T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E A M E R I C A N S P E C I A LT Y T O Y R E TA I L I N G A S S O C I AT I O N • A U G U S T 2 0 1 3
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Message From the Chair
Thank You for Coming In by Linda Hays
t ASTRA’s Marketplace and Academy, I found myself struck with the realization that this increasingly successful show is carried out by a handful of the most hardworking staff an association could hope for – and an army of volunteers. Whether you gave directions at the conference, served on a panel or are active on the committee or board level, I thank you. ASTRA would not be able to accomplish what it does without you. If you have not yet volunteered, I would highly encourage you to give it a try. We need you. Participating pays back exponentially in the strength that ASTRA gives to your business and in the knowledge and connections you gain in the industry. Every ASTRA event is a series of opportunities to connect and learn, to tap into the collective knowledge of the membership that leaves me renewed in my strengths and full of fresh, new ways to look at our industry and at my own business. For me, that process began at the board meeting the day prior to Marketplace opening. At ASTRA’s board meeting this fall, we will be using our time to step away from the immediate tasks of day-to-day operations, and work toward getting a broader picture of the specialty toy industry and the environment that is affecting it. To this end, we have hired an expert to guide us through the process. He joined us in Nashville to get a better sense of ASTRA’s culture, and to get us thinking about some of the larger issues facing our membership. One of the things he said that really struck me is that we are all experiencing “Relentless Societal Transformation.” I have to tell you, although I appreciated him identifying the needs of my customer and the ways to reach them as a “herding cats” proposition, it did not make me feel
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any more in control. If societal transformation is indeed relentless – which it certainly seems to be – how can I, with my two-person staff, hope to stay in front of any of it at all? How many hours will I spend chasing the Google Pluses to their dead end? Where should I be putting my valuable resources of time and dollars when my target seems to be constantly on the move? In my desire to be on the cutting edge of how to reach out, have I forgotten who I am reaching out to? I spoke with many people at Marketplace, and there was often a sense of being overwhelmed by the need to face down the new Goliaths of the Internet, and follow the steep learning curve of new social media – or languish. Rarely did a conversation take place that did not include Amazon, showrooming, Facebook, Twitter or flash sites. Though the old adage of “adapt or perish” is as true here as it has ever been, we need to keep it in perspective. We are not starting at ground zero. Even with all of these changes, the “new consumer” is still a person. They want value, connection and a sense of identity through their relationships with us just as they always have. We, with our small businesses, have the advantage where building real, meaningful relationships with our customers – with people – is concerned. Along with the “relentlessly transforming” dynamic of today’s fast-evolving world, we have been presented with an arsenal of new tools to help build and maintain those relationships. Don’t be overwhelmed. Start with what you know. Figure out where you stop knowing and start theorizing, and challenge those theories. Find the things you don’t know, and start mastering them – in that order. Remember what Jon Acuff said in the opening keynote session: “Ready is a myth. Start before you’re ready.”
ASTRA has many resources available in videos, manuals, webinars, and the knowledge and generosity of fellow ASTRA members. The new “ASTRA WINS: Working in Networks for Success” mentorship program can set you up with other business owners to share knowledge and support. “The starting line is the only line you control,” added Acuff. When it gets to be too much, back up again to what you know. Never fail to remember that the most important things we do every day are still to sweep the front walk and say, “Thank you for coming in.”
Linda Hays hopscotch toys 103 SE Baker St. McMinnville, OR 97128 (503) 472-3702 linda@hopscotchtoys.com
Linda speaking at ASTRA’s Marketplace and Academy. astratoy.org
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August 2013 5
Board of Directors August 2013 • astratoy.org
Chair Linda Hays
11
F E A T U R E S
Chair-Elect Michael Levins Treasurer Lillian Davis
B 20est, Best … 10 2013 CONVENTION: igg
Secretary Dean May
AGAIN
Directors Bob Breneman Thea Brown Lea Culliton John Giacobbe Tim Holliday Ann Kienzle John MacDougall Ted McGuire Robin McLane Jeff Pinsker
ASTRA Award Winners 12
ASTRA’s Best Toys for Kids 2013 Winners!
