ASTRA November 2017

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E A M E R I C A N S P E C I A L T Y T O Y R E T A I L I N G A S S O C I A T I O N • N O V E M B E R 2 0 17

TOY TIMES MAGAZINE

Seahorses A Store for Modern Dads and Their Kids

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17 November 2017 • astratoy.org

Features MONEY MATTERS

TRENDING NOW

10 What’s Happening in Retail 12 Fourth Quarter: Inventory Forecasting – ’Tis the Season of Procrastination 14 Preparing to Sell Your Store 17 Father Daughter Toy Store Team Brings Two-Generation Perspective 18 Financing That Great Idea – How ASTRA Members Did It

30 STEM – How to Sell More Science Toys 34 Sales Trending for Fourth Quarter

TOY STORIES 22 Seahorses, a Store for Dads 24 How the Best Toys For Kids Were Nominated 26 Best Toys For Kids Winners 28 Neighborhood Toy Store Day

ASTRA NEWS 38 Make Way For Play 39 Most Popular Sessions at Marketplace & Academy 40 Sneak Peek at Certified Master Sales Representative Program

18

Departments 4 Contributors 5 Message from the Chair 7 President’s Report 8 Making a List and Checking it Twice...Gifts of the Heart

42 ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members 44 New Members 46 Index of Advertisers

28

ASTRA Toy Times Magazine Mission Statement Our mission is to act as a channel of communication for the general membership of ASTRA and to provide information about current happenings and future goals as decided upon by the board of directors, various committees, and ASTRA staff. We strive to provide useful and timely information and support for and about ASTRA members in accordance with the ASTRA mission statement.

We are always looking for good articles and input for the magazine. Letters to the editor are welcome.

Please forward letters, comments, ideas, etc., to the ASTRA office at dmarsden@astratoy.org

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Contributors Jean Bailey

(CPE Tidbit: Gamification) is a consultant to the toy industry, Certified Play Expert® and trainer for ASTRA. She’s on the ASTRA Editorial Advisory Committee and co-authored a book for librarians on sensory story time for children.

As former director of the National Lekotek Center, a non-profit that worked with children of all abilities utilizing toys and play, Bailey authored more than 500 articles on the value of play. She has promoted, studied, written and reviewed supporting research on toys and play as it relates to child development. Her previous experience includes adult education and marketing/communications with Fortune 500 companies.

Michael Levins

(‘Tis the Season of Procrastination), a graduate of Columbia University, began his working career as a regional sales manager for International Paper providing printing papers to magazine, trade and textbook publishers. Upon leaving the paper industry Levins founded innovativeKids® in 1989 at the age of 28 and was later joined by his wife, Shari. Over the years, the company has transitioned from a private label manufacturer to children’s book publisher and manufacturer of educational toys. Levins is a former board member of ASTRA, The Children’s Book Council and Technique Tigers baseball team.

Paul Sunderland

(Selling Your Toy Store) is a lawyer and business consultant who advises clients and teaches on a variety of issues including business startups, business valuation, strategic and succession planning, and all aspects regarding the purchase and sale of businesses.

He holds a B.A. in economics from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and served as editor of the law review while at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. Paul and his wife, Janice, recently sold their toy and gift stores in Ouray, Colorado. He presented a session on succession planning at the 2016 ASTRA Marketplace & Academy.

Amy Saldanha

(Driving 4th Quarter Sales) is founder and CEO of kiddywampus, a specialty toy retailer and destination for families in the Twin Cities. Prior to founding the store in 2006, Amy practiced law as a civil litigator in Chicago, followed by stints in operations and talent management at several digital start-ups. She holds degrees in political science, speech communications, and political philosophy (that one from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England) and her JD from Valparaiso School of Law. She is a current ASTRA board member. She and her husband, Kenneth, have three children, all of whom are active at kiddywampus.

Jessica Wright

is sales account executive for the toy and hobby division and

Matthew Swain

is the director of marketing for C & A Scientific in Manassas, Virginia (10 Ways to Sell More Science Products). C & A is the maker and supplier of lab products to medical, science education, and retail customers around the world. Their children’s educational product line, My First Lab®, delivers real microscopes, science kits, experiment sets, and more to help kids discover, learn, and grow. Visit myfirstlab.com or email jessica@cnascientific.com.

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MESSAGE From the Chair

Here We Go ... Again

by Erik Quam

H

ere we go again! We’re closing in on the most critical weeks and months of the year. It’s what we’ve all been working toward.

For some of us, planning for the season starts all over again just a few days into January with the Hong Kong Toy Fair. For others, Spielewarrenmesse, the world’s largest toy fair in Nuremburg, Germany, marks the beginning of planning for Q4. Or perhaps it’s an annual trip to New York City in February to attend the American International Toy Fair that serves as the first reminder of “Oh, boy. I better wake from my winter hibernation and start planning.” Of course, by the time our association gathers in June for Marketplace and Academy, we’re all in high gear.

As I write this, we’re counting down the final days of summer. It’s always bittersweet to bid adieu to the long, sunkissed days. Here in Nebraska, children started school in early August. For our family, it’s that awkward time of year where we’re transitioning from the chaos of summer to routine of autumn. Gone are the late summer nights of endless bike rides, frog catching and wearing the same clothes three days in a row. Now it’s back

to learning, back to schedules, back to rules. I have to admit, there’s a big part of me that’s thankful for that routine.

Ever since joining the toy business 20 years ago, I’ve always loved this time of year. It’s the calm before the storm.

There’s a sense of electricity in the air.

When Labor Day is upon us, to quote a popular television series, we all realize that indeed, “Winter is coming.”

September: We’re in that holding pattern. Wait and see. Hold our breath.

October: When’s it coming? Still holding our breath here. November: Getting a bit impatient. Really need to breathe…whew!

It’s here. Ahhhh…sigh of relief. Whoa!

Where did December go? Gosh, I’ve been wearing the same clothes for three days in a row. I hope the kids don’t notice. Before we can blink, it’s time to wash, rinse, and repeat. Let’s do it all over again.

Wait a minute. Hold on. Is that really what we should be doing? Holding our breath? Waiting with crossed fingers?

Sitting quietly, waiting for the day after Thanksgiving to arrive when we hope all our hard work and planning pays off?

Let’s be honest. Things have changed. Even the most seasoned toy veteran realizes the rules of retail have been rewritten.

We can no longer sit idly by and hope things “turn out for the best” during our most critical time of the year. If we just sit back and do what we’ve always done, we don’t survive. It’s time to change the way we’ve been doing business. It’s time to innovate. It’s time to reflect on how we have invested in our communities (small and large). It’s time to make our businesses stand out from “one click continued on page 6

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Board of Directors Chair Erik Quam Past Chair Ann Kienzle Chair-Elect Dee Farrell Treasurer Michelle Sahr Secretary Christine Blumberg Directors Nicole Bortnick Cynthia Compton Damien Crocker Anita Demetropoulos Kevin McGrath Tami Murphy Christine Osborne Gwen Ottenberg Amy Saldanha

Magazine Editor Mary Sisson Assistant Editor Dee Marsden Graphic Artist Maia VanOrman

ASTRA Staff President Kimberly Mosley Director of Member Relations Sue Warfield Director, Meetings and Strategic Partnerships Amanda Zawad Director of Education and Training Ahren Hoffman Associate Manager Marketing and Communications Dee Marsden Meetings and Exhibits Coordinator Laura Dann Membership and Programs Coordinator Katie Marso Data and Operations Analyst Maggie Bridger The ASTRA Toy Times Magazine is published by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, 432 N Clark St., Suite 305, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-222-0984, info@astratoy.org, www.astratoy.org.

Copyright © 2017 American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

All rights reserved.

Advertisements are accepted. For more information, contact Fahy-Williams Publishing, 800-344-0559.

All articles for the ASTRA Toy Times Magazine are supplied by ASTRA and its members, with Fahy-Williams assembling and editing the newsletter, and managing the advertising sales function.

ASTRA reserves the right to accept, reject, or alter all editorial and advertising material submitted for publication. Advertising in ASTRA does not imply endorsement of products and services.

Opinions expressed in articles contained herein are those of the authors, not necessarily of ASTRA or its individual members. The information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable.

Message from the Chair from page 5

shopping.” It’s time.

We are the evangelists of independent retailing. We can’t be afraid to get out there and do just that — spread the word from the mountaintops about what makes our businesses the best! We need to remind everyone that what we, as members of the specialty toy industry, can deliver is second to none and it cannot be duplicated — no matter how low the price wars may drive down the retail or how fast it can be delivered with free shipping.

Here’s the really cool thing, though. Not only are we, the members of ASTRA, the most innovative, prepared and motivated group of people in the toy industry, we have been given some amazing tools by our association to prepare for, work through, and conquer the impending storm of awesomeness that is the world of toys during fourth quarter:

1. In the last issue I wrote about the fact that “We’re all in this together.”

Retailer, Rep and Manufacturer.

Well, now is the time to act and take advantage of these amazing relationships!

Yes, we all see one another every June during our annual conference and trade show. But fourth quarter is really the time to call upon one another, work with one another, and create amazing offers and experiences for the consumer with one another. That’s what our association is all about, and there’s no time like the present to band together!

can behind this amazing annual event.

What are you waiting for? If you aren’t convinced Neighborhood Toy Store Day is really a “thing,” just ask some of your fellow members — you’ll soon be thinking otherwise.

3. Don’t be afraid to strut your stuff!

Now is the time to get in front of everyone and remind them what makes your business special. Retailers, remind your customers why they’ve been shopping with you for all these years. Don’t be afraid to brag about what makes you the best choice for toy shopping. Sales representatives, reach out to every account and remind them that your team is ready to help — as always — with whatever they may need during the critical weeks ahead.

Manufacturers, are you fully stocked, ready to ship fast and (most importantly) able to offer independent retailers an iron-clad pricing program that will allow them to remain competitive in this retail environment?

