ASTRA Toy Times September 2018

S E PTE M B E R 2018

magazine

PLAY Means Business at Marketplace & Academy in NOLA

THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SPECIALTY TOY RETAILING ASSOCIATION astratoy.org • September2018

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Visit Our Website at:

www.endlessgames.com Endless Games Inc., Matawan, NJ 07747 • 732•414-2213

The Endless Games Logo is a Registered Trademark of Endless Games, Inc.

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features

departments

money matters

astra news

4 Contributors

10 An Ode to Toy Manufacturers

26 Innovation Council Update

5 Message from the Chair

12 Buying and Inventory Management

28 CPE Preview

6 Message from the Editor

30 Introducing the Newest Faces on the ASTRA Board of Directors

7 President’s Report

32 Mark Your Calendars for Neighborhood Toy Store Day

36 ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members

32 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Excellence Award Winners

41 New Members

toy stories 14 Before I Was in Toys 15 Takeaways from a First-Timer 16 Best Practices for Invoices 18 Finding Hirable Talent 19 Tips for Window Displays

8 Ready, Set, Play

46 Index of Advertisers

marketplace & academy 34 Marketplace & Academy Recap

trending now 20 Growing Your Business Through Social Media is Easier Than You Think 22 POS Systems 23 Trending Now: Puzzles 24 The 2018 Best Toys for Kids Award Winners

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

astratoy.org • September2018

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Board of Directors

chair Dee Farrell past chair Erik Quam chair-elect Christine Blumberg treasurer Kevin McGrath secretary Amy Saldanha directors Betty Skoke Burns, Nicole Bortnick, Cynthia Compton, Damien Crocker, Anita Demetropoulos, Jacqueline Killian, Tami Murphy, Nick Tarzia

Magazine

editor Tom Savage assistant editor Dee Marsden graphic artist Maia VanOrman

Editorial Advisory Committee

chair Tom Savage Jean Bailey, Consultant Roger Bildsten, Hip Hooray LLC Theresa Duncan, Villa Villekulla Toy Store Michael Levins, innovativeKids Tami Murphy, Grand Prix International

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 coordinator Robyn Foster office administrator Nicole Peavy 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 © 2018 American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

All rights reserved.

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

All articles for Toy Times are supplied by ASTRA and its members, with Fahy-Williams assembling and editing the magazine, 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.

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contributors Roger Bildsten

Roger Bildsten is the past CEO of both Manhattan Toy and International Playthings (now Epoch Everlasting Play). He has served multiple terms on the ASTRA and Toy Association (TIA) Boards. In 2007 Roger formed Hip Hooray LLC to speak and write about kids and advise the unique businesses that serve them.

Jean Bailey

Jean Bailey is a consultant to the toy industry and former director of the National Lekotek Center, a non-profit that works with children of all abilities utilizing toys and play. For the last decade she has promoted, studied, written articles and white papers and reviewed research on toys and play as it relates to child development. Bailey has presented on the subject of toys and play internationally and brings with her years of experience in marketing, communications and adult education.

Theresa Duncan

Theresa, along with her father Todd, owns Villa Villekulla Neighborhood Toy Store. Through her background in youth development, Theresa saw first-hand the power of play in the development of children and their store, located on Amelia Island, Florida, reflects a passion for bringing quality play opportunities to the children and adults of their community.

Michael Levins

A graduate of Columbia University, Michael 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 The Children's Book Council, Technique Tigers baseball team and ASTRA.

Adam Reed

Adam Reed is the founder and CEO of Reed’s™, a brand whose mission is to create “BIG stories for tiny people.” Reed’s™ was launched with the 2017 sold-out Christmas tradition, Reindeer In Here® which is now a U.S. best-seller and global brand.

Always the storyteller, Adam is also the President of Emmy® winning production company Thinkfactory Media.

Amy Saldanha

Amy is founder and CEO of kiddywampus, a specialty toy retailer and destination for families in the Twin Cities. Prior to founding and running kiddywampus in 2006, Amy practiced law as a civil litigator in Chicago, followed by stints in operations and talent management at several digital start-ups. Amy graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a bachelor's degree in political science and speech communications. She also holds a social sciences degree in political philosophy from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.

She earned her JD from Valparaiso School of Law. Amy also serves on the Board of Trustees at The Blake School, and the Boards of ResourceWest and Hopkins Business & Civic Association. She and her husband, Kenneth, have three children, all of whom are active at kiddywampus.

Kathleen Tomes

Kathleen Tomes is the president and founder of Brilliant PR & Marketing, the preeminent agency specialized in marketing to moms, dads and families.

Brilliant leads public relations, social media, influencer relations and more for some of the finest brands in the industry, including ASTRA, Highlights for Children, Educational Insights, Learning Resources, HABA and more. Visit www.brilliantprm.com for more information.

message from the chair

Embracing Change

by Dee Farrell, Chair

I

’ve been home just over a month from our fantastic ASTRA Marketplace & Academy in NOLA and I’m still thinking about what a great experience it was. This year a big topic during our conference was change and how change is affecting everyone in the toy industry – from the smallest independent retailer to the largest global players.

Amazon announced it will create a printed holiday toy catalog. Party City is opening pop-up toy stores inside their retail locations. Many large global brands are courting small independent retailers, hoping to gain a spot back on the shelves. As an industry, things are moving at lightning speed, but we are learning to adapt. If you look back, we’ve been adapting for many years.

Remember back in the '70s when brands had the power? Years ago, the biggest brand could afford to talk to consumers directly via TV. Consumers became very loyal to TV brands and many retailers carried those brands.

Then the big box stores moved in and they took some of the power away from brands. They opened locations in big cities and in the smallest towns. They could pit brands against each other vying for space on their shelves. Big box stores controlled access to what many could buy.

Today with the internet, consumers have the power. In seconds they can read a review and compare prices. They can demand that brands are eco, or stand one

way or another on political issue. Consumers have taken back the power of deciding what and where they will buy. Some of that decision is driven by convenience – and some by price. But not all of it.

According to a recent Fed Ex Small business study, Millennials and Gen Xers aged 22-36 want to shop small. They want to shop local. They want to enjoy the experience of shopping. A surprising fact is when they shop for something both online and in a store, they are much more likely to buy in a store.

This group loves to be part of a community, and they share everything on social media. They can’t wait to post on Instagram and Facebook. And they love to read and write reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor, too. We all know that Millennials GenX use those reviews. But did you know that one of our biggest customer segments – grandparents – are also reading reviews to decide where to shop? Consider asking the customer you just made very happy to post on social media or write a review for you.

Those with a passion want to share and want to help put you on the map.

We also know that consumers have access to more information than ever before…with a seemingly endless appetite for even more. Many want to learn more about play, about which brands and toys are best and they often come to our stores to learn about our wonderfully curated assortments. ASTRA will be supporting this consumer education. Brilliant PR &

Marketing, ASTRA’s PR firm, is spreading the message and helping inspire consumers to shop in small independent toy stores.

To help ASTRA retailers secure media coverage in their stores, Brilliant PRM has also provided ready-to-use tools including press release templates and regional media lists. Download these resources in the ASTRA Resource Library and on ASTRA Academy.

The consumers that are attracted to independent stores want something they can’t get online. They want to touch, feel and hold a product before they buy it. Simply put, many consumers are starving for a brick and mortar experience. And it’s not just about product, these customers want to be recognized and greeted and appreciated.

They want everything perfectly wrapped and tied up with a bow. They want the kind of experience and service that ASTRA members are experts at providing.

Let all the incredible learnings we took away from our conference this year motivate and inspire you and your team to embrace the change. And please share your learnings and findings and successes on our discussion boards.

Mighty Together!

astratoy.org • September2018

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message from the editor

Hello ASTRA!

I

’m Tom Savage, your new editor for this quarterly magazine, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’ve got a long history in writing, editing, proofreading and publication production. It’s what I’ve done my entire career, and although some of the stories and publications over the years have been, well, kind of boring, this one is already a hoot!

Quick background on myself: almost my entire career has been spent working in the public relations field with professional sports teams and athletes. I’m just a kid who grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but at an early age, the NBA’s Developmental League came to town. I was hooked in high school, went to college and received a journalism degree, and then went after my dreams.

It was a great run, working in PR for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA. I was also the senior director of public relations for the world’s largest one-day sporting event - the Indianapolis 500. Before moving back to Sioux Falls, I worked as the head of NFL public relations for a sports agency based in Indianapolis.

All great and rewarding positions over my career, but none prepared me for my return home. Working with Shaq, Kobe, Danica Patrick and Kevin Durant was great ... but what I learned working with them didn’t ready me for the inner workings of Pig Poppers, Thinking Putty, Floof and Squigz.

In 2008, I was the director of public relations with the Seattle SuperSonics when my wife at the time, Nancy, decided she wanted to open a toy store back in our hometown of Sioux Falls. We ... okay she, wrote the business plan for the new store in a coffee shop in West Seattle over a rainy weekend.

I know, I know ... Seattle, coffee shop and a rainy weekend? But seriously, it’s true.

She came out of that weekend with a laser sharp plan ... and an umbrella. But her

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plan was good, and it’s worked. I questioned how she was going to make it in downtown Sioux Falls in January and February when the snow and cold can grip South Dakota, but again, she’s done it, and I’ve been amazed watching the store grow.

Now in its ninth year, I sit back on the fringe and watch how this single store has transformed an entire downtown.

Downtown Sioux Falls is vibrant, with many shops, restaurants, condos and apartments.

I truly think the toy store started the entire transformation. Every time I walk inside Child’s Play Toys, I marvel at the lines at the cash register, and I never leave without stopping, looking around, watching children play, and soaking everything in that Nancy’s created.

As I tour the store on a weekly basis, I can still see in my mind what was once twisted 2x4s and sheetrock dust just nine years earlier, is now the Happiest Place in Sioux Falls. It’s a magical place at 11th Street & Phillips Avenue.

We’d love to have you come visit.

I’ve seen my daughter grow up in the store. She was four years old when the store opened, and she helped with dusting and washing windows. When Nancy expanded the store two years after the original opening, we asked her to help sweep the floors after construction. She jumped on an Ezy Roller and dragged a broom along the side. So resourceful.

She’s now an eighth-grader, just one year removed from high school. She grew up in a toy store, and I’m confident as she grows, she’ll appreciate it more every year.

For as amazing as the place is, I know it didn’t come without a lot of hard work, and help. All you store owners know exactly what I’m talking about. Nancy has received a tremendous amount of guidance over the years.

Anne Walker, owner of Curious Kidstuff in Seattle, took Nancy to her first Toy Fest West, and helped guide her through those first few

planning stages that can be scary indeed. She was Nancy’s mentor, and still is to this day.

Sue Warfield was Nancy’s original Papo rep.

She’s now the director of member relations at ASTRA. If she hadn’t have been there nine years ago, it would have been very difficult.

She helped with ordering, came to the store, set up the actual display and merchandised the entire thing. She even brought Nancy to her first ASTRA Marketplace as an owner, and they roomed together to save money.

Melissa and Doug helped with the store’s first terms agreement, and there’s no doubt Nancy couldn’t have done it without their guidance and willingness to work with her.

From her parents who helped her seed the entire project, to the banker in Sioux Falls who took a chance on her, to the overwhelming media coverage she’s received from all three TV affiliates, to the building owner who didn’t charge her for the store’s buildout, to the accountants, to the bookkeepers, to the attorneys, to her brother and sister-in-law, to the friends that showed up every night to help get the place open. There were many, many, who helped make it go.

“Everybody was so helpful in the beginning. I didn’t even have to ask – everyone just offered to help,” she told me as we reminisced while I was writing this. “You can’t do it alone. You need a lot of help from a lot of people who are experts in their field.”

It was actually a little overwhelming, all of the help she received.

There are hundreds of these types of cherished stores all over the country. Behind them are the store owners, sales reps, toy manufacturers and affiliate partners who helped bring them to life. Thank you for letting me a part of telling your toy stories.

president’sreport

Moving Forward

by Kimberly Mosley, ASTRA

I

love the summer! The sunshine beckons us to throw off winter’s heavy cloak and feel the breeze between our toes and the sun’s warm on our skin.

Summertime is full of activity with children, loud and laughing, enjoying toys and games. ASTRA members, full of ideas from attending Marketplace & Academy, are ready to help them find the perfect summer fun.

From the opening ceremony to the final day on the tradeshow floor, attendees recognized that this year’s show raised the bar. Even before we launched the show, we kicked off the week with two great pre-conference workshops!

One was the two-day Certified Play Expert workshop, where enrollees earned a certification that recognized their knowledge of the science behind play and their commitment to share this with their community. We also introduced the Certificate in Social Media Management program. Presented in partnership with the National Institute for Social Media (NISM), participants learned how to turn their ad hoc social media efforts into a long-term social communication strategy.

We closed with keynote speaker, Peter Sheahan, who challenged us to embrace the changes keeping us up at night, so we can re-think our approach for success.

This year’s show was one to remember. If you were not able to attend Marketplace & Academy this year, I hope I’ll see you next year in Pittsburg, on June 9 – 12, 2019.

I continue to be amazed at the

extraordinary work done by the ASTRA staff. From concept to execution, the staff worked tirelessly to put on the best show ever. And of course, we count on the important work done by the ASTRA volunteers. You are the engine that drives ASTRA forward. The planning committee deserves a special round of applause for all the hard work they put in over the last year to plan networking activities, social events and engagement strategies to enhance the overall event experience. We can’t thank them enough for their dedication and hard work. And we can always use additional help. From short-term task forces to long-term committees, we have plenty of projects where we need you to lend us your talent and expertise. Visit ASTRA Connect to sign up.

While it was a successful convention, ASTRA is always looking forward. This year we launched the ASTRA Foundation, an important first step in expanding the reach of ASTRA to other markets that recognize and value the importance of play. As one of the first official activities of the foundation, we participated in several charitable activities while in New Orleans.

