INSPIRE SALES, INSPIRE PLAY

How a Museum Gift Shop Is Handling Change

by Mary Wojciechowski

Managing a toy shop is anything but child’s play. This is what the SSA Group found out when they took over the management of the museum shop at The Strong National Museum of Play in early 2020.

The Strong is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the

“history and exploration of play.” Located in Rochester, New York, it draws global attendance with its numerous interactive and innovative exhibits.

The SSA Group is a national company that provides retail, ticketing and food services to museums, cultural attractions and zoos. This allows museums like The Strong to focus on their mission without the added difficulties of managing their food and retail shops. The SSA Group’s contract with The Strong involves the management of the museum’s retail, catering and food and beverage operations.

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A percentage of every sale goes to The Strong, and retail customers are offered the opportunity to round up as an additional donation.

Big changes underway

In 2020, a 90,000-squarefoot addition to the museum was underway. The addition is one phase of a massive renovation project to the museum and its surrounding neighborhood, which began in 2018. The renovation is set to be completed in summer 2023 and will house a new atrium, admissions area, museum store – called the Everything for Play! Shop – World Video Game Hall of Fame and an exhibit dedicated to how technology has changed the way people play.

Due to the renovations, the Everything for Play! shop had been relocated to a temporary and much smaller space. Then, three short weeks after the SSA Group took over retail operations, the COVID lockdowns began, which ignited months of low attendance and supply chain issues.

Regardless of the challenges, the SSA Group continues to successfully sell the idea of play. “The Strong is a big cultural attraction,” said General Manager Nick Grocock. “People come from all over the world to see us. We like to have fun in the store and keep that imagination going as the guests are leaving.”

Developing the mix

Despite its importance as an integral part of the museum experience, the Everything for Play! shop has operated out of a space the size of small boardroom since late 2019. Unable to make permanent changes to that room, SSA staff had to think creatively to make the temporary space work from a merchandising perspective. They purchased new fixtures and arranged the space artistically by lining the walls with toys of all kinds and setting up several free-standing displays.

The store’s mission is to inspire play, but it must also inspire sales. Purchasing decisions are made by SSA Group Retail Buyer Laurel Wright in conjunction with the general manager and the store’s retail supervisor.

Wright has years of buying experience under her belt and a flexible “Gumby” attitude towards tackling challenges. Although she works out of another state, she is well aware of the store’s layout and fixtures, and her decision-making takes into account shelf size and available space.

Many of the store’s toys tie in with exhibits while others represent nostalgic items or impulse buys. The shop has something for everyone, from returning members to international tourists. Some of the shop’s hottest sellers are brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Little People, Etch A Sketch and Sesame Street. Butterfly jewelry also does very well, in keeping with the museum’s butterfly garden.

Overcoming obstacles

The Toy Hall of Fame is one of the primary exhibits the store endeavors to represent. Every time a toy is added to the National Toy Hall of Fame, a version of the toy is sold in the store. While many of these decisions can be fairly straightforward, some can be a bit tricky. For example, when sand was added to the Toy Hall of Fame in 2021, the store chose to sell kinetic sand.

Licensed toys can be another buying obstacle. Finding vendors who carry the licensed products the store needs can be an exhaustive search, especially since vendors change quite often. It becomes even harder when a licensed toy is unavailable to outside retailers. For example, when the American Girl doll was added to the Toy Hall of Fame, Wright obtained special permission to sell it, making The Strong the only outside retailer to carry American Girl.

Licensed apparel is yet another

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by Victoria Ritter

The outdoor and sports toys segment of the toy market –including scooters – is expected to increase steadily in the coming years, according to a recent report by international research firm Expert Market. Scooters can help kids improve motor and balance skills, but thanks to companies like Micro Kickboard and its parent company Micro-Mobility Switzerland, adults can get in on the skill-building fun, too.

Micro-Mobility founder Wim Ouboter began the company in 1999; the company’s name is a reference to the short distances Ouboter’s first scooter enabled him to go. It was MicroMobility that created the first two-wheel foldable scooter; shortly thereafter, Ouboter licensed the scooter to a U.S. company, Razor. In 2007, MicroMobility established Micro Kickboard in the U.S. Today, the company produces both two-wheel scooters and three-wheel kickboards.

Here, Courtney Sheffer, marketing director at Micro Kickboard, shares her insights about the company’s products and why play is important at any age.

1. What makes scooters a fun toy for both kids and adults?

Courtney Sheffer: There actually is such a thing as the joy of scooting. We have seen it now for 15 years and it’s