ASTRA members, it’s go time! Close your eyes, take a deep breath and take the first step into what we’ve all been preparing for these past few months. We all know this season is going to be a game-changer for our industry. Luckily, we all have the knowledge, the tools, and the relationships to make 2017 the best year ever for specialty toys. Let’s make it happen!

2. Neighborhood Toy Store Day is just around the corner.

What was just a handful of ASTRA retail stores having an event to promote “shopping small” a few years ago has exploded into a nationwide celebration of all things specialty toy. ASTRA has meticulously planned, provided and executed what is guaranteed to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year for our industry. Now is the time to get on board and put every resource you

Erik Quam Fat Brain Toy Co. Elkhorn, NE

6 November 2017 • astratoy.org

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PRESIDENT’S Report

ASTRA Stands Behind You

by Kimberly Mosley

F

all puts on a spectacular show as the leaves change from green to burnt orange and vibrant yellow. I hope you are enjoying the change of seasons as you put those finishing touches on your plans for a busy fourth quarter.

Of course, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, we are all reflecting on those affected

by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the wildfires in the West. People in the affected cities are on a long journey toward recovery and they are in our thoughts and prayers. The effects are far reaching and support and help will be needed in the weeks and months ahead. At some point, I would like to call on the ASTRA community to assist our members. This could come in many forms, such as donations of money, product or labor, and I know the ASTRA members will respond to that call because we are mighty together.

In the meantime, per recommendation of the Board, ASTRA has made the decision to waive 2018 membership dues to members facing financial hardship. This small gesture is just one way we, as an association, hope to lend support to our community.

Just as you are preparing to meet the demands of a busy fourth quarter, ASTRA continues to evolve to support our members. Over the past year you have seen many new initiatives offered to support you and your business. We launched an expanded Preferred Savings Partners program with new partners to serve your business needs including marketing and public relations, shipping, travel services, quality assurance and more.

We expanded the Certified Master Retailer and Certified Play Expert programs and in June, we recognized more than 60 graduates.

In challenging times, it is important tap into the knowledge of the membership to share ideas and learn new tactics for addressing the challenges. In May we conducted several focus groups to gain a better understanding of how online retail sales were affecting brick and mortar retailing. We gathered some important insights. First, that online is here to stay — with both negative and positive effects. The way that consumers shop is rapidly changing. There are ways for everyone to benefit from this if we adopt new strategies for marketing and delivering on customer experience. Second, that brick and mortar retail stores are an essential part of the toy industry ecosystem. They are essential to the manufacturers, sales representatives, consumers and even online retailing. We’re all in this together and

communication is the key to everyone’s success.

To kick off the holiday shopping season, toy stores across the country will be celebrating Neighborhood Toy Store Day on November 11. By now, retailers have received packets with resources on how how to make their store a part of the celebration. More information, including enhanced digital photographs for posters, ad slicks and social media postings, can be found online. A big “thank you” to ASTRA manufacturers who provide specials in support of Neighborhood Toy Store Day. Visit ntsd.astratoy.org to see a complete list of those specials.

Mark your calendar for ASTRA’s 2018 Marketplace and Academy, June 10-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Staying at the top of your game requires a commitment to ongoing education and collaboration. The annual trade show and conference are a great way to stay up-to-date and connected.

Thank you to the ASTRA community that cares so deeply about those affected by hurricanes and fires.

To our members affected by these devastating events, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers as you work to recover. And know that your ASTRA community is here and ready to help.

Kimberly Mosley

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READY,forSET, PLAY...

Children With Disabilities

Making a List and Checking it Twice:

Gifts

of the

By Kathryn Lavin, MSW, founder, Kite Tail Strategies, LLC

W

ith the hustle and bustle of the holiday season now in full swing, there is no doubt that this time of year is full of movement, pressure, angst and stress. The pressure to succeed and the demands of running a successful, growing business, designed to bring joy to children and families throughout our communities, ironically, could be holding our own joy at bay.

I invite you to pause a moment and consider this:

We likely spend most of our days thinking and worrying. Our “To Do” lists for both business and home grow exponentially and somewhere amongst the thinking and the worrying and doing we lose the connection to the gifts of the season, the gifts of the heart.

While we have our lists, children make theirs. And although they may be making those lists and checking them twice, their lists are vastly different than ours. Our lists are all about doing and thinking, but their lists are filled with the feelings of passion and hope and joy.

As a parent of three children, I have

seen many holiday seasons come and go.

I have sat with my children as they have created their lists. Whether those lists are long or short, colored, handwritten, typed or photographic, each list is sent to the North Pole, sealed not only with a stamp, but with a sense of hope.

When a child makes that list or sits on Santa’s lap or dreams of Eight Days filled with Light, it is much more than a product that she seeks. When a child makes that list or sits on Santa’s lap or dreams of Eight Days of Light, he is seeking promise and potential, joy and laughter. He or she is seeking the gifts of the heart.

My three children are all uniquely different. My oldest daughter has Down syndrome and loves imaginative play and music, my son loves sports and board games and my youngest loves to read and create. Each list that they comprised over the years has been different and uniquely theirs, yet the message behind each one was the same: I wish for something that fills my heart with joy. I wish for a gift of the heart.

As a parent who wants to fill their

hearts with joy, I find myself on the slippery slope of expanding my “To Do” list, while being cognizant of the gifts of the season — which is why I have so much gratitude for the gift of you. While I appreciate the ease of ordering products online or from a big box, nothing can replace walking into a local retailer during the holiday season.

There is something about connecting to the product through you that allows me to connect to the hearts of my children.

Perhaps it’s being physically present in your store, touching the products, or the music in the air. Perhaps it’s thinking about each child and the joy they will experience when they open the gift.

Perhaps it is your personal interest and contact with me that gives me the gift of remembering the WHY behind the purchase, my children, the gifts of MY heart.

While the lists are likely long this season, they are filled with the gifts of the heart: wishes, hopes and dreams fueled by passion and hope for a better tomorrow. It is because of you that those ASTRA gifts of the heart can be delivered.

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MONEY Matters

What’s Happening in

by Mary Sisson, editor

Retail?

W

ith large chains closing stores and online behemoths speeding up delivery, independent retailers (and their suppliers) may well be concerned about the state of retail today.

But a collection of studies on what drives people to shop at locally owned, independent businesses paints a picture more positive than business page headlines might imply.

They were gathered by Advocates for Independent Business, a coalition of trade associations and allied organizations that represent locally owned, independent businesses serving a consumer market. ASTRA is one of its members.

A March 2017 study, “Future of Retail 2017,” shows 54 percent of consumers still prefer to shop in-store.

In addition to discounts, unique

experiences are the biggest draw, including personalized experiences, live product demonstrations, and entertainment.

While visions of millennials’ exit to online shopping may dance in local retailers’ nightmares, the study showed that among 18- to 25-year-old consumers, 58 percent prefer to shop in a physical store, compared to 46 percent of shoppers age 26 to 45. This puts millennials on par with the grandparent crowd. While millennials grew up in the age of social media, “they crave instant gratification and an authentic experience from retailers,” the report said.

The majority of consumers shop online at least once a month, the study found, but more than half of shoppers visit physical stores at least weekly.

Scott Galloway, professor of marketing at New York University, said,

Local businesses vs. national chains Consumers that think national chains are better

100

4%

9%

12%

14%

Consumers that think local businesses are better

21%

80

70% 96%

40

91%

88%

86%

79%

0

30% Personalizing service

Being trustworthy / treating me fairly

Customer service overall

Delivering quality work

Being reliable / delivering as promised

77%

75%

20

Having quality professional staff

0

10 20 30 40 50 60

1 Quality of the goods or work

57%

2 Reliable

52%

3 Trustworthy

50%

4 Convenient to where I live or work

49%

5 Loyalty; I’ve used them a long time

47%

6 Recommended by friends/family

42%

7 Competitive pricing

40%

8 Personal relationship with owner/staff

37%

9 Customer service overall

37%

10 Reputable in my community

35%

Source: “What Consumers Want From Local Business,” survey of 6,000 U.S. consumers commissioned by the marketing company Yodel, April 2015.

25%

60

TOP 10

Reasons For Choosing a Local Business

Having a stable business

23% Offering competitive prices

“People are no longer going to stores for product, they’re going for people. If they’re going to go in a store they want amazing service, amazing expertise, insight, navigation to the right product right away…if I’m going into a store I want to be informed or I want to be inspired.”

He added, “Stores are going to be around a long time. Retail is going to be around a long time…(but) we have this

10 November 2017 • astratoy.org

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High quality 3D marble run system.

Sustainably produced in Switzerland.

• Promotes logical thinking, spatial and kinetic awareness • Untreated Swiss beech wood • Suitable for solitary play as well as teamplay • Long lasting playing pleasure for children and adults alike • Age 5+ for cuboro (and 3+ for cugolino) SWISS MADE

perfect storm in retail right now…people spending more money on coffee and experiences…there’s joy and there’s the mundane. Amazon’s going to take (the mundane) off the table.”

Consumers increasingly decide whether to try a local business based on what they learn about the business online, according to a 2015 survey of 6,000 U.S. consumers, “What Consumers Want From Local Business.”

Positive reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook and elsewhere matter for brick-and-mortar visits, the study said, yet many businesses are not soliciting these reviews. Only 7 percent of consumers had been asked to leave a review, and 89 percent would do so if asked.

Of customers who had posted an online review, eight out of 10 were prompted by positive experiences, not negative ones.

Respondents’ positive perceptions of local businesses far outweighed that of national chains in eight out of 10 categories (see graph, “Local Businesses vs. National Chains.”) Why do they like to shop local? See the graph, “Top 10 Reasons Consumers Choose Local.”

The 2015 study, “Understanding Consumer Shopping Behavior,” notes the curating function of local retailers.

“Ironically, while consumers cherish the power and option to search, they often find themselves overwhelmed by choice.

This confusion seems to be increasingly prevalent as consumers move toward making a purchase decision.

Specifically, research suggests that the benefits derived from greater variety are often offset by the increased effort to choose between too many options.”