There was a school clean-up project where more than 40 ASTRA leaders rolled up their sleeves and helped with everything from class room set up to furniture moving.

While walking the tradeshow floor, ASTRA members stopped by the ASTRA booth to stuff backpacks with products donated

by Alex Brands, Faber-Castell, Gund, Learning Resources and Ooly. Thanks to

those volunteers, 1,000 backpacks were made available to the low-income schools throughout New Orleans. Manufacturers donated toys at the end of Marketplace & Academy and all donations were distributed to the Kingsley House an organization dedicated to educating children and strengthening families.

Lastly, we worked with the convention center to donate extra meals to local churches, women’s shelters and other assistance programs in the New Orleans area. We also have a number of initiatives in the pipeline that will be announced as the year unfolds, including new membership types, a new mentorship program and a new online membership portal.

Although summer is here, ASTRA is already planning for the rest of the year. In New Orleans, retailers pledged to celebrate Neighborhood Toy Store Day in their stores and communities on Saturday, November 10. Save the date and check ntsd.astratoy.org for ideas and tools you can use for celebrating the families in your community.

Have a wonderful summer!

astratoy.org • September2018

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ready set play

FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Blending Nature

By Ahren Hoffman ASTRA

I

t is important for children of all abilities to go outside and enjoy the fresh air, green grass and birds chirping. Nature provides children with many opportunities for physical activity, creativity and social and emotional connections with peers and adults alike.

The benefits of outdoor play have been advocated for decades by Richard Louv, journalist and author who created an international movement to connect children and their families to nature. Louv is best known for his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from NatureDeficit Disorder. Nature-Deficit Disorder is not a recognized medical diagnosis, but an effort to share the alienation of nature.

Inside activities have become popular as they are deemed safer and easier for families to schedule play dates rather than play spontaneously.

The average American child spends 4-7 minutes per day in unstructured play outdoors, and over seven hours a day in front of a screen according to an urban versus rural daytime activities study published in 2015.

If we know that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors, what can we do as the toy industry to support outdoor, spontaneous play? Here are five ideas to advocate in your community, on packaging, signage or social media as a retailer, sales

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and Play night in the backyard anyone? Storytime in the tent?

representative or manufacturer in the business of play.

1. Nature Inspired Play

Children can use elements of nature to play. This type of play allows children to try out new actions, including exploring and manipulating objects. Cause and effect relationships as well as the development of problem-solving skills can be encouraged through nature-inspired play.

As a retailer, you can purchase items like wood chips, dirt and vegetables to inspire in-store activities or better yet, have the families bring in their finds to create with in your store. Leaf collages or okra stamping anyone?

As a manufacturer, you can encourage kids to go on a scavenger hunt to collect items for a project or explore their senses on a nature walk and uncover their findings.

2. Play in a Natural Setting

Children can use their traditional toys and play products and bring them outside!

For example, stacking blocks on the grass will provide a tactilely friendly appeal and tickle the child’s senses during play.

Retailers can offer outdoor storytime, music class or maker space under a tree or in the neighboring park.

Manufacturers can encourage taking (appropriate) toys outside—family game

3. Outdoor Active Play

Children can be physically active and use ‘locomotive play’ outside by going on a walk or a bike ride to support gross motor skills and engage muscles.

4. Creative Play in Nature

Children can be inspired by the outdoors to create arts and crafts projects.

The projects can be inspired by items from nature and increase self-confidence to conceive, construct and create. This type of play allows a child to explore emotions and express them in healthy and productive ways.

5. Imaginative Play in Nature

Children can use their imaginative skills by pretending an object in nature is something other than what it is.

Pretend play is an excellent way to hone negotiation skills, navigate group dynamics and work as a team.

The great outdoors is an abundant resource for children of all abilities. Free play allows kids to explore their surroundings with their sense of sight, smell, touch, sound and sometimes even taste! Outdoor play is vital to development because it is typically unstructured and there is a lack of adult direction—all positive aspects to learning self-confidence, negotiation and navigating a new environment. Take time to get outside and play! ASTRA

Experience the Magic of Metamorphosis

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butterfly

moneymatters

An Ode to

Manufacturers

By Michael Levins, innovativeKids

T

oy manufacturing is not unlike any other business associated with a myriad of factors beyond one’s control, made ever more challenging by the whims of human emotion when it comes to deciding to purchase, or not to purchase. While English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon was the first person attributed to the phrase “Knowledge is Power,” it was probably an ASTRA member who first quipped, “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in his or her shoes.”

Whether a rep or retailer, having insight into the costs, resources, time, energy and money invested by manufacturers in creating new products is indeed powerful knowledge. The next time you let out a gargantuan sigh when an order ships late, the product does not look precisely how you remember it at Toy Fair, or wholesales for more, you will be armed not only with greater understanding but also empathy for your fellow ASTRA manufacturer.

Where exactly does one begin when determining what to produce and sell as a manufacturer?

1. Will this be a brand new concept?

2. Will it really fill a need?

3. Will this be an extension for an existing product line?

4. Will this be an existing product from another company and you will distribute it?

5. How will this new product be priced and how will it be packaged?

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6. Where will you manufacture this new item and what quantities will you produce?

7. How much will it cost to design, create artwork, develop tooling, get samples and how much will it cost to safety test, manufacture and land at your warehouse?

Assuming this is a new product being produced from initial concept, much of the analysis may be pure guesswork, or at best, based on information one is able to glean from the marketplace.

1. Is there something similar out in the stores already? If yes, how does it sell and how does it compare?

2. What will truly differentiate your product from someone else’s?

3. Are your reps and retailers enthusiastic about the concept? What changes are they suggesting or demanding before they will support it?

4. Do you have to rework the original concept now that you have secured feedback?

5. Can your factory produce the item within your target budget?

6. Will the item meet safety standards without major revisions?

7. What are the minimum order quantities per style, per color? Can you reprint or manufacture again at smaller quantities and still maintain a workable margin?

These are just a small number of the critical aspects of developing a product that a good manufacturer needs to consider in their journey to bring a new concept to market. If this process took place in a frictionless information

environment without interruptions or unforeseen problems, it would still be exceedingly difficult. In reality, there are many challenges that can take place along the way.

Parkinson’s Law

Every manufacturer is familiar with the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” While this can apply to virtually any business, it especially resonates in toy manufacturing.

A new product can easily take 8 to 12 months to develop, manufacture and deliver. In certain cases, it may be less, especially if the manufacturer is distributing and not creating that product. Be prepared for delays in receiving artwork, developing molds, unforeseen manufacturing issues, and a host of other problems that eat up your schedule faster than a hungry teenager.

For a wholly owned distributor such as HABA USA, company president Lea Culliton said that because their production runs are linked to the “mother ship in Germany,” she must anticipate their schedules. In her case, she actually imports products six months behind Germany’s initial release to ensure that they will be available on schedules that suit her market needs.

Murphy’s Law

Once Parkinson’s Law is in your rearview mirror and you have your product in production, you still need to remain alert. Be ready to react to overcome what Mr. and Mrs. Murphy throw in your way.

This can include containers stuck in port, a dearth of trucking to move your containers

from Asia, electricity outages at your plant that delay production, or perhaps a lack of workers returning from Chinese New Year. As with those pesky change orders you experience during a bathroom renovation, every alternation may be met with up-charges and delays. Did you plan for enough margin erosion in your P&L to absorb these increases?

For a truly independent distributor like Hotaling Imports, it’s a different approach. “We work with our suppliers on planning, and keep a close watch on our inventory and match it against theirs for planning purposes,” said Larry Hotaling of Hotaling Imports.

Because Hotaling is not directly controlling manufacturing schedules, he must be doubly vigilant in planning ahead.

“No one wants to be overstocked or miss out on sales,” he said. “It is a very delicate process.”

The Law of Unintended Consequences

Just when you think you have seen it all, you realize you probably haven’t. Unintended consequences typically come into play when you make an adjustment to fix one perceived problem, only to find you created a new one.

For example, your box design doesn’t provide for enough sales copy, imagery or warnings. So, you increase the box size, or change its shape. This, in turn, increases your manufacturing and freight costs, upends your budget, delays assembly and takes up more space on the shelf than the retailer wants. The fact is, when creating something new and custom for the first time, it is almost impossible to anticipate the unexpected each and every time.

While manufacturers have the luxury of developing their products the way they believe will be most successful for their targeted market, and typically have more control than a distributor, everyone has a boss. This includes wholesale customers, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, state and local authorities, and the list goes on. Ultimately the consumer has the last word a when it comes to anticipating what they will buy. For a distributor, such as HABA or Hotaling, while they may not have to originate the product, they must curate from a wide selection and determine in advance what has the best chance of success.

Toy Manufacturer = Banker

Very often the manufacturer is really a banker in disguise, dressed in more casual clothing. Toy manufacturers lay out gobs of money well in advance of bringing their product to market. Given the long lead times for developing toys, advancing money for artwork, molds, prototypes, deposits to reserve materials and sample costs, the company must have a significant reserve of cash on hand, or a generous line of credit to overcome the gap from the time money is laid out to when it is collected from the sale. Add in dating programs or special discounts and it is even more challenging. Distributors such as HABA and Hotaling must be extremely informed of profit margins as they are generally working more closely than companies originating their own product and planning their own wholesale pricing structure and cost of goods.

In today’s business climate, developing and manufacturing new and unproven products requires intelligence, planning, resources and a bit of luck. Having a better understanding and appreciation for this process will inevitably make for a more productive business relationship. ASTRA

As seen at Game Night!

Conduct your way to fun with the exciting new board game from

Horn Entertainment, Inc www.crazytrainsgame.com info@crazytrainsgame.com

704-380-0590 astratoy.org • September2018

ASTRA

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moneymatters

Buying and Inventory Management

By Amy Saldanha, kiddywampus

R

unning a toy store feels sometimes like a marathon, and sometimes a sprint.

But you’re always running.

Budgeting and managing inventory is a critical part of running the business.

And while there are certainly nuances to how each performs this critical activity, there is an important lesson we can literally learn from actual runners: smaller strides and a faster cadence is a safer, more efficient and more effective way to run.

Buying and inventory management have changed from the days of placing fewer, larger, year-long orders at Toy Fair to guarantee product availability for Q4. The marketplace is much more fluid now, and consumer preferences and trends seem to shift at much faster rates. In response, creating increased flexibility in buying and inventory management practices is an important part of a store’s success.

Here are some approaches to bring great efficiency and effectiveness to how you manage your buying and inventory.

1. Use available tools to plan your run: Open to Buy

Very simply put, Open-to-Buy is an inventory purchasing methodology used by retailers to ensure that the store owns the appropriate amount of inventory to support your sales plans, without having too much or too little inventory. The benefits of using an Open-to-Buy system are substantial. You will know in advance how many dollars will be needed each month for inventory. This helps ensure a flow of new inventory coming in at regular intervals, and helps to make sure there is enough inventory in the store, but not too much tying up extra cash.

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ASTRA has many valuable resources for those interested in this system of buying.

2. Smaller, faster (buying) steps: Continuous Ordering Buying is now an ongoing and continuous process, which creates increased flexibility for cash flow, inventory management and shifts in product mix.

“I order continuously; escalating as we get closer to Q4,” said Cynthia Compton, owner of 4 Kids Books & Toys in Indianapolis. “I order based on last year’s sales, plus my projected growth percentage for the year.”

3. Save some stamina for short sprints to come: Holding Purchasing Dollars for Trends Budgeting is a critical part of being able to strategically manage buying and inventory. We all see that preferences and trends are changing fast, so make sure you manage your purchasing budget. This will allow you to react quickly and buy when you need.

“One of the things that has changed in our very price-sensitive marketplace is our ability to be nimble, to respond quickly to trends,” Compton said. “We have to capitalize on that by not locking ourselves into too much inventory early in the year.”

4. Know the course: Catalog ordering with staggered delivery For stores participating in catalogs like Toy Collection and The Good Toy Group, ordering is heavily influenced by catalog drop dates. Retain flexibility in your buying and inventory by spreading your orders and delivery dates throughout the year. Even though much of the catalog ordering takes place at ASTRA Marketplace in June, savvy retailers place several orders with ship dates from now through the fall to both manage cash flow, as well as to ensure adequate inventory without having to take delivery all at once.

“I used to do holiday ordering in September, but now I place more orders in June, with delivery staggered throughout the fall,” said Ann Kienzle, owner of Chicago-based *play. ASTRA

astratoy.org • September2018

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toystories

Scott Mazerall

Before the Toy Industry Marissa Louie

CEO Portola Plush Co

What were you doing before you were in toys?

Before starting Animoodles, I was an art director and designer at consumer technology companies including Apple and Yahoo, where my designs touched more than one billion users around the world. My experience led me to design Animoodles as a simple and elegant toy that is a lot of fun for kids of any age; all without needing an instruction manual – or screen!

How did you get into the toy industry?

As a lifelong fan of stuffed animals, I asked myself how I could make my favorite toy of all time more interesting. After a few years of making traditional stuffed animals, I came up with the idea for Animoodles to modernize the classic stuffed animal through simple mix-and-make magnetic play.

Looking back and knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your pre-toy-industry self?

I would tell my pre-toy-industry self to stay focused on making a great product – one that children love, parents can feel great about, and that grandparents can understand. The rest comes naturally.

When people ask me what I do, I say …

I make a totally new kind of stuffed animal called Animoodles that can come apart, be put back together, and stick to magnetic metal surfaces like refrigerators and lockers!

What motivates you to do what you do?

Growing up, stuffed animals have been both a comfort toy and a storytelling device for my family and me. We gave our stuffed animals names and personalities, and they had a place in our everyday lives. But this depth of emotional connection and creativity is not the case for everyone. With Animoodles, I hope to change the traditional stuffed animal play pattern to give kids of all ages the chance to experience the joy of what stuffed animals meant to my family.

I have thought about how to make stuffed animals more interesting to children since I was in elementary school.

