A Love of Learning

The three locations carry the same mix of products, just in different quantities. “Our Morrow store sells three times the Black History products than our Kennesaw store,” Persson elaborated. “One of our stores sees a lot more preschool directors than another and will sell more early childhood products.”

The School Box carries brands including Carson Dellosa Education, Crayola, Creative Teaching Press, Fat Brain Toys, Joy Carpets, Pacon, Schoolgirl Style, Teacher Created Resources, ThinkFun, Trend Enterprises, Wood Designs, Charles Leonard Inc., and Do-A-Dot Art. Spectrum and EvanMoor Educational Publishers are its top-selling workbooks. Another popular brand is Better than Paper from Teacher Creative Resources – a write on, wipe off bulletin board material which appeals to teachers, businesses, colleges and schools.

The business carries approximately 7,000 SKUs on a regular basis, increasing to 8,000 during the back-to-school season. In addition, the 40-member staff – encompassing store and warehouse employees – doubles from June to August.

A central warehouse in Marietta, Georgia, supplies each of the stores and fulfills internet orders.A driver makes trips to the three stores and also delivers for free to schools and businesses within a 30-mile radius of the warehouse. In addition to the warehouse, The School Box utilizes Educators Resource to ship items that it doesn’t carry in the warehouse. There are plans to start shipping some online orders from the Tucker store in the near future. “With three locations (School Box Warehouse, Educators Warehouse, Tucker store) shipping our internet orders, we will get our customers their orders much faster,” Persson said.

Fostering Learning Through Play

Kids and adults alike can do more than just shop at The School Box, as they are encouraged to explore through playful learning. Though open play causes messes and the occasional damaged demo, the benefits outweigh the inconveniences

“We want the kids to play and learn and bring that learning to life!” Persson said. “Over time, our staff has seen the benefit o playing with our toys and games and it definitely contributes t a better customer experience and greater sales.”

The School Box hosts special events to foster a fun learning environment. Toy Testing Days provide an opportunity for youngsters to play with favorite products while parents receive discounts. During monthly STEM Saturdays, kids can participate in free STEM activities including making slime and creating paper circuits. “We want our stores to be a learning playground for kids and adults too,” Persson said. “We have Toy Testing events and STEM Saturdays because we want you to have fun while learning. Our goal is to bring learning to life through these exciting events.

“In addition to those events, we like to bring in local authors and have book signing events. The workshops we offer on occasion set us apart as not only an educational store but an educational resource for parents and teachers.”

Reinvesting in the Community

A part of The School Box’s outreach includes its School Box Kits division, where the business partners with schools to provide specialized supply packs based on teachers’ and students’ needs. Items may include writing utensils, notebooks, scissors and rulers, among other items. The kits are then delivered to the school while a percentage of the kit’s price is donated to the school’s PTA.

Persson began School Box Kits fiv years ago and it continues to grow. “We sell thousands of them each summer,” Persson said.

While the majority of The School Box’s customers are parents and teachers, it caters to preschools, local businesses and assisted living communities which buy decorative items. It also works with nonprofits including the Boys & Girl Club and Big Brothers/Big Sisters and has donated gift cards to educational organizations.

“Investing in our community is a great way to give back to those who have helped support our business,” Persson said. “We have built relationships in our community that have brought business our way.”