In a survey of 2,000 consumers, “The State of Retail 2017,” 49 percent reported that they’d be willing to pay more for

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a personalized in-store experience. Of those, 41 percent said they’d pay up to 5 percent more and 43 percent said they’d pay up to 10 percent more.

Sources: “What Consumers Want From Local Business,” Yodle, April 2015.

“Future of Retail 2017,” Dave Parro and Erin Jordan, Walker Sands, March 2017.

“NYU Business School Professor and L2 Founder Scott Galloway on Recode Decode,” Kara Swisher, Recode, June 15, 2017.

“The State of Retail 2017,” Time Trade, 2017.

“Understanding Consumer Shopping Behavior,” Alison Kenney Paul and Susan K. Hogan, Deloitte, ASTRA Sept. 10, 2015. astratoy.org • November 2017

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MONEY Matters

’Tis the Season of

Procrastination

by Michael Levins, innovativeKids

A

ccording to the Operational Excellence Society, the optimal level of inventory is one that “strikes the perfect balance between our customers’ fulfillment expectations and our overall financial performance.” In layman’s terms, the goal is finding your own comfort level between the financial cost of holding inventory, and a variety of intangible customer perception issues (such as having empty vs. full store shelves, or having a reputation for being in stock with the latest trends).

Experts agree that while there is no one-size-fits-all formula, retailers and manufacturers need to focus on achieving this balance. Given the importance of achieving inventory optimization, we must ask: Why does anecdotal evidence suggest that retailers are leaving less and less time between their holiday ordering and the peak fourth-quarter toy purchasing season?

This question was posed to a group of experienced ASTRA retailers, sales representatives and manufacturers. While there was not complete unanimity, most

felt that ordering was indeed occurring later and later, and that the trend was perhaps accelerating. They offered a host of observations and advice on how best to plan ahead to avoid the pitfalls of procrastinating.

Fred Gross of SentoSphere observed, “Only five or six years ago, if a retailer did not place their fourth quarter orders in late August or at the latest early September, in many cases they would not be able to get the merchandise or the quantities that they needed.” Now he sees that many retailers routinely put off ordering until November.

Sales representative Erin Griffin of The Erin Griffin Group reported, “Our retailer appointments are on track compared to past years, but what is changing is that orders are written and then held until later in the year.”

Other factors which have clouded our ability to forecast include the impact of online sales, adjusting to customer buying patterns, the impact of trends and the incredible number of choices consumers have for what to buy, when to buy and where to buy.

All agreed that the lost sales opportunities from late ordering was a significant issue. The ramifications of being out of stock on key products or trend-related items have serious consequences on profitability for all in the supply chain.

Damien Crocker of HABA explained, “When a retailer suddenly increases orders, or places new orders late in the season, it’s a pretty safe bet that many other retailers are doing the same. This inevitably leads to stock outs for vendors, especially if the sudden interest has surpassed their forecasted sales of that particular item.”

For manufacturers importing their products from Europe or Asia, replenishment of sold-out items late in the season may not be possible. Domestic manufacturers like Maple Landmark may be better positioned to provide product late into the peak period. John Gallagher, sales manager for Maple Landmark, explained, “We build a large inventory of known top sellers in advance of the season. Having this buffer allows us to

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shift gears and make other items that are suddenly hot and still make deliveries later in the season.”

Retailer Nick Tarzia of Stamford Toys stated, “Early shoppers must be exposed to a wide selection of new product in the months leading up to the holiday season so they realize the store has been refreshed with newer products closer to the holidays.” Veteran retailer Dean May of Toys Unique noted, “Empty shelves the few weeks leading into prime selling periods can also be stressful.”

Being a Good Toy Group catalog retailer, he added, helps him “anticipate Q4 inventory needs as early as June and July with staged current and future ship dates.”

As we approach the fourth quarter and the holiday season inevitably approaches, here are some best practices to employ to keep shelves full of bestselling items.

• Sales representative Lillian Davis of Diverse Marketing recommended that manufacturers should “post yearly promotions well in advance of the major buying season to enable stores to plan accordingly and avoid the inevitable dismay that comes with retailers placing orders just before the promo is announced.”

Keeping retailers and reps better informed about promotions earlier in the year “helps discourage procrastinating, thinking a better discount or terms will be available later in the season.”

• Everyone was in agreement that a bit of “prodding” will pay off.

Whether it is with reps persisting with retailers, or manufacturers with reps, or retailers with manufacturers, everyone needs to be a bit more aggressive in reaching out and getting answers. This includes reps working with vendors to determine stock levels of certain products on hand, what is available and what is getting low.

For retailers, it is taking a good hard look at inventory positions and listening to what the reps are seeing elsewhere in the marketplace in terms of sell-through of popular products, seeing trends and what other successful retailers are doing.

• Davis pointed out that in this age of technology, “everyone theoretically has access to excellent information on which to make decisions.” This can come from a store’s POS system, a manufacturer’s inventory report, Google Analytics from a website and even Facebook Insight. With technology, we also have numerous tools for communicating and many platforms on which to do it, including ASTRA Connect. Use these to glean good information to inform your buying decisions. Crocker emphasized.

“Manufacturers should be communicating with reps and customers; they will thank you for your honesty.” Tarzia stressed retailers need to communicate with “other toy store owners and your customers.”

In the end, there is no crystal ball to help predict what to buy and when to buy. However, we can improve our chances by being proactive, communicating regularly, listening intently and planning.

We should remain vigilant about our inventory situation, but expect that we will be wrong some of the time, right some of the time.

Whether retailer, rep or manufacturer, the only certainty you can count on is that you’ll be stressed during the peak season. Or as one unnamed ASTRA member said, “At the end of the day, it is what it is, and you have to accept making mistakes as part of the retail equation … so pour a cocktail, and know you did the best job you could and that you have another chance to get it right ASTRA next Christmas.”

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MONEY Matters

Preparing To

Sell Your Store

by Paul Sunderland, business consultant/attorney

Y

ou love the store you’ve built. But it’s time to start thinking about selling. Here are five steps you can take to improve both your likelihood of selling and the price you receive.

First Step

Understand what you are selling. You cannot sell something if you don’t know what you are selling. You know toys and how to sell them. But now you are selling much more than inventory and store

fixtures – the tangible, bankable assets of your business (that is, assets which a lender can consider as collateral to support a loan).

You also are selling the valuable intangibles on which you have worked so hard: an income stream which can be projected from historic performance, a great reputation for friendly service, customer lists, vendor contacts, your unique knowledge of and experience in the toy industry locally in your particular market niche, a good location, etc.

While it is relatively easy to list and value the bankable assets, and many experts try to value businesses based solely on those numbers, doing so doesn’t help you market your business and leaves value unrealized in the eventual sale. Itemizing the intangibles helps you to market your store to any buyer by showing you what your buyer really will be buying.

At a minimum, you need basic information: What are your gross and net sales/profits for the last three years? What

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is your average profit margin? How much inventory do you keep at any point in time?

How many customers are in your customer database and what information do you have about them? Do you have significant repeat business? What time is left on your current lease and on what terms can it be extended or renewed? What information have you accumulated over the years with regard to customer preferences, market trends, product lines which do or don’t sell in your area?

Until you have gathered this sort of detailed information about your business, you don’t really know what you have to sell and, more importantly you can’t show your buyer what they really are buying.

We have the perfect “wow” pieces to illuminate your child’s holiday wish LIst!

Second Step

Make a basic plan. When do you want to sell? What are you going to do when you sell? How can the sale of your business assist you in doing what you want to do, for example by providing you a nest egg or ongoing retirement income? Would you consider providing owner financing, understanding the risks and potential rewards of doing so? If you offer owner financing, how can you secure the debt in order to ensure payment?

Once you have a basic plan, every other step leading up to the sale and in the sale contract itself should be evaluated against your plan simply by asking, “Does what I am proposing to do move me closer to the goal of selling I’ve articulated in my plan?” Having said that, remember, your plan was not handed down from heaven on stone tablets; it is just a plan.

If circumstances change, or even if you simply change your mind, don’t be afraid to change your plan.

Third Step

Identify your potential buyers and what likely motivates them. Business buyers can be grouped into three principal categories relevant to this discussion: those currently working in your store (co-owners, managers or employees); newcomers who want to run a business; and investors who are seeking some way of earning a return on their investment.

Unique motivations drive each of these buyers. Existing employees are

where imagination is limitless!

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motivated primarily by a desire to preserve their existing jobs. Buying the business allows them to keep doing what they love.

Thus, for the existing employee, buying your business depends on your ability to show that, if they purchase your store, they can afford both to fund the purchase and continue to earn a living.

On the other hand, a newcomer is the person who says, “Oh, I would just love to own your store.” They want a job change.

That change necessarily involves a belief

that a new career in your store will be not only economically viable but somehow emotionally satisfying. While important to this buyer, money often is not the principal motivator. Rather, their decision likely will depend on your ability to show them that taking over your store will give them the job they are looking for.

Unlike the first two buyer groups, an investor is almost always motivated solely by financials – what will be their return on investment? The investor’s decision astratoy.org • November 2017

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MONEY Matters depends on your ability to show that the purchase of your store will generate either higher, or more secure, returns than could be earned from other investments.

In most instances involving either of the first two types of buyer, your buyer’s motivation is not the only thing you need to consider because they probably will be borrowing money. If your buyer borrows from a bank, you need to know three basic facts about commercial loans.

While SBA loans may be available which depart from these basic standards, most banks require that the amount of their loan not exceed 75 or 80 percent of the value of the business (this is “loan to value”). If the business is worth $400,000, the bank likely will loan no more than $300,000 or $320,000 for the purchase.

In addition, the amount of cash available monthly after payment of all expenses will usually have to be at least 1.25 times the amount of the monthly debt payment (so-called “loan coverage”). If the monthly payment on the bank’s loan is $2,000, the bank will require the business to have net income of at least $2,500 per month to ensure that it can pay the debt.