At a young age, I saw that many of my classmates who played with stuffed animals grew out of them. It broke my heart, and I obsessed over how to redesign plush toys to capture

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Marissa Louie

the attention and imagination of children for longer. I believe that stuffed animals must change with the times to do this.

I also wanted to create a product line that had an even deeper purpose: helping save endangered species and wildlife. During our Kickstarter campaign, we announced that we are donating 100 percent of profits of Sophie Elephant to the African Wildlife Foundation. Non-profit giving is a huge motivational factor behind our company.

What is one way ASTRA has helped you in your toy industry journey?

Local retailers who are ASTRA members were the first to support our product before and after we launched. Retailers including Richard Derr at Learning Express Toys Lake Zurich in Chicago, Christine Osborne at Wonder Works in South Carolina, and Kate Tanner at Kidstop in Scottsdale, Arizona were the first to believe in us, and we are so grateful for them.

We also exhibited Animoodles for the first time at ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy 2018, and signed up many new customers.

For 2018, we are able to retail Animoodles in specialty stores only, and not mass, because of the support from ASTRA members.

Scott Mazerall

Owner and Fun Specialist Maziply Toys & Collectibles What were you doing before you were in toys?

Before I got into the toy industry, I was a vice president for the largest mutual bank in the country. I was wearing multiple hats in both retail and business banking. While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t my passion.

How did you get into the toy industry?

I have been buying and selling toys as a hobby for many years.

In 2014, my wife, Kerri (who was also a banker), said she wanted to move on from banking. That was when we turned my hobby into an online toy business. We agreed that if we met a certain goal, she could leave her job. That happened in five months. We decided that we really needed someplace other than our house to operate our business, so we opened our toy store on November 23, 2015, and have been growing ever since.

Looking back and knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your pre-toy-industry self?

Brick and mortar is not dead like so many people say. You just have to think differently and discover the right information to make good decisions. Oh yeah, I would have told myself to have done this a lot sooner because being in the toy industry is an absolute blast!

And of course, I would have told myself to join ASTRA sooner. :-) When people ask me what I do, I say …

I’m a Fun Specialist (it’s in my email signature), and play for a living!

A First-Timer’s Takeaways

By Adam Reed Reed's

L

ike many of us in the toy industry, I never planned on being in the toy industry.

By day, I’m a television producer having produced over 500 hours of TV, but in the last year, after waking up from a dream one morning, I decided to start writing children’s books. I wrote and self-published just one book before deciding to go all-in on creating the next big holiday tradition for families across the world.

In just under a year, the book and product – Reindeer in Here – has taken off.

In addition to winning awards and garnering global demand from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa, the product is on track to do more than 100 times the sales from 2017, and it will be sold in more than 1,200 independent retailers this year.

The term “overnight success” does not apply here. It took me more than two years to write the book, edit the draft, find the right illustrator, self-publish the book, source the plush and package it all together. I am still very new to all of this, but here are a few things that I learned from my experience developing and launching Reindeer In Here.

Discover and Be True to the CORE MESSAGE of Your Product

For Reindeer In Here, the core message is that being different is normal. I made every decision with the guidance of that core message. What is your brand’s core message, and how does it impact your business decisions?

Serve a Need

Do your research to find an opening in the market, and differentiate your product, brand and message from everything else that is out there. During my period of research and development, I learned that parents want a stress-free Christmas tradition that allows their kids to bond with a magical Christmas friend.

They wanted to be able to celebrate the

differences in each child, while also creating a tradition for the entire family. Those principles guided my story and product development.

What need does your product serve?

Don’t be Afraid to Be Different

Reindeer In Here has one antler shorter than the other. I can’t tell you how many people told me when I originally created it to not have a smaller antler because it looked odd. I believed in the vision that being different is normal, and I stuck to my beliefs. This key detail is now the thing that resonates most with buyers. If you feel it’s right in your gut, then go with that. Ultimately, that’s all you have!

It’s Never Just About the Product

I can make a great TV show, but if no one knows it is on TV, it won’t be successful.

In today’s market, you MUST support your product and brand with every possible social media and marketing strategy available to you.

Here are some things you can do: 1. Create a digital retailer toolkit for all retailers – develop readyto-go social media posts and quickplay videos that help retailers promote and sell your products to their customers.

2. Direct a Press Campaign – Whether you can afford to hire a publicist or not, approach anyone and everyone (either online or in-person) about your product. Be your own biggest cheerleader and keep knocking on doors until they start to open.

3. Social Media, Social Media, Social Media – It’s not just about one tool; it’s about knowing your audiences on those platforms and utilizing them all in tandem, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest,

What motivates you to do what you do?

There’s something special about being your own boss. When you do something that you are truly passionate about, it’s not a job. It’s what you love, so the motivation is always there.

What is one way ASTRA has helped you in your toy

Snapchat, or a combination of the above.

Create a strategy (or enlist someone to help you create a strategy) and stick to it! We gained more than 12,000 followers in under two weeks on our Facebook page with a multi-faceted social media strategy.

Commit to Your Partners

I turned down a very lucrative offer from a Shark Tank shark that would have brought my product directly into big-box stores. From doing my research, I knew that products like Beanie Babies, Elf On The Shelf, and Webkins were successful because of independent retailers. As a result, I made a commitment to independent retailers to partner with them in helping me spread the word about Reindeer In Here. In doing so, I made a promise to them that they would be the ones to offer the lowest price on the product. Although I am selling a limited amount of product on Amazon this year, the price point online will be higher to support my commitment to the independent retailers. Once you have decided how your retail/online strategy will unfold, plot it out, find your key partners and commit to them.

One last thing: no one can give you the exact roadmap to success. All of our stories and journeys are different.

But we all have the passion for our brand and product that brought many of us into the toy industry in the first place. By being connected with one another by way of ASTRA, we have an opportunity to share our passion through stories and experiences in hopes that it will inspire, teach, and guide.

Let’s continue sharing that with one another as together we work towards building our industry’s success. ASTRA

industry journey?

What I have enjoyed most about ASTRA is how easy it has made networking in the toy industry. It would have taken me so much longer to have established the relationships that I have without ASTRA. ASTRA astratoy.org • September2018

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toystories

How To ....

Invoices Best Practices for

By Theresa Duncan Villa Villekulla Neighborhood Toy Store

F

or toy people who are drawn to a world of constant fun, thinking about invoicing practices may not be very appealing. Unfortunately, every business has to think about accounts payable and receivable no matter how dull it may seem. The good news is that businesses that take the time to focus on best practices and organize systems can free up cash flow and time to do more of the fun stuff.

Manufacturers, retailers and sales representatives all have unique perspectives and interests when it comes to invoicing, and each industry segment can learn from the other to build processes that keep business running smoothly. Here are suggestions from throughout the industry to keep the cash flow running smoothly and keep the administrative tasks to a minimum.

Live By the Numbers

Numbers are everywhere, like purchase order numbers, invoice numbers, SKUs, UPCs, and customer numbers. But, use as many of them as you can! Be consistent with your own internal numbering systems and pay attention to your vendor’s numbers. Consistently put P.O. numbers on your purchase orders and payments, and request that your vendors use P.O. numbers on all invoices.

If you’ve ever dealt with a government agency, you know that some organizations will go as far as not issuing checks for invoices that don’t include a P.O. number.

Likewise, always include your vendor’s

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invoice number in the memo on your payment.

Make It Easy

It may come as no surprise that there is no industry consensus on the best delivery of invoices, whether electronically or by mail. Mike Davis, director of sales at Total Biz Fulfillment, a full-service fulfillment company that offers full office support including invoicing and accounts receivable for manufacturers, says there are basically three types of invoices.

“You can send it in the mail, email it, or put it in a box,” Davis said. “I know it is controversial because some retailers like to have a paper invoice, but email is best.”

Dean May of Toys Unique! In Dallas disagrees.

“We still need to print the invoices, and I don’t think we are the only ones doing that based on many discussions I’ve had with other retailers,” May said. “For

some of us ‘old-timers,’ this emailing of documents just doesn’t seem to work as well as the time-tested method of the past. This new system may be saving vendors time and money, but it is translating into time and money expense to retailers.”

One thing is for certain, manufacturers should avoid using packing lists as primary invoices.

“The most likely invoices to be missed are the invoices that double as packing slips,” said Mary Sisson, owner of Kazoodles in Vancouver, Washington.

“My staff receives the order, the invoice goes in the packing slip folder, and after awhile we get an overdue notice.”

Accept as many forms of payment as possible, especially electronic payments.

“Electronic forms of payment are so much faster and easier to process,” Davis said. Rick Armstrong, Territory Manager with Diverse Marketing agrees.

“I wish all manufacturers could provide a link to a website (i.e. QuickBooks) so retailers could pay online safely with a credit card or a draft from their bank account,” Armstrong said.

Communicate Clearly

Include as much pertinent information as possible on your purchase orders and invoices including information such as itemized prices, MSRP, and UPC numbers to help retailers simplify

their bookkeeping. Avoid unnecessary information such as marketing materials or internal SKUs that differ from vendor SKUs.

Clearly mark past due invoices as “Copy” or “Duplicate” or even “Past Due.” While it may seem simple, many companies do not clearly mark invoices as second invoices. This can lead to duplicate payments, which costs money on both ends.

Customers lose time and money researching payments and unnecessarily tie up cash flow that can be used for other investments, while payees also lose money from administrative time issuing refunds.

Retailers, if you prefer your invoices to be sent to a dedicated electronic or snail mail address, be sure that address is on your purchase orders and payments.

Be Timely – But Not Too Timely

Send a friendly reminder or make a quick call BEFORE the bill is significantly past due. Usually a past due payment is the result of an oversight.

“We send reminders 10 days before the invoice is due and follow up with a phone call before a bill is 30 days overdue,” Davis said.

The faster you follow up, the more likely you are to get paid. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 26 percent of invoices more than three months old are uncollectable. This increases to 70 percent uncollectable at six months and 90 percent uncollectable at 12 months.

Retailers: pay as close to the due date as your cash flow allows. It may be tempting to pay a little bit late to keep cash around, but even if it doesn’t lead to late fees (which it probably will!) it can still cost you money in duplicate invoices.

Additionally, many companies do not pay sales representatives until your invoice is paid. The later you pay, the later your rep gets paid. Likewise, paying too early may tie up cash that could be used on other investments.

Vendors: make sure you invoice customers on a timeline that makes it easy for them to pay on time. Sending an invoice too early may lead to it getting lost, and sending it too late may lead to a late payment. Allow your customers at least seven to 10 days to process an invoice and another week for the payment to post.

It may seem simple, but don’t forget to send invoices regularly!

“One of the biggest challenges we see businesses facing when they come on as new clients is not sending invoices on a regular basis,” Davis said. “We have even seen companies who were not invoicing at all. Of course, that is a worst-case scenario.”

Don’t Be Afraid To Change

We’ve all been there. Implementing new point-of-sale systems or accounting software can be a daunting task. But don’t

be afraid to take note and adapt when your systems aren’t working for you or your customers.

Did you see an uptick in late payments when you went to digital-only invoicing?

Are you making payments late because your invoices are getting lost in your email?

Taking time to be proactive and to set up processes that work for you and your customers is the most important piece in streamlining invoicing and keeping the cash flowing. ASTRA astratoy.org • September2018

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toystories

How To ....

How to Find Good People

I

t’s often said that your operation is only as good as the people you hire. If that’s true, then the practice of getting the right people in place can be the difference between success and failure.

Working in the toy business is unique, and obviously takes a special and dedicated person to succeed. No doubt there are a lot of places to start. Online employment sites clutter the internet, and looking for the right person can be as frustrating as finding the right job. But for as muddled as the process can be, it’s pretty obvious what most toy store owners have done to find success in the hiring process: look no further than your frequent customers.

“We need our employees to be super passionate,” said Child’s Play Toys store owner Nancy Savage of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “We would never hire anyone that we didn’t consider passionate, or who had not visited and patronized our store. We’re selective about that. No one is going to run your business the way you want them to, unless they have passion. You have to see it.”

Benjamin Khachaturian of Ringwing LLC out of Champaign, Illinois, couldn’t agree more when it comes to passion. The 21-year old University of Illinois industrial design student founded the company with his brother, and said it’s all about adding value when you hire.

“I struggled to find somebody who could really add to our team,” Khachaturian said. “That’s especially hard at such a low level. We’re brand-new and a startup. We had to be careful with our resources. In that respect, it’s been tough.”

If you do go the traditional route and post a job online, get ready for the influx of inquiries. Wendy Alexander is an independent consultant and formed Star Finder by

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Wendy Alexander. She helps companies in the hiring process, and said Indeed.com is the top dog when it comes to searching for jobs and posting jobs on the Internet.

She says that 75 percent of people who are searching for jobs search on their phone, and of those searches, usually it’s Indeed that will come up on the Google search, or whatever browser you use.

But it’s not just job seekers who fall into the Indeed search. If a small retail store posts a job on its website, Indeed already “scrapes” that information for free.

“Scraping” is the practice by Indeed that finds job postings on the web, and they post it for free on their search site.

“Most candidates come through Indeed, and you don’t have to pay for a thing,” Alexander said. “You’ll be surprised how many candidates come through this way, and you didn’t even know it. Indeed makes money by offering companies to sponsor the job, but for small retailers, there’s no need to ever do that.”

For as invasive as that might sound, Alexander says it’s a normal practice and smaller employers take advantage of it without even knowing. She says larger companies, such as banks, might use something like Indeed, or Craigslist on a sponsorship basis, and pay a monthly fee for a posting. “You’ll get all kinds of people applying if you do it that way,” Alexander said. “For a small retail shop, you’re probably best to do something on a local website. It will get picked up by Indeed anyway.”

Job descriptions, although an important part of listing your open position, can be a bit overwhelming.

Alexander agrees.

“I hate job descriptions, I really do,”

she said. “But it’s necessary. The best way to write a job description is to find job descriptions online that you really like for similar jobs. Don’t plagiarize it, but take pieces of it and it will help you start thinking about what you want. It’s actually pretty simple.”

