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Rohn used to teach, to have ‘multiple streams of income.’ I have seen online stores open brick-and-mortars, but I don’t know of any brick-and-mortars that have moved exclusively online successfully.”

It’s portable

The couple collects Social Security now, and Peter admits that he and his wife “are slowing down some.” At the same time, “It’s nice to make money, even though it’s not a lot.

“What’s even better is knowing that every day, some child somewhere is going to get a new doll to love, and it’s great knowing that Black kids are getting Black dolls and Biracial kids are getting Biracial dolls, and that they weren’t picked over and looking ratty at the big box stores,” he adds.

But Peter’s favorite thing about Pattycake Doll Company is this: “While KB Toys, Toys “R” Us, Kmart and many other toy-selling chain stores have disappeared, and while everyone in the world complained about Amazon and the Retail Armageddon, we’re still here and doing better than ever.”

Around Christmas 2019, when Essence magazine published a link to BestDollsForKids.com, business increased 3,000 percent. “That increase can only happen if you’re small to begin with,” Peter laughs.

He finds it fun and challenging to keep up with the changes and improvements to ecommerce. “As much as I follow edplay, Toybook and Global Toy News, there are thrice as many feeds, blogs and emails in the ecommerce press to keep up with, and it’s a fascinating, fascinating subject. I’ve always said, ‘An idle mind is the devil’s playground, and the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s,’ so on that basis alone, it’s worth continuing with the business.”

At the same time, he says it can be an anchor. Peter and Addie’s children have moved away from their rural Upstate New York hometown, and the two find it hard to travel with doll orders coming in 24/7. “Whenever we move, though, it will be easy to take the business with us. All we need is 1,200 square feet and a connection to the internet.

“If someone were to make a good enough offer for our Shopify store, we’d sell,” he adds. “Know anybody?”

ADVERTISER INDEX

Company Page Website

Adventerra Games North America 17 adventerragamesusa.com Amahi Ukeleles 14 amahiukuleles.com

American Bubble Company Beautiful Blessings CSI Connect Marketing Devir Games 5 americanbubble.com

29 iamabeautifulblessing.com 6 csiconnects.com

9 devir.com

Family Games America FGA Inc 10 familygamesamerica.com Fat Brain Toy Co. back cover FatBrainToyCo.com Kala BrandMusic Co. 13 kalabrand.co

Kardwell International 23 gameparts.net Company

MW Wholesale

Playmonster Sentosphere USA Tangle The Toy Network Toysmith U.S Toy Company Wikki Stix

Wrebbit Puzzles Page Website

11 mwwholesale.biz

inside front cover playmonster.com 3 sentosphereusa.com 7 tangletoys.com 22 thetoynetwork.com 31 annemcgilvray.com 21 ustoykidfun.com 19 wikkistix.com

15 wrebbit3dpuzzle.com

Dedicated to the Specialty Toy Industry

Publisher J. Kevin Fahy kfahy@fwpi.com

Editorial Director Tina Manzer tmanzer@fwpi.com

Graphic Artist

Christopher Cornett Christopher@fwpi.com

Advertising Director

Tim Braden tbraden@fwpi.com

Ad Sales Representative Darlene Ryan darlene@fwpi.com

Enewsletter & Online Advertising Manager

Rick Kauder rkauder@fwpi.com

Production Manager

Mark Stash mstash@fwpi.com

Subscriptions accounts@fwpi.com

Copyright © 2021 About edplay Founded in 1994. edplay is the original trade magazine for the specialty toy industry. With six printed issues and monthly enewsletters, it reports on new play products, features interviews with toy experts, and provides best-practice advice for running an independent toy store.

Around the Table a publication of the Game Manufacturers Association

Art Materials Retailer for People Who Sell Art Supplies

Educational Dealer for retailers who sell to teachers, parents and schools

ASTRA Toy Times The Magazine of The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association

current spread of fidget items is currently very broad, from Fat Brain’s SimplDimpl to Schylling’s NeeDoh ball.”