Finally, the bank probably will insist that any loan be adequately secured by assets sufficient to cover the full amount of the debt. Thus, if your store has bankable assets (inventory, furniture and fixtures) worth $200,000, and your buyer has to borrow $300,000 to buy your store, the buyer will have to provide the bank other assets (personal residence?) worth $100,000 as security for the loan.

When you understand your potential buyer’s motivation and any restrictions imposed by your buyer’s lender, you can tailor your marketing strategy and information to show that your store can satisfy both.

Fourth Step

Enhance the value of your business.

In most instances, you can take steps which will enhance the value of your store regardless who is your buyer. Even if these steps don’t directly affect your buyer’s motivation, they all have powerful psychological effects on buyers and lenders

alike and thus make the process of selling the store easier.

1. Improve appearances.

Does your store look old and dated? If it looks that way to you, it looks that way to your buyer. Face it, we are visual beings; something pretty almost always seems more valuable than something which looks tired and worn. If you can perk up your store without spending much money, do it now! Quit ignoring all of that deferred maintenance you keep meaning to fix (for example, worn or stained ceiling or carpet) and those simple changes to your displays which would make your store look so much more desirable. This may even improve your sales and profits in the short term.

you are selling and at what profit margin, consider implementing one so that you can have accurate information to provide your buyer. Information sells your business whether it is statistics on profit and loss, sales, or inventory or even the way your store looks and your employees behave.

Be sure that you and your store send the message you want your buyer to see!

5. Extend your lease, but only if you can do it on favorable terms.

A long term lease often adds value to a business by ensuring stability, particularly when rents are increasing.

6. Qualify your buyer.

Every dollar in current sales should improve your profit. If you have old inventory, turn it into revenue now. Old inventory looks bad and must be written down on the sale of the business, so turn it into cash. Even if profit is not your buyer’s primary motivation, a store with higher sales and greater profits looks better to lenders and buyers alike and thus is likely to earn a higher price.

Banks usually require two years’ related experience for financing a business purchase. If your likely buyer is an existing employee who doesn’t have broad experience with all aspects of the business, make sure they get that experience. If your buyer is a newcomer, consider hiring them with an option to purchase so that they gain the necessary qualifications, or else contract to work for them long enough to convince the bank that they will be able to run the business.

3. Cut costs.

Fifth Step

2. Increase revenues.

Look closely at your books. Have you treated questionable “personal” expenses as business expenses in order to minimize taxes? It may be business travel or other innocuous expenses which really had minimal business value. Are there expenses which, while truly business expenses, are not worth their cost or could be eliminated without adversely affecting the overall health and profitability of the business?

Simply put, every dollar you don’t spend now on something you can live without not only puts money in your pocket; it improves your bottom line, likely driving up the price of your business.

4. Improve procedures.

This is improving appearances, only behind the scenes. If you don’t have a POS or inventory control system and have no idea what inventory you really have or what

Follow through. Once you know your objectives and have your plan – price, time, buyer identification – ensure that all your actions fit your plan. If it doesn’t fit your plan, don’t do it (or else change your plan).

Finally, the Sixth and most important step: Be realistic! The true value of your business is not what you want nor what anyone else tells you it is worth; it is what a buyer is willing to pay. If you are not realistic, you can’t expect to sell your business. Remember too that, once your buyer has decided to buy the business, the price paid is driven less by what the business owns than by what its earnings can support.

You’ve built a great business, a valuable asset, doing what you love.

Following these steps will help you ensure that it will continue to succeed long after ASTRA you sell.

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Father Daughter

Toy StoreTeam Brings Two Generation Perspective

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fter 23 years in the Army and another 10 running a non-profit organization, Todd Duncan, like many baby boomers, wasn’t quite ready to retire. But he was tired of being a grown-up. His daughter, Theresa Duncan, like many millennials, was looking for a new career path that would be more fulfilling and flexible and would allow time to focus on her family. This two-generational partnership at Villa Villekulla Neighborhood Toy Store in Fernandina Beach, Florida, has been essential in overcoming challenges in opening and running an independent retail store.

According to a 2016 survey, “The Millenial Economy,” published by EY, a professional services firm, and Economic Innovation Group, a policy and advocacy group, millenials are starting their own businesses at much smaller rates than previous generations. The study found

that debt and financial insecurity are the biggest barriers to entrepreneurship. The generation that is often touted for valuing independence and start-up culture is the least represented in business ownership.

Without a business partner with financial security and capital, Theresa would have struggled to secure financing to start a business on her own. She would have been in the same place as the vast majority of her peers — with a passion and a vision, but no funding.

For Todd, he felt too young to retire but didn’t want a stressful job, or one that was inflexible. Being self-employed was the natural choice, one being made by members of his generation in record numbers. In fact, 8.3 percent of boomers are self-employed, vs. just 2 percent of millennials, according to the Small Business Association.

Todd has always been passionate

about play and toys. However, after two stressful careers, running a brick and mortar retail store entailed more hours than he was interested in working.

There were also parts of the job (such as marketing and maintaining a website) in which Todd was disinterested. By partnering with a millennial who was willing to work full time with a skill set that filled in those parts of the business, Todd is able to enjoy his “unretirement” and focus on the parts of the business he is most passionate about.

The partnership between the two generations also means one looming challenge for many entrepreneurs was solved from the first day. Villa Villekulla’s succession plan is built in to its business plan. With his daughter as a business partner and his 12-year-old grandson learning the family business alongside his mother and grandfather, Todd will not need to worry about the future of the business he has built when he is ready to really retire.

By partnering together, baby boomers bring strong management skills, financial savvy and work ethic to a business and can help provide access to entrepreneurship for millennials.

Millenials bring creativity, flexibility and long-term solutions for growth. Theresa and Todd find that their idiosyncrasies are key to their success. “We are a good balance for one another; seeing from different perspectives helps us to serve all of our customers better,” says Todd.

While they are different in many ways, they do have important things in common. “He just wants to play all day,” says Theresa. “She just wants to ASTRA play all day,” laughs Todd. astratoy.org • November 2017

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MONEY Matters

Financing That

Great Idea How ASTRA Members Did It

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he idea hits and then it grows, to open a toy store or to create a new toy and put it on the market.

But standing between the idea and its inception is a major piece of the puzzle: how to pay for it. For some it’s a major hurdle. For others it’s part of the creative process. Read on to see how ASTRA members found their start-up money.

Friends or Family Financing Timeless Toys

In the fall of 2010 Wes Dunlap’s boss at the kitchenware store where he worked told him that he and her son should open a toy store together. They ventured to Toy Fair 2011 and thought a toy store would be an amazing thing to bring to their community of Harrisburg, Virginia.

The two figured they would need to spend about $30,000 to stock the store. Between the two of them they had $18,000 extra cash they could spend.

“I was 27, single, and thinking of going back to college full time for my music education degree. Josh (Helmuth) was 24, newly married, and trying to start a new home. We wanted to avoid any bank loans or pulling from different sources,” Dunlap said.

Helmuth’s mom loaned them the rest interest-free. With the full $30,000 in hand, they started ordering toys and opened Timeless Toys July 1, 2011.

Dunlap wrote his former boss a monthly check for two years and repaid the loan.

“Since opening we haven’t gone in the red or needed to borrow money to stay open,” Dunlap said. “All our bills have been paid from sales.”

Now Dunlap’s a music teacher and Helmuth is a dad of two, and the pair have grown their staff from two part-timers to five employees.

The Treasured Child

Founders Rick and Trish Garlock created a warm retail environment that brought travelers to The Treasured Child in La Grange, Kentucky. But after Trish’s sudden death a decade later, an employee took over the store in 2007. In 2012 the second owners decided to retire and close.

This begins Tayler Rinehart’s story.

She and her mom couldn’t imagine La Grange without The Treasured Child, so they begged her step-dad to purchase the store and promised he wouldn’t be disappointed. Rinehart took the title of co-owner seriously.

“How could a 19-year-old person with no retail experience take the reins of a business and make it as successful or more?” she said. She soon learned through experience. “My step-dad, who is the ultimate businessman, taught me very quickly about money. Even though you

learn about budgeting in school and in life, owning a retail store is the best way to learn.”

Practice and hard lessons helped her figure out how to manage the inventory budget; the hardest was having to call companies to cancel orders when she’d over-ordered.

“I am so lucky to have had this opportunity,” she said. “I have learned so much in the five years of being co-owner.” Most important, she said, was listening to and helping customers, both in the store and through social media, where she has created her own following.

Now she’s starting a family and out of the area, but she still runs the store from afar and her parents check on things between her visits home. “Working together as a family can be difficult but in my experience it has been very rewarding,” she said.

Make It Real

Isaac Wolman was 20 and working on his MBA when his father died. He left school to go home to Toronto and take over the Aqua Stone Group, distributing mosaic stones to craft and toy stores.

He and his wife, Sara, took on distribution of Panini and Style Me Up/ Wooky until he was 27. They sold out to Wooky Entertainment, and Wolman managed operations and sales in the U.S.

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The Treasured Child When Wooky went bankrupt last year, they started their own craft company, Make It Real.

“We had gotten very familiar with the tween girl market,” he said, including at home with daughters age 7 and 4. To differentiate, they decided to use the product as a platform, including with each craft kit a magazine about real women who have parlayed their creativity into a career.

A close friend and mentor believed in them enough to invest his money in the business. In turn, he owns a percentage of it.

Wolman figures a new company takes six or seven months or more with no revenue to produce the product. “We were lucky, with all of our connections — we were able to get sales right off the bat,” he said.

Then they went to the bank to ask for a line of credit. Large banks turned them down or offered too little credit to be useful. But a local bank, though not knowing much about the toy business, was willing to lend them money against outstanding invoices, against their inventory, and against purchase orders. “Most large banks will not do that,” Wolman said.

“One of the most important things a business owner can do is give a leg up,” he said. “I’ve had many mentors throughout my career.”

He started a mentoring organization

for that reason.

“It’s terrifying taking a loan from a close friend. You’re putting the friendship at risk.” The business plan should look beyond start-up to year two and future innovations. “If you don’t have a business plan or experience, you probably don’t want to take your father-in-law’s money,” he commented.