Another trend hitting the American workforce is the Gig Economy. The Gig Economy features temporary, flexible jobs where companies tend to hire independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. A recent study by Intuity predicted that by 2020, 40 percent of American workers will be independent contractors.

The Gig Economy is popular with millennial workers and undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and instead focus on a lifetime career.

“So many people have more than one job, and they’re trying to figure out a way to quit their ‘real’ corporate job and just work from home, or as a freelancer,” Alexander said. “People are just so over working for the man. Everyone complains that millennials are entitled, but part of it is they watched the older generation work their butt off, and for what? Kids now are like, ‘I don’t know if I want to be loaded.’

They just want to enjoy life and do what they enjoy for a living.”

Millennial or not, former customer or not, it’s obvious that finding that right chemistry is the key for a small retailer.

“It’s so important to have a good team, and it’s hard to create that right chemistry,” Khachaturian said. “We still deal with that daily – getting the chemistry right.” ASTRA

How to Create Displays

I

t takes a combination of things to make a small business grow and succeed. Among other things, it takes good customer service, creativity, perseverance, product knowledge, budget management, and marketing.

Marketing

It’s a vague and sometimes scary term when it comes to the all-to-real world of making it as a small business.

Marketing can take many shapes. TV advertising, newspapers, magazines, support of youth programs, social media platforms and specialty programs throughout the year all serve one purpose: get the people in the door.

But arguably the easiest, and most attractive, way to get people inside your door is to pull them in with an impressive window display as they walk by. Every store has thousands of eyeballs on its front window each day as they hit the sidewalks.

It’s time to get them inside.

“The way you merchandise it, it could be a dog of a product, and you can make it a bestseller,” said Indianapolis-based Linda Rosenberg, who’s spent her entire career as an independent merchandiser. “It’s all about how you position it.”

Rosenberg says it’s important to tell an immediate story, and don’t fall into the same, easy trap. Leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, it might be tempting to grab everything green in your store and run it up to the front for all to see. Better yet, come up with a theme, and build around it.

Lindsay Anvik, CEO of See Endless, who’s been a featured business expert on MSNBC’s “Your Business,” agrees with Rosenberg.

“One thing I find is that retailers put too much stuff in a window, and they don’t orga-

nize it by theme. You gotta go all in,” Anvik said.

“If you’re going to do unicorns, do unicorns. If you’re going to do girl empowerment, do girl empowerment. If it’s trucks, do trucks.”

But for as much as theme is important, Anvik says it’s all about illumination. Not enough lights in the window is a common mistake by retailers, and she has a golden rule to live by.

“The number-one rule in merchandising is that if they can’t see it, they can’t buy it,” Anvik said. “So many windows are just way too dark.”

Anvil also says building up your mostprized merchandise is key in the front window. Put your moneymaker up on a pedestal, Anvil says. Repetition and height are also important, but get the prize at the top. Tell your story and identify your theme, and use smaller products to help tell the story, but get the bestseller at the top of the window.

Toy stores also have a unique eye-level for consumers who are strolling down the sidewalk. “In windows, whatever is eye-level is buy-level,” Anvik said. “But in toy stores, it’s different because you have different eye levels: one for the adults and one for the children.”

Anvik suggests getting on your knees when building your window. What can you see from your knees? Can you capture the essence of the window?

The Toy Store in Lawrence, Kansas, has long been considered one of the top window merchandising toy stores in the country. Nick and Emily Gussey collaborate monthly with their staff on the window designs.

They had a Valentine’s Day window display this year that garnered a lot of attention, including that of local news media. They encouraged customers to be part of the

window display, and had them write with removable markers what they loved, on the front window.

Nick Gussey breaks it down to three things that are important when creating an engaging window display: lighting, colors, and taking products out of boxes.

“When you take products out of the box and display it, it makes a huge difference,” he said. “It goes from a product in a box, to showing customers what it looks like to play with.”

There is obviously a lot going on with running a toy store. Window displays may take a backseat to everything else, which is why Anvik says make your plans now for Q4.

Retailers are tied up with everything else, Anvik says. Plan it now.

“I always say that now is the best time to plan for Q4,” she said. “What are the displays going to look like, what is the store going to look like, where are these products you’re buying now going to go? It may take some time, but at least you have that impact moment with customers that is worthwhile. I’m all about quality over quantity, for sure. But plan it out now.”

Another recent trend is pop-up retail shops, and toy stores are no different. Taking your product out of the store and to the customers, to festivals, fairs, concerts and street events, is another way to move product.

But even then, according to Rosenberg, the display is important.

“Top sellers need to be first and foremost and up front,” Rosenberg said. “You have to make it easy for people to shop. They’re on a limited timeframe of how long they have to shop. It’s not like a treasure hunt. You get them in and get them out. It has to be efficient. You have to know what your true and tried sellers are. Those are the things that are front and center, and don’t waiver from it.” ASTRA astratoy.org • September2018

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trending now

Social

Media

Growing Your Business Through Social Media is Easier Than You Thought!

By Kathleen Tomes President, Brilliant PR & Marketing

H

ave you ever noticed parents staring at their phones while following tykes around a toy store? There’s a good chance they’re swiping through Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms for millennial moms. Engaging with influential Instagrammers through your store or brand’s own account is an efficient and effective means for prospecting new customers, showcasing your products and engaging frequent shoppers. And, it’s easier than you might think! Here are a few simple tips for making the most out of the ubiquitous photosharing app.

Get Active on the Platform

Create a business page on Instagram for your store or brand and post at least one photo per week. You can showcase products and features, sales, or even snap photos of happy customers and tag them in your posts. Instagrammers love taking selfies, so encourage them to do so inside your store, and ask them to tag you in their post.

Check out the resources in the Resource Library on ASTRA Connect for more detailed instructions from ASTRA and Brilliant PR on how to create and grow your account!

Find and Follow Potential Customers

Instagram allows you to search posts based on location.

If you’re a retailer, search the area surrounding your store, and scroll through the most popular posts. Also be sure to follow neighboring businesses and search posts from other kid-friendly locations nearby. Follow anyone you come across that posts photos with their kids and grandkids around your community. Be authentic by liking and commenting on their photos. When you find someone that feels like they could be a potential customer, send them a private message or leave a comment on one of their photos inviting them into your store. You can even offer them

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a nominal discount, like 5-percent off or a gift with purchase if they mention Instagram. Brands can easily prospect targets by searching popular kid-centric hashtags like #toys, #playtime, #screenfree and more.

Fish for Whales

Keep an eye out for influential influencers with large numbers of followers. Once you’ve found them, send a private message on Instagram to introduce your shop or brand. Tell them you’re a fan of their posts, and let them know you’d like to offer them a special incentive for posting about your store or product. Getting these “influencers” to post about you could have a significant impact, so consider deeper discounts and offers to incentivize them.

Create some guidelines for what you are willing to offer to influencers with varying numbers of followers such as: a. Influencers with 1k – 10k followers: 25 percent discount on a single product b. 10k – 25k followers: 50 percent discount on a single product c. 25k+ followers: free product(s)

No matter what you decide you’re comfortable offering in exchange for a post, be clear with the influencer that you expect them to post a photo from your store or with your product, and tag your Instagram account in order to receive the incentive. You can even offer them a free product to give away to one of their followers.

Just be sure to make following your own account a condition of entry. Remember, Instagram influencers treat their channels like businesses and are used to fielding such offers. Don’t be shy!

Success will be certain if you remember to keep your Instagram presence and outreach as personal, fun and engaging as a visit to your store! ASTRA

Brilliant PR & Marketing is ASTRA’s PR agency and is here to provide resources and guidance for bringing attention to its members through the press and social media. Email any questions to astra@brilliantprm.com.

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Systems T

echnology continues to march on in today’s ever-changing retail landscape. Just like anything else, once you seem to have something mastered in the toy business, a new technology comes along that outdates everything you’ve just learned.

It’s certainly no different when it comes to your point of sale system, or POS. There is an abundance of software to choose from to help with your POS and inventory. Many small retailers use QuickBooks, Lightspeed and Square, among others.

But choosing the right software depends upon your specific needs, according to Robert Stroman, an independent consultant specializing in IT and POS systems.

“It all depends upon what you want,” Stroman said.

“You have to look at your business model; your game plan. Do you have a multisite layout? Are you going to have one till, or have multiple stations? Are you going to have a home base where everything is hosted? Is everything going to be hosted in the cloud?”

These are all valid and important questions, according to Stroman. He says the best way to get started is to simply Google someone in your market that helps with POS setups. There are so many options, Stroman says, that your local provider will be able to customize your needs.

Stroman says Lightspeed and Square are two of the easier systems to operate, especially if you’re on the go.

“If you go mobile and take your inventory to places outside the store, then I’d use the Square POS. You have options at that point,” he said. “It’s really easy to set up, especially if you’re on the go.”

He’s not the only one singing Square’s praises. Joel Bender of Mind Bender’s Puzzles & Games in Whiting, Indiana says they use Square for everything, and wouldn’t change a thing.

Square not only provides POS services for Bender’s store, but also inventory management, customer profiles, gift card manage-

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September2018 • astratoy.org

ment, promotions and daily deposits.

“We’re super-efficient with it.

It’s convenient. We use our phone and we can take it and swipe it anywhere,” Bender said. “We’re not interested in changing anything and we love Square.

Until we outgrow it, I won’t change a thing.”

Using Square certainly has its benefits, but you also pay for them. There is no annual fee, but Square takes 2.9 percent from every credit card sale, and it comes right off the top at the end of each day.

“Some people might think that’s high, but for us, the tradeoff is worth it,” Bender said. “It’s so convenient. The fee doesn’t bother us.”

Stroman also said you get what you pay for as far as servicing your POS system. Most companies in your local market will also provide IT support, and will offer up the devices to run your store, as well as setting up your POS system.

If you go that route and have a local company set up your entire POS and IT system, Stroman said you’d pay a premium for it. But that premium may very well be worth the cost.

“If you don’t do it that way and you do the IT yourself, you’re going to have to get your own service provider, and you’re going to need to get someone to help with fixes,” Stroman said.

“Are you going to call your friend at one-o’clock in the morning, or do you have a company you contracted with that helps support that?”

Many POS systems also feature an inventory management system that has become almost a necessity in today’s world, but Stroman cautions against relying too heavily on that. Inventory management and POS systems are only as good as the numbers provided.

“Systems will maintain your database, as long as items are accurately scanned in and scanned out,” he said. “But getting a system that manages your inventory is still the best thing to do.

You can be very meticulous and do your own spreadsheet, but who has the time to do that in this day and age?” ASTRA

Puzzle Trends

I

t’s one of the many fascinating aspects of running a small retail company. You need to sell, obviously, to stay alive. You need to know what’s hot, what’s fizzled, and what’s the next big thing.

It can sometimes feel like throwing darts at a board when it comes to identifying the next trend in toys. But one area that has stayed strong and is a little less puzzling to figure out is … well … the puzzle.

The first jigsaw puzzles were introduced in London in 1760, and although we don’t suggest the trend has been around that long, it’s safe to say they still remain strong in today’s market. The modern-day puzzle began mass production in the 1930s, and the classic toy has been a mainstay ever since.

It’s also a strange phenomenon that puzzles continue to hold their popularity, considering it seems every child is holding a tablet of some kind. Getting kids to put a computerized tablet down and engaged in a board game seems almost foreign.

“It’s really interesting. Whenever I see a teenager doing a puzzle, it always surprises me because I see it as an older demographic pastime,” said Gareth Turner of Outset Games and Puzzles from Victoria, British Columbia. “For the past two years, it certainly had phenomenal growth in the toy industry. Video games are always there, but puzzles seem to get that big bump every two years or so. They’ve always been strong, and they’ve always been consistent and steady.”

Puzzles seem to fit nicely in the framework of a toy store, but they also bust out of that demographic. It’s as almost as if you don’t need to market yourself as a toy store to reap the benefits that puzzles can bring.

Amy and Joe Bender of Mind Bender’s Puzzles and Games in Whiting, Indiana, agree that the on-going puzzle phenomenon doesn’t stop with children. They see puzzle sales of all ages.

“We’re growing because we find customers coming in from senior citizens to

children, and people are doing puzzles as family activities,” Amy said. “You think ‘toy store’ and you automatically think children.

But puzzles are more than a children’s toy.

We always find it interesting that so many people are into traditional puzzles, but we hit it in all categories.”

Puzzles have gone through the ebb and flow over the last 90 years, just like any product that has lasted as long. But thankfully, families, says Jason Schneider from GameWright in Newton, Massachusetts, continue to make puzzles a strong investment in the future.

“There’s a certain family tradition to it,” Schneider said. “Those who grew up pre-digital, have always done jigsaw puzzles on a holiday weekend or vacation, and they bring families together. No plugs, no batteries, it just brings everyone together.”

Sales of games and puzzles have grown 22 percent over the last four years, according to Turner.

He says he’s surprised at some of the demographics when it comes to puzzles.

Anyone over 50, Turner says, is a classic puzzle buyer. But it’s the millennials that have surprised him the most.

“It’s a way to get to get together and not be on their phones,” he said. “There’s been a phenomenal growth in that age group.”

Some have suggested that the puzzle trend is waning, but Turner disagrees. He says top-quality puzzles are always good in the marketplace. The only downturn you might see, he said, is an occasional dip for the younger, 3- to 4-year-age crowd.

“We continue to see those quality puzzles grow within the industry,” he said. “Toy stores are continually selling 1,000-piece puzzles. Are they the hottest trend right now? Maybe not, but it’s definitely been a very solid trend for us for years.” ASTRA

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LOGIC Turing Tumble Turing Tumble LLC Turing Tumble is a revolutionary game that allows kids to build mechanical computers powered by marbles to solve logic puzzles.

CLASSIC PLAY 7+ Liquid Glass Thinking Putty Crazy Aaron's Liquid Glass Thinking Putty is unlike anything you've ever seen! Kids can practice their fine motor skills by twisting, tearing and sculpting creations from their endless imaginations.