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ASTRA’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award
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Excellence Award Winners
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ASTRA’s New Board Members MAP: A Complex Road Cash Flow, the New Financial Reality Using the Benefits of Play to Market Your Store ASTRA News
24
13
Newsletter Editor Mary Sisson Assistant Editors Alyssa LaFaro Tina Manzer Graphic Artist Lindsey Williamson
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D E P A R T M E N T S 5 7 8 26 32
Message From the Chair President’s Letter Ready, Set, PLAY … for Children With Disabilities ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members New Members
ASTRA Newsletter 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 newsletter. Letters to the editor are welcome. Please forward letters, comments, ideas, etc., to the ASTRA office – fax 312-222-0986, email kmchugh@astratoy.org.
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ASTRA Staff President Kathleen McHugh Membership and Communications Manager Caryn Giznik Membership Coordinator Alisa Clifford Meeting and Exhibit Manager Amanda Zawad The ASTRA Newsletter is published by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, 432 N Clark St., Suite 205, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-2220984, fax 312-222-0986, email info@astratoy.org. Website: www.astratoy.org. Copyright © 2013 American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. All rights reserved. Advertisements are accepted. For more information, contact Rick Kauder, Fahy-Williams Publishing, 800-344-0559; email rkauder@fwpi.com. All articles for the ASTRA Newsletter are supplied by ASTRA and its members, with Fahy-Williams assembling and editing the newsletter, and managing the advertising sales function. ASTRA reserves the right to accept, reject, or alter all editorial and advertising material submitted for publication. Advertising in ASTRA does not imply endorsement of products and services. Opinions expressed in articles contained herein are those of the authors, not necessarily of ASTRA or its individual members. The information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable.
President’s Report
Continued Growth Continues to Make a Difference by Kathleen McHugh
t’s the heat of summer, and the annual convention, held in Nashville this year, is behind us. By now, we know that retail registration grew by a full 15 percent. It’s a remarkable increase for any year, but it is an increase we have enjoyed each year over the last four years. So it’s no surprise the exhibit hall is attracting new vendors and selling out early every year. You may be surprised, however, to learn that although the number of booths increased this year (exhibitors are taking more space), the actual number of exhibitors grew by only 2 percent. This long-term growth strategy is important to the health of the industry, and it is the appeal of ASTRA’s Marketplace. This strategy keeps costs to connect with customers down for manufacturers, and by attracting the right exhibitors, it gives retailers added incentive to make Marketplace their go-to trade show each year. Be sure to mark your calendar for next year, June 8 to 11, 2014, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The trade show is now the foundation, but the educational program is the icing on the cake. The convention committee delivered a tasty treat of excellent speakers and break-outs. Jon Acuff, the opening speaker, energized, entertained and left us all feeling enthusiastic about business. Break-out sessions from toys for special needs to inventory performance rated big with attendees. In my heart I believe ASTRA is more than a trade show, and the work our committees do each year proves the point. One of the best new additions to ASTRA’s programming came out of a member suggestion to create a customizable mentor program. “ASTRA WINS: Working In
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Networks for Success” was the brainchild of Katherine McHenry of Building Blocks Toys in Chicago. Her idea that retailers could work together in groups to support each other sparked a lot of enthusiasm with the membership committee. They embraced the concept, and put together a framework that made it possible to roll out the program in time for newly formed groups to have their first meeting at Marketplace in Nashville. ASTRA WINS groups are still forming. Each self-organizing group sets its own agenda, selects its own leader and creates its own schedule for meetings. Our goal is to provide basic support by distributing relevant business materials, discussion topics and periodic check-ins to make sure groups are connecting. If you are interested in joining a group, contact Caryn Giznik at cgiznik@astratoy.org for more information. The public relations committee found that rolling out a consumer website was just the first step in connecting with moms and dads. The new Discover the WooHoo! Factor website at yourneighborhoodtoystore.org required some long-range planning if it hoped to deliver interesting and compelling content parents are eager to read. The committee made specific recommendations to the ASTRA Board for funding to support the content development, as well as marketing and PR for the site to keep its momentum going into the fall and holiday season. Thanks to the ASTRA Board, the site has the full support it needs to reach the next goal. The Best Toys for Kids Award committee hit a homerun this year with an excellent selection of quality toys and games for retail members to select their final winners. The winners were