Make It Real started a year ago with 35 SKUs, opening in 120-150 independent toy stores. They now have licenses with Disney, Nickelodeon and Juicy Couture as they enter year two.

“We’re certainly pleased with our start,” Wolman said.

Alternative Funding Sources Ollie’s Blocks

Haran Wolfovitz Yaffe grew up

around wooden toys. His parents owned a wooden toy company in Israel, Yael Toys, named for his eldest sister. When the 1987 recession hit, the company went out of business.

Fast forward to 2-1/2 years ago, when Yaffe, working in Silicon Valley, decided to work from home to spend time with his daughter. When his parents visited, they brought a box of blocks. “I found myself playing with the blocks.

My relationship with my daughter went through the roof,” he said.

He asked his father to restart the company. “Never again!” was the answer.

A few months later Yaffe’s own startup company died and he and his wife, Carissa, decided to bring the blocks back. They named them Ollie’s Blocks after daughter Olivia. The majority of

Ollie’s Blocks astratoy.org • November 2017

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MONEY Matters manufacturing is done in a workshop in upper Galilee.

Their 2016 launch on Kickstarter raised more than $100,000 from about 600 backers. In return, they offered discounted sets of blocks. “A lot of people bought sets of 1,000 for hospitals and schools,” he said. As a disabled veteran, he understands the therapeutic attributes of wooden blocks.

Originally sold just onliine, Ollie’s Blocks are now beginning to trickle into specialty toy stores. Yaffe is taking it slowly, visiting stores and appreciating the different character of each one. “I learned about ASTRA and learned how beautiful these little stores are. The way the ASTRA community behaves is unlike anything I’ve seen before, where they help each other.”

Moore Toys & Gadgets

Diane Moore was a localvore before it became trendy. So when she finished the most successful year in her career as a forensic accountant and realized her job wasn’t fun anymore, she turned to downtown Wheaton, Illinois, five minutes from home.

Her husband encouraged her to do something new, but made it clear he wasn’t paying for it.

“I didn’t want to be answerable to a bank or a franchise,” she said. So she found another way to finance her business, even before she knew the business would be in toys.

“I had quite a bit of money in my retirement account,” she said. She found a company, IRA Financial Group in Miami, Florida, whose CPAs and attorneys handle all the paperwork to unlock a 401(K) to open a business or invest in almost anything. “My 401(K) owns my business,” Moore said.

“Unlocking that, it’s a really powerful thing. I don’t have to answer to any bank, or anybody but myself.”

The 401(K) paid for buildout and inventory for her store to get started.

Moore got a commercial mortgage to help her buy her building, but the rest she self-financed with her retirement. “They

filed all my papers to incorporate. It’s part of their fee. They’re lawyers and tax accountants, so this is easy.”

One requirement of the Self-Directed IRA is that Moore has to let any employees over 21 who meet certain requirements participate in a 401(K). “It’s easy and a great benefit,” she said.

She’s so enthused about this way of self-financing, she’s trying to bring IRA Financial Group to Wheaton to conduct a seminar for the downtown association.

“It’s an interesting, liberating and completely legal way to own your own business.”

Toy Box Gifts & Wonder

Both Kristen Joy Laidig and her husband, Tony, have successful online businesses. He does online training programs and she teaches authors how to write and publish books. So when they decided to open a toy store in downtown Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, their longtime use of PayPal gave them access to PayPal Working Capital.

This resource for existing PayPal customers offers quick approval with no credit check required. The business loan is repaid with a share of sales. “There’s an automatic deduction from every PayPal transaction,” Laidig explained.

They opened in July and have already paid back $10,000. And they’re already looking to open a second store in downtown Chambersburg, Nerdvana Outpost. The section of their store that’s devoted to Star Wars and other collectibles will ramp up into its own space down the street.

“I’ve always wanted to have a book and toy store since I was five,” Laidig said. “I never had a hometown; I’ve moved 30-some times.” She hadn’t considered downtown Chambersburg, but when the couple saw the space on Main Street they were immediately on the phone with their mortgage banker.

Married a year ago, they visited a geologist friend on their honeymoon.

He happened to have some dinosaur replicas he was willing to part with, so the day after they got home, 10 life-size

dinosaurs followed them. The animated dinos in the store windows make passers-by stop and take a look.

A new employee manages the store, bringing a background of running events, restoring museum pieces and building dioramas. Another employee manages all the inventory and his wife handles the social media. From employees to retail space to dinosaurs to PayPal funding, Laidig seems to have a knack for finding what she needs to run a toy store.

IKOS

Design engineer Mike Wong never dreamed he’d be in the toy business. But when he returned to his high school, Park City High in Park City, Utah, as a mentor, he and a team of students designed a spherical building toy to introduce the students to a more efficient way to build.

“It uses less material to do more,” he explained.

He promised the students that if the team got funding through a Kickstarter campaign, he would focus full time on bringing the toy to market. They raised $26,000 in 2014, enough to cover tooling and the first manufacturing. When it was obvious they’d need more to continue manufacturing, Wong convinced some friends, who knew of his previous business successes, to each invest $10,000.

To fill a large purchase order, though, the company needed another $20,000.

So they turned to the next step after Kickstarter: crowd financing through kickfurther.com. IKOS pays Kickfurther investors a 10 percent interest rate.

Wong covered the patent out of his own pocket. All three high school students’ names are on the patent, and they each own a percentage of the company. One earned a college scholarship based on the work with IKOS, and two of the three are still very involved, working trade shows and keeping tabs on the business. Thanks to crowd funding, crowd financing, and friend investing, Wong’s mentoring ASTRA continues.

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Wrap up Quality with

Toys Made in the U.S.A.

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TOY Stories

eahorses: A Place For Modern Dads and Their Kids

by Mary Sisson, editor

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n seahorse families, it’s the male that carries the eggs deposited by the female and births them after the eggs hatch.

So when Don Hudson opened a dad-focused parenting store in Portland, Oregon, naming it Seahorses was just as natural as opening it on Father’s Day weekend in 2015.

As a stay-at-home dad for 5-1/2 years, Hudson found a dearth of resources for fathers. He was the family’s primary shopper, but every store or boutique he went into was geared toward mothers.

“Dads parent differently than moms do,” he said. A lot of dads do things that are outside the box, he added, bringing his Leatherman tool out of his pocket. When his wife was breastfeeding, he’d use the Leatherman to hold frozen pouches of milk under hot water. He keeps a collapsable metal shot glass in the other pocket, perfect for kid-size drinks of water (and available at Seahorses).

“Dads tend to bond through play,” Hudson said. “It’s a long-running joke that men have kids to relive their childhoods.”

Whether for stay-at-home dads or working ones, Hudson searches out toys, books and children’s products that appeal to men — innovative, durable, multifunctional and fun.

Earthy wooden toys feel better in a man’s hand, he said. A musician, Hudson requires a good sound in musical toys. “Packaging has to be inclusive,” he said. “I don’t want dad painted as a bumbling idiot.”

Hudson’s favorite is Yoee Baby, a

developmental toy that allows dads to bond with baby immediately after delivery, and gives big brothers and sisters a way to play with baby, too, he said. “It has visual stimulation, auditory stimulation, and the handle is the right size for baby to grasp.”

His book selection features titles that paint dads as the caring character. “I was reading a book to my son where the mama duckling is putting the baby ducklings to bed,” he recalled. His son said, “That’s not the mommy — daddy puts the kids to bed.” That started his search for books where fathers are featured in the words or pictures.

The diaper bags at Seahorses are masculine and functional, and Hudson finds that dads are willing to pay more for a well-designed bag. Adjacent to the bags are shaving supplies — not typical in most children’s stores. Neither are father and child-sized hip waders. Dad and kid t-shirts, some designed for Seahorses, offer such motifs as “Grand Dude,” “Dadiator Games,” “Locally Grown” and an acorn and oak.

Community Connections

Beyond the products, Seahorses offers weekly experiences that kids and dads (and moms, too) can enjoy together: sign language classes, live toddler music, entertainers and an acoustic jam session.

Once a month he brings cardboard boxes out of the back room and invites customers

to Box Day, when they can create cardboard vehicles, forts or space ships. Hike It Baby starts with play time at Seahorses followed by a stroller-friendly walk to an area park.

At Dads After Hours, though, no kids are allowed.

It’s a late-night gathering where dads can put their feet up, play card games, crack open a beer, and relax with other fathers.

The layout of Seahorses allows all those community experiences to happen. The store features a totally enclosed play area and a space perfect for performances, classes and gatherings.

Those classes include baby-wearing, infant massage and car seat basics.

Three staff members are certified car seat technicians. “We have a fantastic spot behind the shop where people can pull in,” Hudson said. By the time they leave, they know their car seat and their vehicle.

Oregon Health & Science University often refers families to Seahorses because their own car seat service is booked six weeks out.

A Dad With Passion

Hudson’s own children are 2, 4, 6 and 25. He says he’s had the opportunity to do fatherhood from many different roles: prominent breadwinner, estranged dad, custodial dad, single dad, part-time dad, military dad, stay-at-home dad. He was an elevator mechanic before staying at home, but didn’t want to return to such a dangerous job. He thought of opening a

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:

coffee shop, but his wife said whatever business he started, it needed to be something groundbreaking and huge.

When the idea hit for a daddy store, advisers told him it would cost $1 million-plus to open it, so he tabled the idea.

But then a space came available in Portland’s trendy Hawthorne district. The space had been a baby store of some sort for three decades. “I signed a new lease and bought the fixtures and everything in the store for a couple of grand,” he said.

The extent of his retail experience was working five months at Cotton Babies, a cloth diaper and baby product store. It closed, and Hudson hired manager Cari Wolverton to be his COO. “Cari keeps

the place running,” he said. “I keep the dream alive.” And his marketing and media guru, Lynse Walls, makes him look good.

That dream is a deep passion for Hudson.