GAME STRATEGY Photosynthesis Blue Orange Games Welcome to the world of Photosynthesis, the green strategy board game where players will learn about plant life-cycles and the everchanging forest.

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EARLY PLAY (TODDLER) Kullerbu Construction Site Set HABA The Kullerbu system grows with children. The interchangeable tracks and accessories make way for open-ended play and endless imagination.

PRETEND PLAY (FANTASY) Rose Gold Wings & Tutu Set Creative Education of Canada Calling all princesses! This angelic set includes a soft tulle skirt with rose gold glitter detailing and wings, letting imaginations flutter.

GAME PLAY UNDER 7 Gnomes at Night - Peaceable Kingdom A MindWare Brand Someone has stolen the Queen's treasures and has dropped them in the castle's twisty maze! In this game, players work together to collect all the treasures before time runs out.

EARLY PLAY (INFANT) Dimpl Fat Brain Toy Co. Little fingers can't resist these beautiful buttons!

Kids can practice their fine motor skills to push, pop, poke and prod the colorful bubbles.

SCIENTIFIC PLAY Snap Circuits BRIC:Structures ELENCO Make endless combinations of construction and circuitry with Snap Circuits BRIC Structures. This set teaches teaches kids about electricity, engineering, circuitry and other STEM concepts.

GAME NIGHT ITZI TENZI It'z simple! It'z fast! It'z letters! It'z laughs! ITZI is an easy to learn, fast card game that appeals to all ages.

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PRETEND PLAY (ROLE) Aquarium PLAYMOBIL Explore underwater worlds at the Aquarium! Kids are encouraged to use their imaginations and play pretend as a marine biologist or zookeeper.

BOTS Kids First Coding & Robotics Thames & Kosmos Meet Sammy, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich robot! Kids can learn coding principles and skills without a tablet, smart phone or computer with the Kids First Coding & Robotics set.

Voted on by independent toy stores, ASTRA’s Best Toys for Kids highlights the top toys and children’s products in the specialty toy industry. Learn more about the awards program, find additional product information and order up to 300 complimentary catalogs to use in your holiday marketing at besttoys.astratoy.org.

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PRETEND PLAY (FANTASY) Folkmanis® Mouse in Pumpkin Folkmanis® Puppets Engage little ones in playful activity with this beautifully detailed Mouse in Pumpkin finger puppet!

CREATIVE PLAY UNDER 7 Create with Clay Dinosaurs Faber-Castell USA Inc. Art, adventure, science and fun combined for a STEAM experience with the Create with Clay Dinosaurs.

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ACTIVE PLAY Stomp Rocket Stunt Planes D & L Company Year-round high-flying outdoor fun for the whole family! Stomp Rocket Stunt Planes were designed by aeronautical engineers to loop, guide and flip so kids can develop an understanding of STEM principles like gravity, motion and force.

GAME PLAY 7 + Forbidden Sky Gamewright Soar to dizzying heights in this electrifying adventure!

Work as a team to uncover the power platform that floats at the center of a savage storm.

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CLASSIC PLAY UNDER 7 BRIO Railway Starter Set Ravensburger North America Inc. The BRIO Railway Starter Set includes everything kids need to build and play in an ultimate way!

CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY GraviTrax Ravensburger North America Inc. The GraviTrax Starter Set offers kids everything they need to build their own action-packed track systems!

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Creative Play 7+ Rock and Roll It SpecDrum MukikiM Toys Are you ready for some rock and roll? This electronic drum kit inspires kids to create, record and playback their own musical creations!

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ASTRA news

ASTRA’s Innovation

Council Initiative Takes Shape

Today is the Slowest Rate of Change You’ll See for the Rest of Your Life

By Roger Bildsten Hip Hooray, LLC

J

ust like you, I’m a few days back from Marketplace & Academy 2018. To the casual observer, it might have seemed like business as usual; another exciting annual gathering of one of the more intriguing industry groups in the world.

ASTRA Marketplace & Academy is a unique assembly of retailers, manufacturers, and manufacturer reps who meet each year not only to buy and sell, but to get to know each other better while addressing industry challenges.

Scratch the surface a bit at this year’s M&A, however, and you saw those same retailers, vendors, and reps seriously asking each other, “What’s going on out there?” It is clear to everybody that change isn’t just coming.

Change is here!

I would suggest that among the many changes we face, there are three big ones we need to understand. We needn’t fear these

changes, but we do need to dissect them so we can react.

The first big change is our evolving customer groups. That’s right, plural. GROUPS. Who are they? What are the many demographic, ethnic, economic, cultural, and educational groups that need us? Do they know about us, the independent toy retail world?

How do we reach them once we figure out who they are?

As big box toy retailers morph, or disappear, how do we bring more of their customers to the independent retailer? As various groups strive to nurture their kids, how do we reach them to tell our story?

If we don’t identify our customer groups, we can’t reach out effectively.

The second big change is in what our customers want from the ASTRA ecosystem.

The days of success via well-stocked shelves alone are in the past. Our evolving customer base is looking for expertise, experience, community, and so much more. How do we come

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September2018 • astratoy.org

through for them? How do we become a vital part of their child-rearing experience?

The third big change is technology. No surprise there. We live in a digital world. It’s changing fast and the digital revolution is going to be unkind to those who don’t or won’t keep up. How do we put technology to work for the collective health of our independent toy ecosystem and the customers we serve?

So, at Marketplace & Academy, CHANGE was on everybody’s mind.

“What’s going on out there?” we asked each other. We all have ideas, but not so clear yet is what we are doing about these changes as an ASTRA ecosystem.

Recognizing the increasing rate of change, earlier this year association leadership formed the new ASTRA Innovation Council initiative, and it’s now up and running! As ASTRA faces big-picture changes, the Innovation Council will try to address key challenges and report back to the board.

The Innovation Council began by digging into the first two big changes I described above: Who are our various customer groups, and What do our various customer groups want from the ASTRA ecosystem?

The Innovation Council defined these questions before heading to New Orleans and reviewed them with the board. Work is underway.

These are the first challenges our ASTRA board has asked the Innovation Council to tackle. Instead of waiting to see what the next changes might be, we are organizing to assess big-picture challenges identified

by ASTRA leadership, and define pragmatic solutions involving all ASTRA ecosystem members.

Change was a big topic at Marketplace & Academy in every Academy session and workshop I could attend. At breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and receptions, change was the constant topic.

Peter Sheahan began his Wednesday keynote address by telling us that today is the slowest rate of change we will see for the rest of our lives. He challenged us to “find out who you serve” and “become part of your community.”

The ASTRA Innovation Council is getting to work, and I look forward to reporting back to you with future updates! ASTRA

ASTRA news

A Sneak

by Jean Bailey, CPE

T

PEEK at CPE

he Certified Play Expert (CPE) workshop ASTRA offers starts with an overview of some very concrete skills that toys and play connect kids to.

A quick overview of cognitive, communicative, physical, social, emotional and sensory skill development focuses on these important milestones in a child’s life.

All those skills are relatively easy to discern when a child reaches them, such as a baby’s grasp of the handle of a rattle, being able to place the puzzle pieces correctly, making sounds like a dog as they cuddle their plush puppies, or being able to balance on a bike for the first few seconds. All these, and so many more, represent the outward signs of developmental progress prompted by the act of play.

However, before all those skills are discussed in the workshop, we start the training with a story that is evidence pointing to benefits of play that are not so visible.

A student in a CPE training session shared a story I now offer as an introduction to this course. Patti took the CPE workshop to deepen her understanding of play as an educator and practicing social worker. A few years back, she had been assigned a family that was fracturing and had no idea how to stop the damage that was tearing their lives apart. It centered on Michael, an 11 year-old boy

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failing at school. He lived with his mom and 7-year-old sister in a homeless shelter. Every day his Mom received a call to come to school to pick him up because of fighting. She struggled to take two buses there to retrieve him, and two buses back. Michael’s anger was also migrating into their home life, and was spilling over on his sister.

The mom opened to Patti on their first visit with three statements. First, she admitted she was out of ideas and had tried everything she could think of, including spankings. She was particularly upset that now her 7-year-old daughter was also failing school and all the required tests. Finally, she declared with utmost certainty that Michael was going to end up in jail just like his dad.

What Patti saw before her was a little boy, lost and afraid. As she settled her soft eyes on him, she saw his gaze go to the pile of toys in the corner and lock on a basketball.

“Do you like basketball, Michael?” she asked.

He shrugged, which was the first sign of any effort he had made to communicate. Patti grabbed the ball with a quick suggestion to please follow her.

Together they entered a large room, not even the size of a small gym, with industrial carpet and a worn-out basketball hoop on the wall. She passed Michael the ball with a bounce, and he instinctively grabbed it.

A few dribbles later, he was attempting a basket and made

a few good shots that afternoon before returning to his mom and sister. Patti gave Michael one simple goal before the family left: do the dinner dishes this week with his sister without fighting.

The family was to come back once a week and a simple routine formed. Each session Patti took Michael to the makeshift gym, and he would shoot baskets.

Soon, Patti joined the game by counting every consecutive basket made. She called out loud “1-2-3” and onward until Michael missed. They would then start over. The game was set, they both knew the rules and so it continued.

At times Patti wondered if this was really therapy or recreation.

She pushed these thoughts away because whatever it was, it was working. Every week the goal was met at home and the calls from school were less frequent. At the high point of Michael’s visits, he hit 232 consecutive baskets and appeared very different from the sullen, withdrawn kid who had first come in.

Whether Patti was delivering therapy or not, she was giving him something even more precious. She gave him her ATTENTION.

When we play with someone, we focus on him or her. The highest honor you can give anyone is your undivided attention.

Michael passed all the required tests at school that year, and so did his sister. Michael’s mom stopped predicting he would end up like his dad. The life they shared, even in the homeless shelter, became easier as they grew closer as a family.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is someone we talk about in the Certified Play Expert program. We refer to him often as, “the flow guy.” Csikszentmihalyi is a prominent psychologist who researched something he called “Flow.” Others sometimes refer to it as “The Zone.”

It is an altered mental state where one is totally and completely absorbed in a task for the sheer pleasure of it. Csikszentmihalyi experienced it when he, like Michael, was just 11 years old. He was living in Rome at the time during World War II when bombs were falling on the city like rain. He and his family were terrorized, captured as POWs, and later interred in a refugee camp.

What Csikszentmihalyi claimed saved him was playing chess, and his ability to clear his mind of all else and just focus on the game.

“It didn’t bother me that bombs were exploding,” he wrote.

“It was one of the first times I realized you could get taken up in something to the point where everyday life problems disappeared, at least temporarily.”

In Csikszentmihalyi’s case, flow came through chess, and it set the stage for his research and life’s work in understanding this elusive state and its connection to happiness. For Michael, it was shooting baskets.

The power of peace we can sometimes find in play is elusive. Its ability to affect our lives and the lives of our children is not an easy thing to discern. What we do know is that in the play experience, there exists incredible potential and possibilities to change our lives, rise above our circumstances, and find a place where we feel alive, safe, competent, and happy.

We invite you to join one of ASTRA’s Certified Play Expert workshops or register of the online program when the time is right for you. We promise it will be informative, insightful and even at times fun. ASTRA astratoy.org • September2018

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ASTRA news

Introducing the Newest Melissa Pia Bossola Beese, CPE 2021 (Retailer) Little Pnuts

Melissa fell into the toy industry six years ago quite by accident. With the birth of their first child, she was forced to learn very quickly how important play was for the development of her 4-month-premature child. Through three years of continuous therapy for her son, and focusing on helping him overcome his developmental delays, her real passion for quality toys and learning through play began.

This passion lead to the launch of Little Pnuts in 2012, an award-winning international toy subscription program focused on developmental milestones. It was quickly followed by the opening the award-winning Little Pnuts Toy Shoppe in 2015.

In 2016, Melissa completed her certification as a play expert.

She is focused on educating parents about the importance of play for the development of their growing children and how high-quality toys genuinely are the tools to help children thrive in today’s world by allowing them to use their imagination and creativity.

Melissa has a degree in both graphic design and photography, and her career includes working as a marketing associate and advertising director. Melissa lives in New Orleans with her husband Stefan and their two boys, Tristan and Finn, and their fur baby, Loki. She loves going to festivals, playing music loudly, collecting tikis from around the world, drinking tiki cocktails and working towards her foodie degree.

Betty Skoke Burns 2021 (Retailer) Angellina’s Toy Boutique

Betty Burns is the founder and creative director of award-winning Angellina’s Toy & Children’s Boutique, located in majestic Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

The boutique has been delighting children of all ages, in the land of the midnight sun, for 11 years.

Betty holds a bachelor’s of arts in psychology, bachelor’s of education, and a master’s of education in curriculum and instruction. She is passionate about creativity, imagination, making and learning in experiential and purposeful play environments. Betty is especially interested in

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Faces

differentiated learning experiences with a focus on engagement or flow; the feeling of spontaneous joy while wholeheartedly performing a task or activity.

Over the last 17 years, Betty has been working as an elementary schoolteacher, teaching everything from kindergarten to grade 7. She has instructed various college and university courses in early childhood education and teacher education programs, and has mentored pre-service teachers. Betty is currently employed by the Yukon Government as the Primary Curriculum Consultant for Yukon Department of Education.

Angellina’s Toy Boutique was founded on a dream and built on a philosophy of education. Betty attributes her business successes to the example of her hardworking grandparents Alex and Betty Skoke. She spent much of her childhood working and playing in their family-run business in Stellarton, Nova Scotia.

It was here that her work ethic, problem-solving skills, and the importance of the customer relationship were nurtured.

Together with her husband Damien, she has three beautiful daughters: Angellina, Ave Maria, and Stella Maris, who are her everything. Betty loves to dream, create, problem-solve, dance, run, and travel. Every day she marvels at the wonder and awe of childhood.