announced at Marketplace, and the excitement this list creates is just beginning. The winners are highlighted in the Best Toys flyer which retailers can get for free. Contact Alisa Clifford at aclifford@astratoy.org to find out how you can get up to 500 free flyers. Again this year, plans to promote the list of winners along with Neighborhood Toy Store Day, Saturday, November 9, are well under way. You, too, can begin to think about what your store and business can do to be part of our national day to celebrate play, diversity and local businesses. We are more than a trade show, more than a day of celebration, more than Best Toys for Kids. We are a collective of likeminded businesspeople who believe that toys and play are important in the lives of children and their healthy development. We also believe that our communities are better places to live because of us. It’s what makes ASTRA special, too. Thank you to all our committee chairs and volunteers for the work you to do that makes us stand out as the go-to organization in the specialty toy industry. Your talent and commitment make the real difference. Enjoy your summer,
Kathleen McHugh
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R e a d y, S e t , P L AY. . . f o r C h i l d r e n W i t h D i s a b i l i t i e s
Sense-ational ASTRA Marketplace By Ellen Metrick, Director of Industry Relations & Partnerships, National Lekotek Center, emetrick@lekotek.org
irst of all, thanks to all attendees of the “Connect Children with Special Needs to Toys and Games on Your Shelves” session in Nashville. I hope you’ve had a chance to download the handouts. I welcome any feedback, questions or input you might have on these materials. After the presentation, our focus went to checking out products from manufacturers, looking for those that might develop special skills. We were not disappointed! One of the categories we felt was well represented in the products we saw was sensory play toys. What is sensory play? The simple answer is that it is play that allows children to focus, explore, engage, activate and possibly be delighted by their five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. Why are sensory experiences important? Sensory play encourages children to explore through their senses, and through this exploration they come to better understand the world around them. Some children with disabilities may have an aversion to sensory stimulation or overactive sensory preference. Other children may need more sensory input in order to register it.
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You can think of sensory input in the same way you think of providing nutrition to kids, and you can look for ways to enrich a child’s sensory diet. For example, newborns crave oral exploration and everything seems to end up in their mouths. They then begin to explore picking things up, letting them fall and enjoy the sensory experience of touching, watching and hearing things drop to the floor. Every person has preferences in the sensory input they choose to rely on most when processing information and learning. Encouraging children to explore sensory play helps them hone in on their preferred learning technique, and develop new ones. Children with special needs are not the only ones who benefit from sensory play – all children benefit. Here are 10 reasons why. Sensory play: 1. allows kids to explore new things; 2. assists them in understanding objects; 3. helps interpret experiences; 4. stimulates memory; 5. facilitates the collection of data; 6. accelerates learning; 7. develops the senses kids use; 8. creates body awareness; 9. soothes and provides solace; and 10. stimulates, wakes up and excites.
ASTRA Offers Guide for Special Needs ASTRA’s new e-book, Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs, is available for pre-order. ASTRA members pay $29.95; non-members pay $129. Ellen Metrick and others at the National Lekotek Center researched, wrote and created the layout for the guide. To purchase the guide, visit astratoy.org, click on the “About Us” tab and then on the link under “Publications” to download the form to place your order. Fax to 312-222-0986, or mail the completed form to the ASTRA office at: American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, 432 N. Clark St., Suite 205, Chicago, IL 60654. 8 August 2013
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Below are a few sense-sational products we found in the aisles of the ASTRA Marketplace. • Rubbabu Balls, Playsets. Rubbabu’s toys feel like crushed velvet, and provide you with a tactile touch while playing. The play sets offer a variety such as trains, farm animals and more, with play mats that correspond with the toys. • Waba Fun Bubber. This silky, ultra-light compound is fun to explore and mold. • Waba Fun Kinetic Sand. Feels just like wet beach sand that you can explore and mold. It doesn’t stick or stain, and is easy to clean up. • Hygloss Products Dough Language Kits. These activity cards come with dough that kids shape to make the letters, numbers and whatever else is on the cards. Great for tactile learning. • Glittertoos – Glitter Tattoos. I got a smiley face in blue and green on my arm to really experience this from the tickle of the glue and glitter, to the tactile feel of the brush on my skin. Lastly, don’t forget to check out and order your Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs through ASTRA. It’s a great resource to have on hand when customers come into your stores needing special assistance.