Nick points out that the interesting aspect of today’s current fidget craze is that in-store sales are being driven by social media, where consumers are highlighting the collectability of different fidget assortments. “We’ve seen a massive increase in demand from Learning Express stores,” he says. “To attract attention to their fidget selection, they devote a section of their stores to selfie production, complete with a green screen and tripod. That way, customers can take pictures of themselves with the fidgets they’ve found and post them online. It’s become almost like a treasure hunt as people compete to find the most unique fidget items and colorways.”

In terms of Tangles, there are currently 25 active SKUs. Each series has different colors, patterns and/or textures, Nick explains. “The variety drives the collectability of Tangles so much so that hunting for unique and rare Tangles has become immensely popular on TikTok.”

The people at Tangle Creations are constantly innovating to meet the demand. “New textures, trendy colorways and adorable characters help keep Tangle play patterns endless. “Occasionally we’ll retire select SKUs and colors to make room for new versions,” Nick adds. “It’s important for us to stay on top of rising trends, although our customers are the driving force behind the colors and textures we choose. We listen closely to what they say, and watch to see what they share with each other.”

A current favorite is the new Tangle Jr. Atomic series that lights up as it twist and turns. It’s fun and stimulating – the lights activate the emotional, motor, and creative areas of the brain.

Tangle Creations is a family business spanning three generations. Nick wants specialty toy retailers to know that he and his team work tirelessly to grow their reach and bring about positive, meaningful change to the company’s community. “We believe in the power of our products,” he says. “Tangles are fidget toys, yes, but they’re also learning tools for school, therapy devices for minor stress and anxiety, and miniature and movable works of art. They’re mess-free, never expire and you can take one with you wherever you go.”

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Pandemic’s Essential Business Rules Continue to Impact Small Business

In April, Retail Dive reported that nearly one-third of all small retailers still couldn’t pay their rent, based on data from online smallbusiness referral network Alignable. While that figure has dropped from its peak of 50 percent in March, the picture is worse for minorityowned businesses. Fifty-three percent couldn’t pay their full rent in April, down from 67 percent in March.

What hurt small retailers the most was the decision in many jurisdictions to allow “essential businesses” to stay open. Some communities took more drastic measures than others. In Portland, Maine, last year, nonessential businesses of all sizes were forbidden to conduct curbside, delivery or mail order under threat of hefty fines and the loss of their business license.

Worldwide, 97 percent of the 2.4 million merchants that shuttered for good last year were retailers, restaurants and hospitality businesses with fewer than five locations, based on research from apparel company IHL Group.

“As governments defined essential versus non-essential companies, they unwittingly oversaw the largest transfer of retail wealth ever from smaller to larger companies,” noted Greg Buzek, IHL president.

Retailers with brick-and-mortar stores, including independent toy-store owners who had to scramble to launch e-commerce and curbside pickup, were hit the hardest. “If they can hang on, smaller retailers may find plummeting rents in cities for both commercial and residential properties,” noted Retail Dive. It could signal a revival as Gen Z consumers move in, based on recent research from Placer.ai.

Making a Move? These Cities are the Most Environmentally Friendly

The most sustainable cities in the U.S. have more wind turbines and solar panels, fewer cars and more walking, and fewer farting cows and more Impossible Burgers, says LawnStarter, a company that operates like Uber, but for lawn care. It created this list by comparing the 200 largest U.S. cities across 24 key sustainability factors, including the number of incentives and policies supporting renewables and energy efficiency, the number of zeroenergy buildings; the share of workers who use green commuting methods, and the prevalence of community-supported agriculture. Here are the 10 that came out on top. 1 San Francisco 2 Boston 3 Sacramento 4 Washington, DC 5 Baltimore 6 Rochester, New York 7 San Diego 8 Oakland 9 Salt Lake City 10 Seattle

California is a trailblazer in sustainability. It was the first state to propose banning sales of gas-powered cars and constructed America’s first high-speed rail line. A years-long drought forced it to reimagine water management in more sustainable ways.

The study revealed this surprising trend: larger cities are often greener than smaller ones. New York City, for instance, was ranked a respectable #14, coming in first on transit and the share of green commuters.