Jacqueline Killian 2021 (Retailer) Beyond the Blackboard

Jacque comes to the ASTRA board with more than 25 years working in the fields of education and play. She started out with a focus on making a difference in children’s lives in the classroom; cofounding an expeditionary learning charter school and serving two terms on her local school board.

She eventually branched out into the retail world when Jacque and her sister, Jean, opened their first store, Beyond the Blackboard, in 2004 to meet the needs of local teachers and families. They currently operate two brick-and-mortar locations, and are continuing to work on their online presence.

Jacque and her husband, Brian, have three great daughters who love to play! Their daughters have grown up working in the stores and the oldest, Carah, currently manages their retail operations. When Jacque is not working, you will find her enjoying the beautiful mountains of Colorado. She also enjoys hanging out with her friends, Taco Tuesdays, Sunday Supper and yoga!

on the ASTRA Board of Directors Nick Tarzia 2021 (Retailer) Stamford Toys

Nick Tarzia started in the toy business in 2004. Not long after that, he joined ASTRA and became a member of TIA. Prior to being in the toy business, Nick owned an office supply business for 15 years and prior to that, he grew up working in his family’s Italian restaurant business.

Due in part to his previous business experiences, he has enjoyed 14 successful years in the toy industry and looks forward to many more to come. He is acutely aware of the

changes that are happening in the industry and sees them as an opportunity to evolve and grow. He believes in success through collaboration and values the friendships he has made in the toy industry.

Nick is proud to say Stamford Toys is a winner of Best Toy Store on the Fairfield County Cold Coast. He is honored to have become one of the business pillars in his community and never turns down the opportunity to give back. Whether it’s a school fundraiser or a toy collection for the pediatric ward of his local hospital, Nick is always happy to contribute.

Nick is an active member of Stamford’s State Street Debate Society, a group of local businessmen, lawyers, politicians and government officials that discusses local and national issues and provides college scholarships to children annually.

astratoy.org • September2018

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ASTRA news

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f you haven’t already marked your • Add in charitable giveback elements, like donating a percentage of calendars, it’s not too late to start your day’s sales, hosting a buy one give one event or become a toy planning for Neighborhood Toy donation drop-off spot. seivom rettoPStore yrraH 8 llset a fothis egdeyear lwonfor k riSaturday, eht tset snaf MTRETTO• PHire YRRaAbudding H Day, photographer to capture photos from the event .noitidE etNovember amitlU MTret10. toPAs yrrthe aH fannual o dlroWcelebration :®TIUSRUP LAIVIR(Don’t Thtiwforget to download and distribute the media release form or snoitseuq rewofsnneighborhood a uoy sa srevom ttoy ocsastores M esuolike H hyours tiw draob eht dnuput ora eup voM a sign that lets people know you’ll be photographing the e t a m i t l u e h t e g n e l l a h c o t s n o i t s e u q 0 0 8 1 s e d u l c n I . ” s e g d e w “ t c e l l o c d n all across the country, Neighborhood Toy Store Day offers an event).a dna soff retthe aE hholiday taeD ,esushopping oH MTnirehseason tylS eduand lcni remind seirogetayour C .naf re• ttoSet P yrup raHa wishlist station where kids can go through the store and opportunity to kick l a c i g a M d n a s e r u t a e r C l a c i g a M , s l a m i n A ; s t c a f i t r A & s t c e j b O ; s t r A k r a D hT what they want. For every wishlist that is completed, community that they can find the perfect presents for the kids (and write edown MT , s t r a w g o H ; s e l g g u M d n a s t s o h G , s d r a z i W , s e h c t i W ; s g n i e B kids at heart) in their lives at your store. provide a goody bag or coupon that encourages their parents to M rehtO dnevent a snoitwhere oP ,sllepyou S dnpartner a ;noitatwith ropsnbusiarT dna snoitacocome L rehtback O and shop with you.

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• Use quick games to create a tournament day (Itzi, Tenzi, Spot It are

ASTRA provides a package of resources designed to help you great quick games for this!) celebrate. Take advantage of vendor offers specific to Neighborhood

The result of celebrating Neighborhood Toy Store Day? In 2017, +2 :SREYALP | +8 :EGA Toy Store Day, read through the event planning guide for ideas, 46% of participating toy stores saw an increase in sales between 5% NIMtemplates 06 :Eand MImarketing T YALgraphics, P download poster fill in the press and 25% as compared to an average Saturday in November and release templates and distribute them for local media coverage of 16% of participants saw an increase between 30% and 900%. Learn 59.94$ :PRSM your events, and use the ready-to-go social media posts on your more about Neighborhood Toy Store Day and plan your own event social channels. at ntsd.astratoy.org.

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Mary Sisson

I

t’s been a lifetime working with toys, and a rewarding one at that.

Mary Sisson was a veteran journalist who volunteered as the editor of the quarterly ASTRA newsletter just two months after opening her first toy store.

She has served on the ASTRA Board of Directors and over the past 12 years, has guided this publication into its current format as Toy Times magazine.

During her tenure as “ASTRA’s Editor,” she consistently provided useful, easy-toaccess information to the toy trade on industry trends, business development, retail store management, and more.

“Mary has had such an immense impact on the specialty toy industry,” said Kimberly Mosley, president of ASTRA. “Mary is the best kind of volunteer. She jumps right in, gets involved, and makes things happen when she takes on something new. Honoring her with the Lifetime Achievement yloAward poasuis our / way of saying ‘thank you.’” moc.ylopoasu.www

ASTRA Board member Amy Saldanha, MT

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Excellence Award Winners Sales Representative Excellence Award Carle Wunderlich WundeReps

owner of kiddywampus in Hopkins, Minnesota agreed.

“Mary's leadership and vision have been clearly Sales Representative demonstrated through Excellence Award her role as editor,” Saldanha Katherine Hodges said, “but I believe her true Sandy Ruben and Associates gifts are her approachability and her authentic desire to want good things for others. She is always Manufacturer kind, always positive, and always cheerExcellence Award leading for others. In today's fast-paced Marky Sparky and sometimes snarky world, those qualities are refreshing, rare, and inspire others to be better.”

Sisson, owner of Kazoodles Toy Store in Vancouver, Washington, was given the Young Professional award at ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy Rising Star Award in New Orleans in June.

Steve Starobinsky

“Mary represents what the specialty Diverse Insights toy industry is all about,” says ASTRA Board Member Kevin McGrath, president of The Original Toy Company in Milford, Connecticut. “She has been a true angel on Retailer Excellence Award the shoulders of specialty retailers and a Dancing Bear ™ & © e r a a i c i d n i d e t a l e r d n a s e m a n , s r e t c a r a h c R E T TOP YRRAH beacon of light for our industry. .IEBW ™ & © :DLEIHS BW .cnI tnemniatretnE .sorB renraW Toys .sorB renraW ™ & © ogol dna kramedart DLROW GNIDRAZIW

Thank you, Mary!” )81s( .RKJ © sthgiR gnihsilbuP .cnI tnemniatretnE

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Mighty Together in Times of Change

M

ore than 2700 specialty toy industry professionals gathered in New Orleans this past June for ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy. With the news of the closing of Toys R Us and the subsequent ripple effects impacting all segments of the industry, change was the unofficial theme throughout the trade show and conference. Education sessions and the new Lightning Learning sessions on the trade show floor highlighted key business topics designed to help attendees stay ahead of change and improve their understanding of marketing, product trends, merchandising strategies, succession plan preparations and more.

Keynote Peter Sheahan highlighted the inevitability of change and challenged attendees to not only face these changes but go a step further and embrace disruption in the industry to use it to their competitive advantage. What would it look like for all segments of the industry to embrace disruption to stand out

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and differentiate themselves from the competition? Purchase the package of select recorded Marketplace & Academy sessions at academy.astratoy.org to watch the keynote. Full conference attendees receive complimentary access online.

Giving Back to New Orleans

This year’s Marketplace & Academy partnered with Network NOLA to feature multiple volunteer opportunities to give back to the New Orleans community. Volunteers contributed more than 300 volunteer hours that included a school clean up, stuffing 1,000 backpacks and donating 9,000 toys. The total volunteer impact resulted in a $56,594.25 total philanthropic impact, benefiting four area schools. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to make our first volunteer program at Marketplace & Academy a huge success.

More than a Trade Show

In addition to hosting 500+ exhibitors demoing their newest products for the year, the trade show floor featured three specialty areas designed to support attendees’ business success: The Industry Service Pavilion introduced vendors offering business services tailored to the specialty toy industry including marketing, ecommerce and product testing; the Neighborhood Toy Store Day Experience, a toy store on the show floor designed to bring awareness of Neighborhood Toy Store Day on November, generated event ideas and inspiration; and the New Product Nook, a collection of the newest products from exhibitors, became a goto destination for attendees looking for new items at the show.

Networking in NOLA

Whether at scheduled events or by way of organic conversations that happened while in line for lunch or sitting around tables at education sessions, attendees consistently rank networking and connecting with colleagues as key reasons for attending Marketplace & Academy each year. This year, attendees enjoyed a memorable Opening Party at Mardi Gras World where they saw the famous Mardi Gras floats up close, dined on New Orleans cuisine and danced the night away to zydeco music.

Laughter and friendly competition were in no short supply at the popular Game Night event and retailers got crafty while painting, gluing, drawing and sculpting the latest arts and crafts products during Kit Session.

Save the Date! ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy will be held June 9-12, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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new manfacturer members

ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members

Asweets America City of Industry, CA

Helping Kids Learn and Develop Through Creative Play. We manufacture a wide selection of products for infants and kids worldwide. We believe that our product line provides babies and kids with the proper tools to engage in open-ended creativity and have developed a series of products that can create a unique play space for children. Expand their horizons through play!

BuildUP LLC

Kalamazoo, MI www.buildupdisplay.com

BuildUP® Display is a toy for building creation with building blocks and to display them on a wall. Working with all major brands of building blocks, BuildUP Display gives children the ability to build where they want and then to decorate their room, playroom, etc. using their building blocks. Our products stimulate different attributes of creativity including imagination, originality, flexibility, decisionmaking, and self-expression. Every BuildUP® Display comes with a Wall Plate to ease hanging creation on the wall or letting people know children are working on an important building project.

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September2018 • astratoy.org

Color Your Time LTD

Dublin, Ireland www.coloryourtime.com

Putty Peeps is the original “putty with personality.” Since 2010, Putty Peeps continues to have successful sales throughout Canada, Europe, Russia, South Africa and the Middle East. Featuring a high quality premium putty in an embossed and printed tin can with eyes peeking out on a “putty personality” blister card. Putty Peeps behave as both a liquid and solid are non-toxic and never dry out.

Add the eyes and watch your creations come alive with personality. Let them sit and slowly “melt” to start the play all over again. From Metallic to Glow to Magnetic to UltraViolet light-sensitive and more, there is a putty peep for everyone of your “peeps” and with a low retail price a premium putty does not need to have a premium price.

Don Eastern Plush Manufacturing

South El Monte, CA www.sekinomanufacturing.com

With 20+ years of experience, we are a professional plush toy/ goods manufacturing company and offer services including prototyping, designing, production and delivery. We offer a range of services and products to run your business more efficiently and lower your cost on current products. If you have any questions on a current order or would like to have your product estimated please contact us at sales@doneastern.com or (626) 442-8589.

Elly Lu Organics Anchorage, AK www.ellyluorganics.com

Creative TimePiece Southington, CT www.creativetimepiece.com

Creative TimePiece creates fun and exciting childrens watch designs here in the USA. Every watch design idea has come from the creative minds of our customers and, of course, the end user – the kids!

We blend fun into our colorful creations for a lasting, safe, educational, and stylish experience. Every year we add new colors and new designs to our collections. Our watches are created using safe materials under stringent guidelines.

Elly Lu creates ethically made organic toys designed to make the world a brighter place! We use certified organic and non-toxic materials to make bright and whimsical plushies. Each toy comes with a hang tag booklet that includes a fun fact about the doll or animal as well as detailed information on the product. Our Norman the Narwhal Plush and Book combo are winners of the Fall 2017 Parent's Choice Award, Dr. Toys 100 Best Toys of 2017, and Creative Child's 2018 Book of the Year Award. For every toy sold, a donation is made to organizations that protect animals or provide clean drinking water to communities in need.

Lunii

New York, NY www.lunii.fr

KNP Brands

Boca Raton, FL www.knpbrands.com

While we’re new to the US market, we’ve been successfully expanding throughout Latin America and Mexico for nearly 30 years. Our comprehensive catalog of toys and outdoor products is designed to provide retail solutions to buyers for national, regional and local chains . We develop product lines according to the requirements and specifications of our customers for year round, Black Friday and 4th quarter sales. Please contact us for a full catalog or visit our web site.

Loot Toy Company Vancouver, BC www.loottoys.com

Bring magic and delight into what is often a battleground - your kids' bath time! Loot's mission is to create fun, skin friendly bath products for kids. Our products are multi-sensory experiences designed to engage kids and stimulate their imagination; drawing on sight, smell and touch to motivate kids to jump in the tub and stay there. We are committed to manufacturing hand-made bath products, sourcing our materials in North America.

Lunii offers immersive audio experiences through an innovative device and original contents.

In a world dominated by screen time, My Fabulous Storyteller allows children to expand their imagination and creativity.

Designed for children from 3 to 8 years old, My Fabulous Storyteller allows them to create their own stories and hear them played back. My Fabulous Storyteller comes preloaded with 48 stories of Susan&Ben. Kids will craft their own story by choosing 4 elements (hero, place, companion, object) and the story will start right away. Our catalogue of stories is carefully crafted to stimulate children’s imagination and enhance their knowledge and vocabulary.

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new manfacturer members

PicassoTiles

City of Industry, CA www.picassotiles.com

Magnum Enterprises LLC Rapid City, SD www.rubberbandguns.com

Timeless and classic American toys. We are the manufacturer and distributor of the world’s largest and finest line of 12-Shot Repeating Semi-Automatic "Magnum 12" Rubber Band Guns. In addition, we produce other cool shooting toys such as cross-bows, bow and arrows, sling shots, pop guns, ping pong ball guns, and marshmallow blow guns. All Magnum 12® Rubber Band Guns and other toys are 100% American made.