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2013 CONVENTION: Biggest, Best … by Mary Sisson
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AGAIN
hese are the headlines from former post-convention issues of the ASTRA Newsletter.
• 2008: Biggest, Best No Exaggeration
Hands on during kits session.
• 2009: Convention Termed “Best Ever” – Again • 2010: Again, It’s the Biggest and Best • 2011: Once Again, the Biggest and Best
Jon Acuff starts with a simple message during ASTRA’s Opening Keynote session.
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Either your editor has no headlinewriting creativity, or the convention committee and ASTRA staff really do make a practice of outdoing themselves. (The 2012 headline was all about the 20th anniversary.) As for the biggest – up 15 percent from 2012’s record-breaker – here are the figures: 330 exhibitor companies, 829 retailers from 450 stores and 218 reps. Total people: 1,987. As for the best, it started when opening speaker Jon Acuff pumped up the energy and had the crowd laughing their way down the “road to awesome” as he talked about hope, fear, chasing your dreams and moving from ordinary to extraordinary. “There’s no ‘someday’ section of the calendar,” he said. “It’s time to start.” Sessions on everything from staff meetings to window dressing, social media to special needs were the place to begin. Retailers learned to understand their brand, establish an online storefront, manage their inventory and use shopping apps. They tried out kits and games to see which they wanted to bring in, and learned how to better sell them.
Reps discussed topics on their minds as the people in between retailers and manufacturers. And ASTRA retailers, reps and manufacturers focused on the legalities of MAP programs in a special session for all members. (See page 20.) For the first time, many sessions were recorded, and recordings are available to purchase for download. Two full days on the Marketplace floor let retailers rub elbows with the 91 new vendors and see new product from those they already knew. Best Toys For Kids nominees were on display to play with and vote on, with results announced at the closing session. (See page 12.) New this year was the Oasis, stocked with coffee, tea, water, wi-fi and a charging station for portable electronics. “Coffee and wi-fi and tables were so welcome,” commented Meredyth Glass of E2 Toys 2 Try in Pittsburgh.
You Asked, We Listened Marketplace & Academy recordings available
Gwen Ottenberg describes how the Best Toys winners’ list is about working together.
There is still a buzz from ASTRA’s Academy in Nashville, Tennesee. For the first time, ASTRA is giving members the chance to purchase a package of 16 session recordings. The audio recordings are timed with the speakers’ PowerPoint presentations, and are perfect if you’re listening for the first time, refreshing your memory or sharing with staff. The recordings are available to purchase for a limited time. Visit astratoy.org, click on “About Us” and then on the link under “Programs & Events” for the order form, “2013 Marketplace & Academy Session Recordings.” Please fax or mail the completed form to the ASTRA office. The download of all 16 sessions costs $29 for a full-conference attendee, or $169 for non-members and those who only attended the trade show floor. Opening Session: Escape Ordinary and Choose to be Extraordinary Jon Acuff, The Lampo Group Inc. Staff Meetings Everyone Wants to Attend Phil Wrzesinski, Toy House and Baby Too The Five “C”s of Social Media Dominance Jon Acuff, The Lampo Group Inc. How to Create Beautiful Store Windows and Effective Displays Janet Pillsbury, My Toy Garden Improve Inventory Performance and Increase Profitability Paul Erickson, RMSA Retail Solutions Connect Children with Special Needs to Toys and Games on Your Shelves Ellen Metrick, National Lekotek Center Establish Your Online Storefront Don Hays, Specialty Toys Network
Science fun during the kits session.