“I have a firm belief that society can be changed by marketing and advertising,” he said. When products are promoted as kid-tested and mother-approved, or recommended by moms and doctors, “it puts undue pressure on moms to make those (shopping) decisions.” Dads, meanwhile, are painted as part time parent infill until the real parent comes home. From the 100,000-foot view, he sees a world where equal advertising messages can lead to genuine equality in society.

Hudson is featured in a book, Dadly Dads, a collection of 150 dads from around the world, He’s also written a book under the pen name Hogan Hilling, Dadly Dollar$: How Marketing to Dads Will Increase Revenue and Strengthen Families.

He’s discovered that Seahorses attracts more than just stay-at-home dads. Because it’s not overtly feminine, it appeals to the LBGQT community, too. “It resonates among a very broad spectrum of people that wasn’t even on my radar. I’m glad I can provide a comfortable space for that demographic as well.”

After two years, he’s not breaking even just yet, but getting close. In the second year Seahorses saw 53 percent growth.

It’s been written up in national and local publications. Hudson looks ahead to year three and working to gear the business so it’s replicable in other cities. “But first I have to make this one viable,” he said. ASTRA

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TOY Stories Behind the Scenes With The

BEST TOYS For Kids Selections

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ince 2013 the Best Toys For Kids awards have been an integral part of ASTRA, meant to heighten consumer awareness of the value of creative, open-ended play. They draw attention to the role that independent, locally owned toy stores play in providing quality playthings that promote happy, healthy, and productive childhoods.

Nobody pays to enter the running or get the award. The toys are voted on by ASTRA retailer members, store owners who rub elbows every day with kids and families.

Before they get to that vote, though, the nominated toys go through an immense review process by a committee of volunteers — ASTRA retailers who are passionate enough about play to give their time to this project.

“Being opinionated and enjoying the process of deciding what makes a good toy motivated me to volunteer for the committee,” said Christina Clark, owner of Kidding Around in New York City.

Peggy Sebert, owner of Becky & Me Toys in Evanston,

Illinois, chaired the committee. “I wanted to have more of a say in what I thought were the best toys,” she said. “I felt I could share my 20-plus years of knowledge, experience, and insight and help the committee choose high quality toys.”

“I think that the Best Toys For Kids awards are an amazing tool that ASTRA provides retailers and I wanted to support that effort,” explained Anna Chow of Cheeky Monkey Toys in Menlo Park, California. “Plus it was an opportunity to work with some amazing retailers while playing with toys. What could be better than that?”

Narrowing the list of nominees to the finalists was not easy.

The team made sure the toys fit the criteria and the category in which they were nominated. “Then we looked at each individual toy that was nominated and shared our opinions about that toy,” Chow said. “If we had a sample, we played with it to get a better understanding of the toy. Most decisions were pretty cohesive amongst the committee, but there were a few that required some

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Best Toys For Kids 2017 Winners

TOY Stories

Category

consensus building.”

“This is my first time in this committee, so I had no idea how much hard work these dedicated panelists put into it,” Clark said. “We would go over the nominations and some very impressive panel members would say things like, ‘That’s not unique enough, Company X came out with a similar product 17 years ago called XX.’”

The committee spent two full days in Chicago reviewing and evaluating the toys. They examined how each was made, discussed their own experiences with each toy, talked about pluses and minuses of each toy.

“In Chicago we started early, poking, prodding, pulling, building, deconstructing and considering all angles of the nominated toys,” Clark said. “We could be found just short of midnight trying out the games.”

“As a team, we each brought our individual experience to the discussion as well as different perspectives based on our store; they are all different,” Chow said.

Company

Product

Active Play NSI (distributed in

specialty by Toysmith) Bots Play Visions Choose Your Own Category Neat-Oh! International Classic 0-7 Years Djeco/Hotaling Classic Play 8+ Years Marky Sparky Constructive Play California Creations Constructive Play Thames & Kosmos

Creative Arts Play 7+ Years Neat-Oh Creative Play Under 7 Years Relevant Play Doll Play Hearts for Hearts Girls Early Play Smart Toys and Games, Inc. Family Game Night Carma Games Game Play 2-5 Years Gamewright Game Play 5-8 Years Blue Orange Games Game Play 8+ Years Blue Orange Games Logic Skills ThinkFun Pretend - Role/Fantasy Play Gund Scientific Play Elenco

“We took some time to make sure that our categories made sense to what customers and retailers are asking for. We decided to make new categories like ‘Bots’ and ‘Logic

Friendly Loom™ Products

Needlepoint Coaster Kit

Traditional Potholder Kit

Fish Rug Hooking Kit

LapLoom Kit

Harrisville Designs, Inc. l harrisville.com

PO Box 806, Harrisville, New Hampshire 03450 1-800-338-9415

Fax: 603-827-3335

Laser X 2-Pack Smart Bot Robot Zipes Speed Pipes Performance Pack Topanifarm Doink It Darts Geomatrix Remote-Control Machines: Construction Vehicles Linkt Craft Kits Bubble Loops The Ultimate Brick Maker Rahel from Ethiopia SmartMax My First Safari Animals SLAPZI Cha-Cha Chihuahua Go Go Gelato!

Kingdomino Roller Coaster Challenge My Magical Sound & Lights Unicorn Snap Circuits STEM

Skills’ since those are specific requests we get by our customers.”

What makes a best toy? “It is a toy that encourages hands-on play and creativity,” Sebert said. “It is well constructed and has a long lasting play value.”

Clark generally likes a toy that will get the recipient to interact with others, and off a screen. “Ideally the best toy nomination would in years to come qualify for a classic toy.”

Chow pointed out that a toy has to work for different size retailers in different parts of the country — rural, urban and suburban — and be easily accessible for them to purchase. “It also needs to be unique, something we haven’t seen before, and that is a tough challenge.”

Best Toys For Kids flyers were made available to any ASTRA retailer requesting them, and they could order more with or without prices and with or without store information.

“Customers love to hear about awards,” Chow said. “It definitely is a decision driver.”

Others on the committee included Eric Masoncup of Geppetto’s in Oak Park, Illinois; Candace Williams of The Toy Maven in Dallas, Texas; Steven Aarons of Barston’s Child’s Play in Washington, D.C.; and Jonny Girson of the Learning Tree in Prairie Village, Kansas.

ASTRA

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Folkmanis® Puppets puts Disney characters' personality on display!

AT VISIT US R JO ALL M A OY DT GI F T A N !

SHOWS

Since 1976 © Disney www.disney.com

2017_ASTRA_Nov.indd 27

See a world of puppets at www.folkmanis.com 0r call 1-800-654-8922 for a free catalog.

10/12/17 2:13 PM

TOY Stories

at Bright n help wrap gifts Batman and Robin and Country, Missouri Idea Toys in Tow

Building and cons Toy Shop in Ports truction fun at G. Willikers! mouth, New Ham pshire

Fun fun with Plus-Plus at Kaz oodles in Vancouver, Washington

Plan Your Neighborhood Toy Store Day Celebration It’s not too late to celebrate Neighborhood Toy Store Day on Saturday, November 11. Join the independent toy retailing community in celebrating neighborhood toy stores and the positive impact they have in neighborhoods all across the country. In the past, participating retailers have reported an increase in sales on Neighborhood Toy Store Day and visibility in their community.

Ready to celebrate? Here are some ideas on how you can take part in this year’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day: Incorporate a Charitable Contribution Commit to giving a percentage

of your Neighborhood Toy Store Day sales to a charitable organization.

Let your customer decide which organization by offering a token with every purchase that they can deposit into one of three jars to represent their vote. Track the progress on social media.

Promote the Best Toys for Kids Set up a hands-on play zone with all of the Best Toys for Kids product winners. Create your own “Best of Best Toys for Kids” award and ask each child to vote for their favorite toy from the display.

Set Up a Wish List Station Provide each child who walks into the door with a clipboard and a wish list to fill out that gets kept at the store and is also emailed to the parents.

Host In-Store Activities In-store product demonstrations are one of the key ways independent toy stores can set themselves apart. Taking into

account your store size, plan out a few in-store activities your customers can take part in. Whether it’s inviting a costumed character, having a musician host a sing-along event, or putting on a Tenzi tournament or building contest, provide some fun activities to provide a reason for customers to come by your store on Neighborhood Toy Store Day. Turn Into Santa’s Village What better place to meet Santa than at a toy store? Turn your store into Santa’s village for the day and invite the community to snap photos with Santa with any purchase or for a nominal fee. Incorporate a wish list station to encourage your customers to come back and shop with you this holiday season.

Photo Booth Fun Stage an informal photo booth area in your store where customers can snap a photo with their favorite product in your store and post to your Facebook page with the hashtag #NeighborhoodToyStoreDay for a chance to win a prize pack (which can be put together with vendor giveaways or older merchandise).

The key is to participate in Neighborhood Toy Store Day, so plan what will work for you and for your customers. No space for an in-store event? Plan on keeping it simple – even donating a percentage of your day’s sales to a charitable organization will go a long way in reminding your customers the important role you play in your community.

Visit http://ntsd.astratoy.org to find more ideas and resources on planning your own Neighborhood Toy Store Day celebration.

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TRENDING Now

s y a W ASTRA Retailers Can

Sell MORE

Science Products M

att Swain and Jessica Wright from C & A Scientific, manufacturer members of ASTRA, offer insights to retailers on how they can generate more revenue from science products and get customers excited about the fun of scientific discovery!

1

Host a STEM or a Hands-On Science Night at Your Store.

Customers love getting involved and parents are always looking for something fun for the whole family. Plan monthly science nights where they can participate in hands-on experiments, look through microscopes, and experience the fun of scientific discovery with products you carry. Make sure you offer discounts and promotions on the products you showcase, and advertise the event in flyers, bag inserts, in your emails, social media, and more. Need ideas? Ask your science product sales rep.

2

Use Colorful Point of Purchase Displays that Grab Attention and Move Product from Your Sales Floor and Out the Door.

Science is fun – and your merchandise displays should be too! Ask your manufacturers or vendors if they have a display program available and be specific about your store requirements on space, plan-o-grams, and high traffic areas. The more we know, the better we can help supply displays to fit your needs.