Memory Plush

Spring, TX www.memoryplush.com

Our memory foam pillow plushies that are perfect for any occasion, can be easily cleaned, retain shape, and are child safe. You can take your Memory Plushie on your next big adventure! Our pudgy, memory foam pets are great for various settings. Not big on traveling? They are also perfect for when you relax at home. If dirty, their outer cover can be removed and machine washed. Memory Plushies currently come in 5 different dog designs: Corgi, Tri Color Corgi, Australian Shepherd, Dachshund, and Shiba Inu.

Michal O Michaelo Bristol, PA www.michalomichaelo.com

Unique & United the game is a game I created based on my PHD in education and my spiritual knowledge. (I am a spiritual coach and shaman. About me is on my website) is for children and adult from ages 10+. It is for empowering the self and universal lows and teaches with fun a state of mind of a win-win solution with bright communication, being connected to the self and the team. It is a game without competion all are winners.

When people will live The 4 Universal laws it will be a world of brotherhood and sisterhood

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September2018 • astratoy.org

Miracle In A Manager, Inc, Collinsville, MS www.miracleinamanger.com

With our beautifully illustrated book, daily “activity” cards and the sweet angel who brings straw each day for the baby Jesus’ manger, Miracle in a Manger™ is the December countdown to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Miracle in a Manger™ is a must for teaching the real reason for the season —and is sure to become your new Christmas tradition. Each package comes with a beautiful illustrated story book, 25 angel message (activity) cards, as well as the plush straw, manger, and angel, who becomes the baby Jesus on Christmas morning.

PicassoTiles is a fun STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) toy and a “shape building” set utilizing embedded magnets that immerses children (and creative adults) into crafting 2D and 3D art sure to put a smile on those who appreciate creative and active learning. At PicassoTiles, we strive to help creative children in core fundamentals such as the basics of physics, aptitude in mechanics, building and architecture. Our magnetic tiles also help give your child that early exposure to the basics of magnetism, mathematics, and shapes. By integrating the dynamics of magnetism with building using geometric structures,PicassoTiles Magnet Tiles 3D Building Block gives an extra dimension to the total learning and creative process.

Piccoli Horses Mythical Slyme

New York, NY www.mythicalslyme.com

The finest purveyor of fine Mythical Slymes and Putties. Mythical Slyme is like Greenpeace, but for Unicorns - helping save fantastical creatures, ranging from unicorns to dragons to mermaids - with donations from the beasts themselves.

With whimsical creations like Unicorn Tears and Mermaid Poop, these beautifully packaged products bring hours of entertainment for all.

Papersalt

Seattle, WA www.papersalt.com

Somerset, KY www.piccolihorses.com

A technology-based toy company designed to introduce children to the fun of foreign languages.

We do this by creating the world’s best plush horse and a super fun educational app that gets kids speaking aloud and engaging in physical play.

The plush horse and educational app complement one another, but both can stand alone. The learning begins with Piccoli Zoo App, which teaches children lots of little words in different languages.

The app is extremely intuitive and easy to use. There is a Quick Guide at the beginning of the app, which encourages parents and children to play together as a team. Available at iTunes and Google Play.

We create books and gifts to inspire, educate, and empower kids and families.

Made in the USA. Winner of 17 Mom’s Choice Awards.

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The MUST-HAVE for babies since 1961 stimulating all five senses

new manfacturer members Reed's

Los Angeles, CA www.reindeerinhere.com

Rollors Game Company Destin, FL www.rollors.com

Rollors is a fun outdoor yard game for the entire family. Think of Rollors as a combination of bocce ball, horseshoes & bowling “rolled” into one game. It's a game of skill with an element of chance!

Santa's Toys LLC Santa Claus, IN www.santastoys.net

Santa’s Toys wholesales high quality hot new trends. We have a specialty retail store so we dedicated ourselves to being up to date on trends. Currently we specialize in Squishies and have sales representatives in nearly every state as well as Canada.

Contact us at sales@santastoys.net for a current catalog.

STEM&More

Northridge, CA www.stemnmore.com

Featuring Triceratops – The Walking Dinosaur, 3D Puzzle Robot Toy. Just switch ON and the robot dinosaur will keep walking until the battery runs out. A great project for ages 6+, constructing the robot is easy with clearly labeled pieces that fit together and introduces kids to 3D shapes and spaces.

The Bean People USA Vancouver, BC www.thebeanpeopleusa.com

sophiethegiraffe-usa.com calissonincwholesale.com

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September2018 • astratoy.org

Since 1988, we have been making handmade bath toys in South Africa.

Our products are made from food grade ingredients and comply with EU and USA toy safety standards. After 15 successful years on the the European markets, the products are finally available in USA and Canada.

Reed’s mission is to create BIG stories for tiny people. Story and character are the driving forces behind every children’s brand they create. Reed's started with the 2017 sell-out Christmas tradition, Reindeer In Here® which is now a global phenomenon and U.S. best-seller.

Reed’s creates and produces in all areas of content including books, TV series, consumer products, digital content, and more. At the heart of every Reed’s story is a highly brandable character with a unique journey that children can relate to and an entire brand can be built around.

World Footbag

Steamboat Springs, CO www.worldfootbag. com

We’re the Hacky Sack guys of the world! We’ve been playing Johnny Appleseed pioneering footbag since 1983. ASTRA members receive special pricing (12% off standard wholesale prices) on our top brands like SandMaster, Dirtbag, Sipa Sipa, Boota bag, Stally and Camo Ammo. Not all footbags are created equal. Don’t be fooled by imposters. See why our crocheted Sipa Sipa created in 1983 started the knock-off bandwagon. Find out why sand-filled and multi-paneled footbags are super easy to use, and sell great. Call 1-800-878-8797 or email wfa@worldfootbag.com for special ASTRA member wholesale pricing. Please note that our website lists all items in retail pricing. Footbag is all we do for a living.

We're passionate experts.

new members AFFILIATES Brilliant PR and Marketing 6501 E Greenway PKWY Scottsdale, AZ 85254 kathleen@brilliantprm.com www.brilliantprandmarketing.com Canyonwall 2552 Stonebury Loop RD Springville, UT 84663 canyonwall.team@canyonwall.com www.canyonwall.com Darice 13000 Darice PKWY Strongsville, OH 44149 custweb@darice.com www.darice.com DesBlox 19 Grant Linden, NJ 07036 les.prajs@gmail.com www.desblox.com Fashion Institute of Technology 227 West 27th ST New York, NY 10001 fitinfo@fitnyc.edu FGmarket 103 Monroe RD Paragould, AR 72450 info@fgmarket.com www.fgmvendors.com Gallagher Affinity 8430 Enterprise CIR Lakewood, FL 34202 info@gallagher-affinity.com Lightspeed Retail POS 700 St-Antoine E, STE 300 Montreal, QB H2Y 1A6 Canada sales@lightspeedhq.com www.lightspeedhq.com Locally 509 N Carrollton AVE New Orleans, LA 70119 retailers@locally.com www.locally.com Perk Consulting 173 School ST Manchester, MA 01944 deb@perkit.com www.perkit.com

If any of the information below is incorrect, ASTRA truly apologizes. Please contact us immediately at info@astratoy.org.

Vistex 11835 W. Olympic BLVD Los Angeles, CA 90064 lorie.raileanu@vistex.com www.vistex.com/product-suites/ counterpoint Write Right 2480 Kenwood Manor Sioux Falls, SD 57104 savagesfsd@gmail.com

MANUFACTURERS ADT DIGITAL LLC 370 Camino Gardens BLVD Boca Raton, FL 33432 ikuka@adt-digital.us

LampyPets 1964 North 400 E Ogden, UT 84414 mark@lampypets.com www.lampypets.com

Post Mortem Publications Inc 146 E Broad ST Groveland, FL 34736 contact@postmortempublications.com

Dogree USA Ltd 3205 Bedford RD Montreal, QB H3S1G3 Canada patrick@dogree.com

Loot Toy Company 358 East 28th AVE Vancouver, BC V5V2M7 Canada bryan@loottrading.com www.loottoys.com

Preschool Collection 1441 Yost DR San Diego, CA 92109 contact@preschoolcollection.com www.preschoolcollection.com

Don Eastern Sekino Plush Manufacturing 9838 Joe Vargas WAY South El Monte, CA 91733 sales@doneastern.com

Asweets America PO Box 3054 City of Industry, CA 91744 asweetsamerica@zhaos.net

Elly Lu Organics 14830 Goldenview DR Anchorage, AK 99516 ellyluorganics@gmail.com www.ellyluorganics.com

Australia GDI Investment Company PTY Ltd 343 S Dearborn ST, Unit 604 Chicago, IL 60604 richardbaik@163.com

Give&Get Games Kibbutz Dan 1224500 Dan, Israel giveandgetgames@gmail.com www.giveandgetgames.com

Benjamin Media Inc. 10050 Brecksville RD Brecksville, OH 44141 cpoteete@benjaminmedia.com

Gordon C Hurlbert 360B Queen ST Southington, CT 06489 ghurlbert3@gmail.com www.creativetimepiece.com

BuildUP LLC 8275 Petoskey ST Kalamazoo, MI 49009 patrick.lafleche@buildupdisplay.com Camden 115 First ST Collingwood, ON L9Y 4W3 Canada victor@camdenpassage.com www.camdenpassage.com carfoldio 122 Phelps AVE Cresskill, NJ 07626 carmel@mifold.com www.mifold.com

HyPars LLC 830 East 5th AVE Longmont, CO 80504 mitzi@hypars.com www.hypars.com Ikon Design LLC 14735 1/2 Oxnard ST Van Nuys, CA 91411 info@ikondesignltd.com www.ikondesignltd.com Imaginami 1260 Notre-Dame Lachine, QB H8S 2C6 hello@imaginami.com

Chooseco LLC PO Box 46 Waitsfield, VT 05673 www.chooseco.com

Incredible Novelties Inc 1705 Flint RD Toronto, ON M3J2W8 Canada

CHulaHoopsUSA 3883 Turtle Creek #1805 Dallas, TX 75219 chulahoopsusa@yahoo.com

J2H Inc 205 Oceanside BLVD Oceanside, CA 92054 easyrollerzofficial@gmail.com www.easyrollerz.com

Reach Digital PO Box 250310 Franklin, MI 48025 info@localmediateam.com

Color Your Time LTD Blackchurh St Mary’s Place Dublin, Ireland D07 P4AX service@coloryourtime.com

Spielwarenmesse eG Herderstr 7 Nuremberg, Germany 90427 m.weiss@spiellwarenmesse.dk

CutieLine LLC 21 Triad South DR Saint Charles, MO 63304 sales@cutielineus.com www.cutielineus.com

Systum Inc. 6900 North Dallas PKWY Plano, TX 75024 hdavo@systum.com www.systum.com

Diperdo Forever LLC 391 Grand AVE Englewood, NJ 07631 boaz@diperdo.com www.diperdo.com

Kids Namo Entertainment 16380 Roscoe BLVD, Suite 120 Van Nuys, CA 91406 sales@kidsnamo.com KNP Brands 4800 North Federal HWY Boca Raton, FL 33431 gleb@knpbrands.com www.knpbrands.com

Lunii 27 West 20th ST New York, NY 10011 sales@lunii.fr

PurposeBoards 1800 W Gramercy AVE #3 Anaheim, CA 92801 jordan@purposeboards.com www.purposeboards.com

Magnum Enterprises LLC PO Box 3861 Rapid City, SD 57709 info@rubberbandguns.com

RingWing LLC 4413 Trostshire CIR Champaign, IL 61822 ringwingllc@gmail.com

Memory Plush 1507 Robins Forest DR Spring, TX 77379 info@memoryplush.com www.memoryplush.com

Rollors Game Company PO Box 971 Destin, FL 32540 matt@rollors.com www.rollors.com

Michal O Michaelo 1222 Pine Grove ST Bristol, PA 19007

Santa’s Toys LLC 3 North Kringle PL Santa Claus, IN 47579 sales@santastoys.net

Miracle In A Manager Inc 8990 Hwy 19 North Collinsville, MS 39325 brad14@bellsouth.net www.miracleinamanger.com

Scoot and Ride US 3333 Warrenville RD, STE 200 Lisle, IL 60532 info@scootandride.us

Mythical Slyme 175 Varick ST New York, NY 10014 lana@mythicalslyme.com www.mythicalslyme.com

STEM&More 7618 Jellico AVE Northridge, CA 91325 david.stemnmore@gmail.com www.stemnmore.com

Needleart World 4748 Lewis RD Stone Mountain, GA 30083 info@needleartworld.com www.needleartworld.com

Sunlite Industrial Corp.