“We interviewed a new employee there – and hired her on the spot,” said Tom England of Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts in Frederick, Maryland. My husband and I used the Oasis to make a quick airline reservation when our daughter went into labor, and two hours later we were on a plane to Vermont. Others, though, got out to revel in Nashville. “I loved access to other things to do,” said Phil Wrzesinski from Toy House and Baby Too in Jackson, Michigan. “But I am also biased in that I love music.” Kate Noreen of MudPuddles in Sherwood, Oregon, said, “Had a ball in Nashville! What a fun city! Hotel was great, grabbed my morning coffee, wandered next door to the convention center, wandered downtown, made new friends ... who could ask for more? There were some great restaurants, too.” Phyllis Stroud, owner of Rocking Horse Toy Store in Natchitoches, Louisiana, added: “I hope we have it in Nashville again. Climate, location, entertainment … everything!”
Technology and the Balance of Power between Retailers and Consumers Paul Erickson, RMSA Retail Solutions Understanding Your Brand Phil Wrzesinski, Toy House and Baby Too All Industry Session: MAP, MSRP and RPM – What’s Legal and How Do You Enforce It? Todd R. Seelman, Lathrop & Gage LLP Master Self-Promotion for Your Store Tim Holliday, Children’s World & Children’s World Uniform Supply Shifting Opinions: Buy Local Campaign 101 Lily Brislen, for the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) Tactical Steps for Strategic Success Chris Hogan, The Lampo Group Inc. Closing Session: Playing, Leading and Succeeding Chris Hogan, The Lampo Group Inc.
ASTRA
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ASTRA’S Best Toys For KIDS 2013
Winners! 3
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Active Play RingStix Lite by RingStix – System Enterprises LLC (1) Y’all Ball by Joint Merchant (2)
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Classic Play – 0 to 7 years Skwish Classic by Manhattan Toy (3) Classic Play – 8-plus years Original Spirograph Deluxe Kit by Kahootz Toys (4) Constructive Play Q-BA-MAZE 2.0 Mega Stunt Set by MindWare (5) Squigz by Fat Brain Toy Co. (6) Creative Arts Play Potholder PRO by Harrisville Designs (7) X-treme Sticker Maker Set by Faber-Castell USA Inc. (8)
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Early Play Green Toys Seaplane by Green Toys Inc. (9) Tattoo Xylo Roller by Juratoys US Corp (JANOD) (10)
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19 Game Play – 3 to 7 years Bunny Peek A Boo by Smart Toys and Games Inc. (11) Zingo! Sight Words by ThinkFun Inc. (12)
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Game Play – 8-plus years Laser Maze by ThinkFun Inc. (13) Timeline Diversity by Asmodee Editions (14) Just for Fun Curiosity Kits Pulsar Powerballs by The Orb Factory (15) Super Magnetic Tidal Wave Thinking Putty by Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld (16) Pretend – Doll Play Calico Critters Supermarket by International Playthings (17)
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Pretend – Fantasy Play Rainbow Fairy Wings with Glitter by Douglas Cuddle Toys (18) Pretend – Role Play Cargo and Passenger Aircraft by PLAYMOBIL (19) Scientific Play Air-Stream Machines by Thames & Kosmos (20) Snap Circuits SOUND by Elenco Electronics (21)
ASTRA
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ASTRA’S
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Lifetime
ACHIEVEMENT
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wo individuals received ASTRA’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award for work they have done and continue to do together. The Good Toy Group’s director and managing director, Terry Gannon and Idanna Smith, were recognized for their contributions to ASTRA and the toy industry. They “represent the creativity and ‘think-outside-the-box’ mentality ASTRA has always supported,” said Jamie Seeley-Kreisman of Beka Inc., the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, who introduced them. “Before entering the toy business, one spent 10 years in New York, first as an executive secretary, then getting into marketing,” he continued. “According to her, it was just a little like being in Mad Men…
“The other started out with a business degree, and quickly became an independent toy entrepreneur, who still found time to volunteer both within ASTRA and among fellow retailers who were pursuing cooperative marketing efforts.” Gannon, who opened The Toy Box in 1976, recalled the male-dominated, cigarinfested buildings in New York City in the early days of her store. “Along came ASTRA in 1992 and a whole new world opened up … my isolation as a toy store owner ended.” She and Smith decided in 1999 to start The Good Toy Group. What began with 21 stores has grown to 80 member stores with locations across the country. Because of the ASTRA model of cooperation, they could envision working with
Award
stores and vendors to produce marketing catalogs that focus on quality toys. “The most important decision we made was to become a member-owned business,” Gannon said. Smith, drawing on her years of working in words and images, gave a list of words that come to her when she thinks about her life – words like family, friends, children, compromise, collaboration, enthusiasm, passion, integrity, thankfulness. She ended with a word she and her granddaughter share: “Wowzer! That is how I feel about every one of you in the room.”