3

Go Beyond the Box with Product Signs and Flyers.

Manufacturers typically have marketing materials from

trade shows, sales meetings, etc., so take advantage of any promotional materials we have. Placing a well-designed product flyer or sign on an aisle or end cap will not only draw attention, but better help the customer understand what’s included with the science kit and best product features.

4

Buy Extra Demo Product.

Seeing is believing. Always purchase an extra experiment kit, microscope, or science toy and display it proudly next to the product. Create a demo station next to the register so you can

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s

see how kids and parents interact with the product (and so you can keep an eye on open product). Some manufacturers have promotions on demo product, or have refurbished items available to help you save on cost.

7

Better Together: Buy and Sell in Bundles.

Not only can you sometimes work out a better deal when you buy higher product volume, manufacturers often have pre-made kits and package discounts they can offer, giving you and your customers a wider variety of science products. Don’t forget to pass the savings along to your customers for added value!

8

5

6

Use Lifestyle Photos, Videos, and Descriptions.

Ask the manufacturer for product information, descriptions, and lifestyle product photos they can share with you. Use these on your website, in your catalogs, in emails, and on social media to help promote.

Invite Your Supplier to Your Store, Trade show, or Event to Help Demo Product.

They know the product best, and chances are, they can help teach you better ways to talk about, show, and sell the product. Plus, they love seeing our science products in the hands of kids, the excitement on their faces, and how they interact with it.

Have Science Products for All Ages.

It’s easy to only focus on elementary school age when considering science products or toys. Don’t forget about the value of offering real scientific products used by the pros that are designed for kids in elementary through high school. Having experiment kits, microscopes, and science sets targeted for every age range will help you cast a wider net and reach more customers.

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TRENDING Now

9

Partner with Local Schools, Science Clubs, and Youth Groups.

Go where your customers are. Meet with teachers, principals, club sponsors, youth leaders – anyone who will listen – to learn how you can help support their efforts and lesson plans. If a science fair is coming up or you know a grade is focusing on a specific science lesson, offer the school discounts (and buy in bulk to save even more from your supplier) on lab supplies and accessories. Youth groups are always looking for ways for their kids to learn beyond the classroom, plus it’s a great way for you get coupons in front of your target audience. Reports show that 8 out of 10 teens are interested in science, but lack the right engaging opportunities, guidance, and mentors to learn more.

10

Stay Connected to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

Schools, manufacturers, large retailers, educators, and even the U.S. Government are all focused on STEM. Retail sales reports show that STEM product sales are growing — $576 million has been reported in the U.S. In February 2017, the federal government signed two laws focused on science programs. Plus, schools are adopting Next-Generation Science Standards that

focus on interactive scientific discovery through hands-on student learning. Some schools have dedicated labs and educators focused solely on STEM-based education and programs. Let them know you can be a product resource for them.

11

BONUS TIP: Focus on High-Quality, STEM-Inspired Products, and Accept Nothing Less.

Ask your suppliers how their products support science. Too often, vendors slap a STEM label on a product that hasn’t been vetted or doesn’t really apply to a true scientific method or learning. Be the store that only offers real science products. Parents are serious about buying real STEM products — and you should be serious about selling them.

C & A Scientific is the maker and supplier of lab products to medical, science education, and retail customers around the world. Their children’s educational product line, My First Lab®, delivers real microscopes, science kits, experiment sets, and more to help kids discover, learn, and grow. Visit www.myfirstlab.com or email jessica@cnascientific.com

Marble Run The Hubelino marble run offers unmatched gaming adventures and loads of fun. From simple structures to complex runs infinite variations can be built. A particular advantage of the connecting system is that nothing can slip or tip over and the marble always rolls to the ultimate goal. The little builders deal with gravity and acceleration in a playful way and sharpen their fine motor skills and logical thinking.

Made in Germany

100%

Educationally valuable m Huge fun for children fro the age of four other 100% compatible with s toy ck bri g interlockin plements Wide range of sets + sup

www.hubelino.com

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TRENDING Now Driving 4th Quarter Sales Through

Training and Service

by Amy Saldanha, kiddywampus, Hopkins, Minnesota

A

s we are all keenly aware, the fourth quarter accounts for anywhere between 30–50 percent or more of a toy store’s annual revenue. As we head into our busiest and operationally most challenging season of the year, how do we train our staff to handle this critical time for our businesses?

1. Train throughout the year for performance in the fourth quarter.

Sales success is not a spectator sport – it is “muscle memory” built over time. Many stores follow the apprenticeship model of training – a new hire learns by shadowing an employee or manager on the sales floor. While this “hands on” apprenticeship is a great way to learn how to live the store’s culture and to assimilate into “how things get done,” it does, unfortunately, take time. No crash course in Fourth Quarter Sales is going to deliver the

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impact of sustained apprenticeship, experienced over time.

Christine Osborne, Owner of four Wonder Works toy stores in Charleston, South Carolina employs a full time training manager who handles the onboarding of new employees throughout the year, even scheduling new hires to work in the warehouse for a day receiving and tagging inventory, “so they know exactly how important every person’s job is in the business.”

2. Sustained Training - With Energetic Seasonal Kickoffs!

Training and apprenticeship may be a year-long effort – but jump-starting the holiday season is also critical to success. But beware of the litany of faux-inspirational sales exhortations.

Osborne’s stores host a “pump up meeting” prior to their layaway season that starts in September. She grounds her employees in tangible actions that have driven success in prior quarters. She

takes time to recognize her best employees – with specificity of what they do well, how they are driving sales and their operational tips for success. And she includes clear messaging about the exciting new products for the season.

3. Fully Leverage Demos & Technology

Don’t rework good work! Take advantage of the investment from manufacturers who are willing to ship demos. The incremental investment required from you is making sure that your staff has taken the time to learn and get to know these products. Their knowledge (and ideally excitement) over the product will help generate sales, especially when time is limited with each customer.

More retailers are also turning to tech displays – or digital tablets carried by staff as they engage with customers around the store – to help tell a product’s story. Leverage the digital content being created by manufacturers, including user images, how-to

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TRENDING Now videos, social media reviews etc., to simply amplify their best sales messages rather than having to create your own!

4. Take the Long View (part one) – Do What’s Right for the Customer!

ASTRA stores are known for our curated product selection and extensive product knowledge. Many times in the fourth quarter you will face the frantic, emotionally charged customer who is fixated on a particular item that is not currently in stock. What do you do? Resist the urge to cling to the immediate (though unsatisfactory) sale and take the long view on customer experience. Help them consider alternatives that you can provide immediately – after all, a toy in hand is worth two in the bush! But if that just isn’t

going to work, help the customer with a “warm transfer” to a store than can provide the specific item. According to Osborne, “We always want the best for customers.

If we have alternative item we share it. If the need is urgent, we recommend other locations (other toy stores) who may have it and call over for them.”

5. Take the Long View (part two) - Do What’s Right for ASTRA!

Resisting the urge to cling to the unsatisfactory sale also create a great opportunity to build equity with your ASTRA colleagues. Faced with the “out of stock” dilemma, Todd Anderson of Hub Hobby helps the customer while reaching out to ASTRA. “I use my ASTRA network to try and locate items that I either don’t carry or am out of stock

on. We will first offer to try and get the customer whatever they are looking for, otherwise we do our best to refer them to someone who does carry the item.”

Osborne takes a similar view on her “warm transfers” to other ASTRA stores, stating, “We feel that partnership within the community locally or regionally or in industry is vital to our survival as an industry!”

There is no silver bullet for the fourth quarter – success comes from continuing to do what ASTRA stores do best all day, every day. Provide a great shopping experience, with knowledgeable staff and well curated products…with maybe just a little bit more elbow grease to take a little bit of stress out of our customers’ holiday shopping and add a little bit of holiday ASTRA cheer to our sales!

S

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There’s No Other City Like New York and No Other Show Like Toy Fair!

• More than 1,000 exhibitors • 150,000+ products including 7,000 world debuts • 4 days, 1 location – in the heart of New York City

Saturday–Tuesday, February 17–20, 2018 2017_ASTRA_Nov.indd 37

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News

M AK E O R WAY F

CPE Tidbit:

PLAY Gamification

By Jean Bailey

T

he Certified Play Expert course preview of just one little tidbit that this is one of the cornerstones in the course unpacks in this two-day interactive ASTRA arsenal of educational and educational play experience. offerings to our membership and beyond.

It is a certification program that provides What the heck is gamification and why a grounding in the power of play and should I care? empowers attendees to use this knowledge Gamification is a strategy that takes to influence the world around them. an objective or goal that is unrelated to

When attendees from the last play and makes it a game by embedding workshop, held at ASTRA’s Marketplace elements of play into the process. in Philadelphia, rated this course, a

Once aware of this trend, you will resounding 100 see it everywhere. percent reported Fitbit is a great that they would example when The Cambridge dictionary recommend this encouraging users certification to challenge each defines gamification as program to others. other, adding some This group included fun competition “… the practice of making veteran retailers connected to a with decades health goal. Smart activities more like of experience, parents use this manufacturers, technique every day games in order to make museum educators by adding bath toys and outside to their kids’ tub them more interesting or organizations time. Companies interested in child use gamification enjoyable.” Sounds like development. when they make sales goals playful

Is this course fun to me! right for you? by adding rewards Here’s a sneak when reached.

Teachers use it when they establish learning goals and reward kids with playful stickers or badges to recognize their accomplishments. Even the military is using video games to train recruits and improve their skills.

What is happening is that by adding play to an objective, it suddenly becomes more engaging, somehow richer and more rewarding.

Also worth noting is that when we play with other people, we feel more connected to them, more a part of their team — so gamification also brings people together. Trust and bonding are outcomes of a successful gamification program.

The Cambridge dictionary defines gamification as “… the practice of making activities more like games in order to make them more interesting or enjoyable.”

Sounds like fun to me!