2425 Tyler AVE El Monte, CA 91733 jpulido@sunliteind.com www.kiddykiddous.com

Oliver the Ornament P.O. Box 13304 Chicago, IL 60613 oliver@olivertheornament.com www.olivertheornament.com

SynVix Investments Inc 666 Burrard ST, STE 500 Vancouver, BC V6C 3P6 Canada synvix@gmail.com www.thebeanpeopleusa.com

On Trend Goods 123 South Main ST Royal Oak, MI 48067 aric@ontrendgoods.com PBC International Inc 520 Graves AVE Oxnard, CA 93030 acardenas@pbcintl.com PicassoTiles 1360 Darius CT City of Industry, CA 91745 jay@volcus.com www.picassotiles.com

Tatro 2152 Auban LN Baton Rouge, LA 70816 will@tatrotoy.com www.tatrotoy.com Tenka Labs 48 Paul DR #6 San Rafael, CA 94903 audrey@tenkalabs.com www.tenkalabs.com The Packaging Source, Inc PO Box 1248 Kernersville, NC 27285 bradh@packagingsource.com www.packagingsource.com

Piccoli Horses 120 Country Lake DR Somerset, KY 42503 kimberly@piccolihorses.com www.piccolihorses.com astratoy.org • September2018

41

new members Today Is Art Day 1485 Av Champfleury Quebec City, QB G1J 4L7 Canada david@todayisartday.com www.todayisartday.com

Brand Quality Merchandise 9 Tucker RD Holden, MA 01520 sales@brandqualitymerchandise. com

Two Tons Media LLC 8032 Rayford DR Los Angeles, CA 90045 adamreedtvinc@gmail.com www.reindeerinhere.com

Brit Yum LLC 1063 Seaboard AVE NE Atlanta, GA 30307

World Footbag 2673 Jacob CIR, STE 400 Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 wfa@worldfootbag.com www.worldfootbag.com Zen Magnets LLC 14211 East 4th AVE Aurora, CO 80011 wholesale@zenmagnets.com www.zenmagnets.com

RETAILERS A Child’s Delight, Inc. 95 Nymph RD Bolinas, CA 94924 acdsr@pacbell.net www.achildsdelight.com A&B Toys LLC, dba Clover Toys 5333 Ballard Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 clovertoysballard@gmail.com www.clovertoys.com Acorn Creative Minds, Inc. 1220 5th ST Santa Monica, CA 90401 theacornstore@gmail.com www.theacornstore.com An Unlikely Story 111 South ST Plainville, MA 02762 alexa@anunlikelystory.com www.amunlikelystory.com B Toys Zone 3145 West Columbus AVE Chicago, IL 60652 btoyzone@gmail.com www.btoyszone.com Best Babie Inc. 2600 Michelson DR, STE 1700 Irvine, CA 92612 wayne.wang@bestbabie.com Beyond The Rainbow 629 Brookway BLVD Brookhaven, MS 39601 annaday@beyondtherainbow.com Brain Storm!

221 Saint Joseph ST Suttons Bay, MI 49682 brainstormsb@charter.net www.brainstormsb.com

42

Buttercup Inc 300 East Colorado BLVD Pasadena, CA 91101 buyer@buttercupbabystore.com www.buttercupbabystore.com Buttonwood Park Zoological Society 425 Hawthorn ST New Bedford, MA 02740 awainer@aol.com www.bpzoo.org BYU - Monte Bean Life Science Museum 701 East University PKWY Provo, UT 84003 perry_chee@byu.edu www.mlbean.byu.edu Celebration Corner 303A West Venice AVE Venice, FL 34285 celebcorner@verizon.net CST Joy 2631 Snyder AVE Philadelphia, PA 19145 DaniCo Merchants 5714 Green Valley PL Elkridge, MD 21075 pj.purchasing@danicomerchants.com Dan’s Crafts & Things 352 Empire BLVD Rochester, NY 14609 findit@danscraftsandthings.com www.danscraftsandthings.com Doodles Gift Boutique 29 Barchester WAY Westfield, NJ 07090 doodlesgiftboutique@gmail.com E Harry’s Collectibles 103 James ST Columbia, LA 71418 info@eharry.biz www.eharry.biz Epic Toys 11940 Foothill BLVD Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739 epictoys15@gmail.com Expectations, Inc 637 Brookway BLVD Brookhaven, MS 39601 expectations@cableone.net Fancy 8370 East On The Mall #E Buena Park, CA 90620 fancybpm@gmail.com

September2018 • astratoy.org

Fifty Pages In Inc., dba Ollie's Other Place 38 Main ST Middlebury, VT 05753 becky@vermontbookshop.com Fog Town Toys 330 Main ST Half Moon Bay, CA 94002 lisa.cresson@yahoo.com www.fogtowntoys.com Freddy Bear’s Den & Toy Emporium 24 Church ST Canajoharie, NY 13317 janet@leesshopsatwagnersquare.com www.leesshopsatwagnersquare.com Grand Slam Toys and Games 1420 Mill Bay RD Kodiak, AK 99615 grandslamtoys@gmail.com Hagstad Trading Company LLC 3436 74th ST Jackson Heights, NY 11372 shophagestad@gmail.com Happen Stock LLC 2512 Palumbo DR Lexington, KY 40509 toys@happenstock.com www.happenstock.com' Jupiter Games 240 Main ST Johnson City, NY 13790 support@jupitergames.info www.jupitergames.info Kaboodles Toy Store 4449 West 10th AVE Vancouver, BC V6R 2H8 leerichmond@kaboodles.ca www.kaboodles.ca Kennebunk Toy Co 14 Mainstreet Kennebunk, ME 04043 kennebunktoyco@gmail.com Kit and Kaboodle 83 A 2nd Ave S Williams Lake, BC V2G 3W3 kitandkaboodle@telus.com Kugler’s Home Fashions 2148 Industrial PKWY Silver Spring, MD 20904 www.kuglers.com Ladue Pharmacy 9832 Clayton RD St. Louis, MO 63124 www.laduepharmacy.com Lady & Leap Toy Shop 26 Utica ST Clinton, NY 13323

Learning Tree Educational Store Inc. 1450 Headon RD Burlington, ON L7M 3z5 info@learningtreecanda.com www.learningtreecanada.com Legacy Station 4153 Lawrenceville HWY #12 Lilburn, GA 30047 val@legacystation.com www.legacystation.com Let’s Play Something 1714 South Gold ST Centralia, WA 98531 info@letsplaysomething.com www.letsplaysomething.com Level Up Productions LLC 25 Vatrano RD Albany, NY 12205 holly@levelupoutfitters.com www.levelupoutfitters.com Little Guardian Angels, LLC 2502 Airline DR Kenner, LA 70062 littleguardianangeldolls@gmail.com www.littleguardianangels.com Little Lincoln’s Toy Shop LLC 3450 Liberty DR Springfield, IL 62704 info@littlelincolnstoys.com www.littlelincolnstoys.com LOL Corp 7654 Cerritos AVE Stanton, CA 90680 lolcorp@gmail.com Maya Papaya & Tony Macarony 1901 Central ST Evanston, IL 60201 info@maya-tony.com www.maya-tony.com MMP LLC 8700 Turnpike DR Westminster, CO 80031 Mother Goose & Friends LLC dba Duck Duck Goose 5446 North Mesa ST El Paso, TX 79912 victoria@ddgoose.com Murphys Village Toy Store 402 Main ST Murphys, CA 95247 murphysvillagetoystore@yahoo.com www.murphystoystore.com NOLA Kids 333 Chartres ST New Orleans, LA 70130 nolakids@aol.com

Norman’s Hallmark 126 Terry DR Newtown, PA 18930 rrobinson@normansgifts.com NTS Retail Enterprise 73 Blackman RD Ridgefield, CT 06877 nshapiro1232@gmail.com One Two Kangaroo! Toys 4022 Campbell AVE Arlington, VA 22206 cmajdi@msn.com Palm Harbor School Supply, Inc., dba: Tutor Toys; dba V's Collections 911 Highland AVE Dunedin, FL 34698 Pic Above the Rest 18706 83rd AVE Ct E Puyallup, WA 98375 jason@pardrones.com www.picabovetherest.com Playtastic Toys 7460 South Rainbow BLVD Las Vegas, NV 89139 411@playtastictoys.com www.playtastictoys.com PTC Toys Corp 8461 Canoga AVE Canoga Park, CA 91304 ptctoys@earthlink.net Riverstone Books LLC 8850 Covenant AVE Pittsburgh, PA 15237 barbara@riverstonebookstore.com www.riverstonebookstore.com Schaefer’s Hobby Shop 11659 Gravois RD St. Louis, MO 63126 schaeferhobbys@aol.com www.schaeferhobby.com Shop Essentials LLC 1111 River RD Edgewater, NJ 07020 theshopessentials@gmail.com www.theshopessentials.com Simply Wonderful Toys 10 Paisley ST Guelph, ON N1H2N6 wonderfultoys08@aol.com www.simplywonderfultoys.ca Speckled Frog Toys & Books 206 Alley A Columbia, MO 65201 info@speckledfrogtoys.com www.speckledfrogtoys.com STEM World 2245 East Colorado BLVD Pasadena, CA 91107 joseph.huprich@stemworld.net

continued on page 44

KALA-LTP-SCC

LEARN TO PLAY COLOR CHORD® UKULELE STARTER KIT

new members Sweetberries 9 Marina RD Yarmouth, ME 04096 sweetberriestoys@gmail.com Sweetie’s Big Fun 10 Park AVE Orange Village, OH 44122 steve@bigfuntoystore.com TBD 7100 Stone Ledge CIR Austin, TX 78736 joyfuljunebugatx@gmail.com Teacher’s World 4808 East Sprague AVE, Suite 206 Spokane Valley, WA 99212 shannon@teachersworld.co The Bookies Bookstore 4315 East Mississippi AVE Denver, CO 80246 anne@thebookies.com www.thebookies.com The Cinnamon Bear Group Inc 101 Kahn Industrial CT, Ste E Savannah, GA 31405 michael@cinnamonbearstores.com

continued from page 42 The Mighty Meeple 8440 Pit Stop CT Concord, NC 28027 tom.anderson@mightymeeple.com www.mightymeeple.com

Toylandia 330 Laneda AVE Manzanita, OR 97130 aprilmari@aol.com

Wicked Uncle 4720 Boston WAY, Ste Q Lanham, MD 20706 joel@wickeduncle.com www.wickeduncle.com

The Purple Bow 1444 Queen Anne RD Teaneck, NJ 07666 thepurplebowteaneck@gmail.com

Treehouse Toys 1201 Merchants DR Oxford, MS 38655 treehousetoysoxford@gmail.com www.treehousetoysms.com

The Toy Quest 2801 College RD Fairbanks, AK 99709 thetoyquest@gmail.com

Tugboat and Bird 318 North Park AVE Winter Park, FL 32789 tugboat@tugboatandthebird.com www.tugboatandthebird.com

Write On Gifts LLC 20 Broadway Denville, NJ 07834 writeon38@optonline.net www.writeongifts.com

Ukrainian Bridge LLC 99 Via Poinciana ST Boca Raton, FL 33487 ukrbridge@gmail.com www.ugearsmodels.us

Xplore Store One Allegheny AVE Pittsburgh, PA 15212 riedfordd@carnegiesciencecenter.org

Three Hills Books 405 Main ST Three Hills, AB T0M 2A0 wakem@telus.net www.threehillsbooks.ca Time Machine Hobby, LLC 71 Hilliard ST Manchester, CT 06042 bryan@timemachinehobby.com www.timemachinehobby.com Toscano Corp 2706 Northwest 112 AVE Doral, FL 33172 isis@toscanobrands.com www.toscanobrands.com

Vero Beach Book Center 392 21st ST Vero Beach, FL 32960 info@verobeachbookcenter.com www.verobeachbookcenter.com WARCO Toys & Hobby LLC dba HobbyTown 1826 US Hwy 70 SE Hickory, NC 28602 hobbytownhky@gmail.com

WOW! Children’s Museum 110 North Harrison AVE Lafayette, CO 80026 anna@wowchildrensmuseum.org

Yame Inc. 21201A 48th AVE Oakland Gardens, NY 11364 yameinc@gmail.com www.yamestore.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVES Barry Billeci Associates, LLC 441 Lockhart Mtn RD Lake George, NY 12845 toybiz32@gmail.com

Edmondson Sales Inc PO Box 298 Ashburnham, MA 01430 jeremy@edmondsonsales.com Educents 369 Sutter ST San Francisco, CA 94108 kate@educents.com Kathleen Milne Co 2233 Santa Clara AVE Alameda, CA 94501 Red Key Treasures 4545 West Paradise DR Glendale, AZ 85304 purchasing@redkeytreasures.com www.redkeytreasures.com Spiralzoom Allison Hopper Baltimore, MD 21210 allisonhop@gmail.com www.spiralzoom.com Totally Turtles USA PO Box 643326 Vero Beach, FL 32964 joycarterusa@gmail.com www.totallyturtlesusa.com C

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remembered!

www.blueorangegames.com | 415.252.0372

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index of advertisers ASTRA Toy Times Magazine, September 2018 Blue Orange Games...........................................blueorangegames.com................44 Calisson inc............................................................sophiethegiraffe-usa.com..........40 Constructive Eating Inc.....................................constructiveeating.com............... 11 Crazy Aaron Enterprises Inc...........................puttyworld.com..............................31 edPlay........................................................................edplay.com.........................................46 Endless Games.....................................................endlessgames.com.......................... 2 Enginuity Games.................................................enginuity.com................................... 17 Folkmanis................................................................folkmanis.com.................................... 9 Gund, a Division of Spin Master Inc..........gundbusiness.com.........................13 Harrisville Designs..............................................harrisville.com..................................26 Horn Entertainment Inc...................................crazytrainsgame.com.................... 11 Kala Brand Music Co..........................................kalabrand.com.................................43 KidStuff Public Relations................................kidstuffpr.com...................................29 The Lazy Dog & Co..............................................thelazydog.co...................................29

6 ISSUES OVER 7,000 RETAILERS

a NUMBER of WAYS to

ADVERTISE

MindWare Wholesale......................................mwwholesale.biz...........................21 MukikiM LLC..........................................................mukikim.com....................................27 Orb..............................................................................orbtoys.com.......................................37 SentoSphere USA................................................sentosphereusa.com....................23 Sophia's....................................................................shopsophias.com...........................46 The Toy Association..........................................toyassociation.org..........................45 USAopoly Inc.........................................................usaopoly.com....................................33 Wikki Stix.................................................................wikkistix.com.....................................47 Winning Moves....................................................winning-moves.com......................39 Wrebbit Puzzles....................................................wrebbit3d.com................................48

The Magazine for

People Who Sell Toys

Contact Todd Crayton todd@fwpi.com

(315) 789-6431 • 800-344-0559 46

September2018 • astratoy.org

To reserve your ad space in the next issue of ASTRA Toy Times Magazine contact Todd Crayton • (315) 789-6431 • todd@fwpi.com