sive Exclu rger a New L m Loo Idanna Smith accepts the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award during ASTRA’s business meeting.
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pro
Terry Gannon of The Good Toy Group accepts the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award. ASTRA
EXCELLENCE Award WINNERS Manufacturer of the Year: Toysmith “Year in and year out, Toysmith consistently supports the specialty toy industry in ways that deserve recognition,” wrote sales rep Donna Cregger of McManemin Companies in her nomination. She went on to point out: • partnerships with companies that keep fresh, innovative toys on customers’ minds and make it easier for specialty stores to buy from lines they’ve balked at because of shipping costs or minimums; • publishing catalogs in December each year for the following year, plus a super sale and a mid-year release catalog; • an order-to-shipping ratio in the high 90th percentile; • a new distribution center and warehouse with resulting shorter ship times; • everyday terms for dating, freight relief and discounts; • excellent customer service; and • allowing specialty customers to make the profit they need to support their stores and families. “Toysmith is a family business and treats its customers and representatives like family on an everyday basis,” Cregger said. Retailer of the Year: Grandrabbit’s Toy Shoppe With 37 years in business, three stores and a devoted customer base, Grandrabbit’s is a thriving, woman-owned local toy store in Boulder, Colorado. Lynne Milot leads a team that’s always willing to demonstrate a product for a customer. Products merchandised in vendor blocks create a sense of unity and greater visibility, and seasonal items are pulled out for prominent display on a center island. New and award-winning products are showcased with shelf talkers and eye-level merchandising. Grandrabbit’s also gives back to the community; last year they donated nearly $7,000 to local charities and nonprofits for auctions that benefit children. The store also offers the Bunny Bucks program, where 5 percent of pre-tax sales go to local schools. Bunny Bucks has generated more than $20,000 annually for local schools. Activities keep customers coming back – play days, story time and annual events such as the Easter Egg Race and the Fairy Festival. “At Grandrabbit’s, it’s not just about the products, it’s about the people, and by bringing the two together, Grandrabbit’s has established itself as a cornerstone of the local community,” wrote the nominator.
