nori, asking why they hadn’t gone into such a business.
Nori Klar took her son’s idea into consideration, and the Klar family decided to make a small investment into an existing toy store in West Bloomfield, now Toyology Toys’ flagship location. “It was very outdated, and we had to come in and fix it,” Aric Klar recalls. “We came in with new lights, inventory, people and new vibes in general.”
For the first 365 days, Aric and Nori Klar worked at the store seven days a week building up their business. They learned how to capitalize on trends, buy the correct products, work with the right vendors and streamline cash flow. “After the first year, it was very clear that this could be profitable,” Aric Klar says, “but also something that could be fun.”
After Aric Klar finished college, the family chose to expand the business. They opened a location in Royal Oak and built an online shopping platform to keep up with digital shopping trends. “We knew how important that was,” Aric Klar explains. “Ever since that point, we’ve just kept evolving the business.”
In its evolution, the Klar family says they stick to two main principles: putting the customer first and making sure that everyone is comfortable. “When people think toys, they think kids,”