For information on the next in-person training or to register for the online program, go to academy.astratoy.org/ ASTRA certified-play-expert.

Sugar B Sales Opens Showroom

S

ugar B Sales has joined many gift and toy showrooms in the Seattle Mart. The showrooms formerly resided in the Pacific Market Center until the building was sold. Sugar B’s showroom is on the third floor of the renovated historic Boeing building.

“We are excited about our new permanent home, rejoining our colleagues and Pacific Northwest community of independent representatives,” said principal Betsy Harney. “We wanted to wait and see before jumping into the fire; we now feel we made a ASTRA great decision and at the right time.”

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M&A Sessions:

The Learning Continues

A

STRA’s 2017 Marketplace & Academy was jam-packed with experts, insights and networking opportunities to support the independent toy industry. More than 40 hours of content were given through 34 education sessions, a dynamic keynote speaker all the way from Calgary, Alberta, and an emcee who kept attendees engaged and enthusiastic all four days of the conference.

The top-rated sessions, rated 4 out of 4 in expectation, satisfaction and overall content, were “Cooperative Significance:

Being an Influential Leader at Work (& Beyond)” by Thom Singer and “Right Brain Red: 7 Ideas for Creative Success”

by Tim Walsh.

The top-attended sessions were “Low-Cost Marketing Strategies: How to Make More Money & Keep It” by Katherine McHenry (116 attendees); “Trend Forecasting: Insights, Ideas & the Next Big Thing” by Steve Starobinsky (114); “The Next Disruptions: Understanding Online Impacts Within Our Industry” by Roger Bildsten and a panel (96); “Why We Buy: Psychology of

Buying & Selling” by Emily Guffey (94); and “How Small Toy & Game Companies Can Compete in an Amazon World” by Lisa Orman (93).

ASTRA members can access complimentary, 15-minute mini encore presentations of the top-attended sessions at academy.astratoy.org under the “September to Remember” webinar package, and take a deeper dive by purchasing the five full-length recorded sessions for $99 (complimentary for Full Conference attendees). Visit academy.

ASTRA astratoy.org to learn more.

™

Toll Free: 800-741-0089 • Toll Free Fax: 888-807-7979 orders@orbtoys.com • www.orbtoys.com

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News

Sales Reps:

December

Save the Date!

T

he Certified Master Sales Representative (CMSR) certification will provide in-depth education on how to communicate, support and service the independent toy industry while learning how to leverage technology, maximize time and measure the success of

Wikki_brand_ASTRA_Under$10_PRNT.pdf

your efforts as a sales representative.

Sales reps will get a sneak peek at the new program December 12 in Las Vegas during the December sales rep meetings.

They will be the first to get a taste of the CMSR course content. The complimentary program, including

1

9/17/17

12

food and beverage, is a $150 value.

With room for a total of 60 sales reps, the program will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mirage Hotel. Check the Certified Master Sales Representative link at academy.astratoy.org for more ASTRA information.

11:08 PM

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BEST TOY SHOW IN THE WEST

2018

Wishing You a Prosperous Holiday!

March 11-13

it’s more fun to play in the sun

@ToyFestWest 2017_ASTRA_Nov.indd 41

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Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members

Dreamship Santa Rosa, CA www.triazzle.com Dreamship Inc. designs and manufactures the award-winning, graphical brain teaser, Triazzle®. Known for its beautiful artwork and deceptive challenge, Triazzle® is now made in the USA with all new designs and packaging. Dreamship will produce Dan Gilbert’s puzzles and games for all ages.

Topple Rocks Covington, LA www.topplerocks.com Crafted in USA, Topple Rocks™ is the wood rock balancing game that challenges players to create a delicately balanced sculpture. Challenge gravity to a dual by manipulating counter balance and surface tension to create your sculpture. Topple Rocks™ comes complete with six wooden game pieces in a drawstring bag.

Origin8 Studio LLC New York, NY www.chalk-of-the-town.com Chalk of the Town sells t-shirts for kids with a patented soft chalkboard surface that can be decorated with precise, smudge-free chalk markers, erased and used over and over again! Kids can unleash their inner artist and creativity, or use offered stencils for inspiration.

Topside Games Wheaton, IL www.topsidegames.com Born from 20 years of experience retailing games and a lifetime of playing, Topside Games designs and manufactures games for the casual strategy market. Our games are designed to straddle generations with strategies an eight-year-old can dive into, but with enough challenges to keep adults fully engaged.

Nogginsland, Inc. Hartsdale, NY www.nogginsland.com Nogginsland, Inc. is a small retail business selling Noggins, an educational product for younger children used to teach and develop fine motor skills through play.

Noggins are stickers, adhered to a variety of objects, from pencils to scissors, turning those objects into characters.

Stickybricky Ladera Ranch, CA www.stickybricky.com StickyBricky is one of the leading suppliers of adhesive backed, flexible, bendable, shapeable and cuttable tape designed to work with most of the major toy building block systems.

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Wrap Up More Sales this holiday with

STEM PRODUCTS WOW SCOPE™

DUO SCOPE™

DUO SCOPE™ STARTER KIT

and more!

Put more jingle in your toy sales.

703-330-1413 www.myfirstlab.com from 26 YEARS OF SCIENCE PRODUCTS

New Members If any of the information below is incorrect, ASTRA truly apologizes.

Please contact us immediately at info@astratoy.org.

AFFILIATES Basys Processing, Inc Kurt Woltering 15423 W 100th TERR Lenexa, KS 66219 (913) 647-5800 Southern Hobby Supply Chris Austin 211 Ellery CT Nashville, TN 37214 (800) 473-2804 caustin@southernhobby.com www.southernhobby.com

MANUFACTURERS AT Kits Ricky Bella Bell 33 Tiffany DR Livingston, NJ 07039 (908) 451-0918 Barefoot Books, Inc. Taylor Coley 2067 Massachusetts AVE 5th Floor Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 576-0660 www.barefootbooks.com inQbrands, Inc Patricia Herrera 1150 S Milliken AVE Ontario, CA 91761 (909) 390-7788 patrcia.herrera@inqbrands.com Learning Resources/ Educational Insights Shannon Howen 380 N Fairway DR Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (800) 222-3909 showen@learningresources.com MasterPieces Tina Banker 12475 N Rancho Vistoso BLVD Oro Valley, AZ 85755 (520) 741-1315 robert.feltes@masterpiecesinc.com Nogginsland, Inc. John Haber 30 East Hartsdale AVE 6L Hartsdale, NY 10530 (845) 901-4965 jhaber12@optimum.net

Origin8 Studio LLC Sondra Mansfield 127 West 83rd ST #401 New York, NY 10024 (646) 701-1074 sondra@chalk-of-the-town.com www.chalk-of-the-town.com

Duckies Shop of Fun Stacy Pritchett 45 Central SQ Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 (850) 543-4633 stacyonthebeach@yahoo.com www.shopduckies.com

The Wooden Wagon Inc Andrea Frost 89 Elm ST New Salem, MA 1355 (978) 544-6482

Evolve Toys Mitchell Besner 3700 St-Patrick 112 Montreal, QC H4E 1A2 Canada (514) 933-6975 mitch@evolvetoys.com www.evolvetoys.com

Topple Rocks Benjamin Bigler 414 N. Jefferson AVE Covington, LA 70433 (985) 900-2424 benjamin@topplerocks.com www.topplerocks.com Topside Games David Boyce 200 West Franklin ST Wheaton, IL 60187 (630) 487-9200 db@topsidegames.com topsidegames.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVES Best From The Nest Robyn Johnson 2235 W Cabana AVE Mesa, AZ 85202 (602) 400-0149 robyn@bestfromthenest.com Zero to Sixty Marketing LLC 691 South Green Bay RD Unit 225 Neenah, WI 54956 (920) 257-4944 shari@zerotosixtymarketing.com

RETAILERS Blue Ridge Toys Stephen Glichowski 809 Northridge DR Tiger, GA 30576 (941) 400-1102 info@blueridgetoys.com www.blueridgetoys.com Carter Industries LLC Dillon Carter 4003 Julington Creek RD Jacksonville, FL 32223 (904) 887-5472 dillondcarter@gmail.com

Fenwick Float-ors Jason McBride 35034 Buoy BLVD Selbyville, DE 19975 (302) 436-5953 office@fenwickfloators.com www.fenwickfloators.com Good Stuff Great Prices Charles Stinchcomb 766 Marsolan AVE Solana Beach, CA 92075 (858) 405-4041 cstinchcomb@yahoo.com High Class Clothes Inc. Ashraf Abdellatif 1635 River Valley Mall Lancaster, OH 43130 (330) 824-1255 dreamlandtoystores@yahoo.com My Discount Center Jack Sardar 115 Enterprise Avenue Secaucus, NJ 07094 (732) 662-3624 mydiscountcenterjs@gmail.com Pk Deals Zev Pavel 1344-52 Street Left Side Basement Brooklyn, NY 11219 (347) 856-2003 pkdeals1@gmail.com TBD James Brady 5210 Kansas Avenue NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 577-6457 jbrady@greenpeace.org

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Toy Times Magazine, November 2017

Index of Advertisers ALEX Brands.............................................. alexbrands.com.................................25, 48

KidStuff PR................................................. kidstuffpr.com........................................... 13

Baby Jack & Company.......................... babyjackandcompany.com...............42

Light Stax-The Lazy Dog & Co........... lightstax.com.............................................. 13

C&A Scientific Co Inc............................ cnascientific.com.....................................44

Magformers LLC...................................... magformers.com.........................................9

Chewigem USA........................................ chewigemusa.com..................................36

Mason Corporation............................... masoncorporation.com....................... 21

DeLano/EPI Printing Inc...................... delanoservice.com....................................7

meinbaukasten....................................... hubelino.com..................................... 11, 32

edplay Magazine.................................... edplay.com..................................................46

MindWare Wholesale......................... mindware.com..........................................47

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6 ISSUES

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OVER 7,000 RETAILERS

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(315) 789-6431 • 800-344-0559 46 November 2017 • astratoy.org

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