Rep of the Year: Barry Wunderlich Provides excellent customer service and in-store support. Understands the philosophy and mission of the stores he serves. Excels in following up. Offers in-store training and product workshops. Understands technology available from manufacturers to help stores. Maintains a reasonable line offering. Those are the standards for sales rep nominations. “Barry excels at all of the above,” wrote nominator Markie Carlson of The Children’s Gift Shoppe in Northfield, Illinois. “He is consistently available and responsive with an immediacy that helps me get things done quickly and move on. He is extremely reliable, and always follows through.” Once, when Markie had a question about setting up Excel, Barry drove 50 miles to spend a couple of hours with her doing Excel for Newbies. “He also knows my store well enough that he doesn’t try to push things that are ‘selling everywhere else,’” Carlson said. She called him an asset to her business. “Sometimes I feel he is just sitting out there waiting for me to call so he can take care of whatever I need!” ASTRA
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August 2013 15
ASTRA’s New Board Members Strategy as Learning: Board Grapples With Future hat will it take for ASTRA to thrive over the next decade and beyond? What will ASTRA’s stakeholders need to thrive over the next decade? And why should future stakeholders want a relationship with ASTRA? These are some of the questions your ASTRA board is considering as they look toward the future of ASTRA and the specialty toy industry. As societal change gets deeper and faster, the board is stretching its collective brain to look at the orthodoxies – the way things have always been – and flip them to create new thinking. The goal is a strategic direction that will guide ASTRA as the association drives into the future. Helping the board with this endeavor is consultant Jeff DeCagna, FRSA, chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC. Considered the association community’s leading voice for innovation, he advises associations around the world. DeCagna worked with the board at its June meeting in Nashville, and will delve deeper with them at the September board meeting. He will guide the board in learning more about the goals of ASTRA stakeholders and the kinds of support they need in this complex world. The goal is to plan a future that is responsive to ASTRA members in an ever-changing business environment. Stay tuned.
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Jeff Pinsker Twenty-two years ago, Jeff Pinsker’s son, Joe, was born. Six weeks later, Jeff entered the toy business to create a stronger connection between his personal and professional lives. Over the course of his career, he’s worked for University Games, cofounded Infinitoy (the makers of ZOOB), run a children’s media company and, eight months ago, joined Klutz. Jeff lists three main reasons he wants to serve on the ASTRA Board. 1. With the increasing number of toys created and sold by big toy companies and mass market retailers, an entire generation of American children will grow up playing with toys based on what presents well in a 30-second TV spot, not based on what’s good for kids. It’s time to refocus the American public’s attention on what’s good for kids, and the specialty toy channel is uniquely positioned to play this role. 2. The true innovation in the toy industry comes from specialty manufacturers, and Jeff would like to help ASTRA preserve and grow a marketplace that rewards this innovation, and provides enough scale for these manufacturers to thrive. 3. He wants to help ASTRA formulate and communicate compelling reasons for consumers to buy toys from specialty stores. “I’m proud to report that Joe graduated from college in May,” he says, “and even though his toy days are well behind him, I’m proud to still be an active participant in the specialty toy business.”
Thea Brown Thea Brown, head honcho at World of Mirth in Richmond, Virginia, loves that she gets to make people smile for a living. After a decade of managing multiple stores that sold oversized club wear, she
decided it was time to put her photography and sociology degrees to use and work in the toy industry. At a store known for its mesmerizing atmosphere of fun and quirkiness, Thea’s keen eye and sense of humor have helped make World of Mirth one of the “Best Toy Stores in the South” for kids of all ages, according to Southern Living magazine. Having worked at the Ronald McDonald House during college, Thea continues her passion for helping others in her community by working with local nonprofits, such as Stop Child Abuse Now and art180, through fundraising at the store. On her rare day off, she can be found in her garden, having a dance party with her son or looking at pictures of squirrels on the Internet. “Coming from an alternative toy store, I hope to bring a unique eye to the board, and help my fellow stores prosper,” she says.
John Giacobbe John Giacobbe has worked in the specialty toy industry since 1978, and joined ASTRA 19 years ago. “I consider it an honor and privilege to be a member of the ASTRA Board,” he says, “and I will do my best to help the organization and its members grow.” John started out working for his Boston College professor, who owned a specialty toy store in Newton, Massachusetts, and who also imported toys from Europe. He’d grown up playing cards and games, and soon realized that this was a great environment to work in. In 1986, he went to work for Brio as a regional sales manager, and in 1988, became a manufacturer’s representative covering the six New England states. He started his own sales organization, John Giacobbe & Associates, soon after that. “I believe in our industry, and I am passionate about what I do,” he explains. “I hope to help continue to strengthen our industry in each community as we strive to get good quality toys into the hands of children.” He and wife, Mary Beth, have four children. “I still love to play, and I am proud of the lines that I represent. I am in awe of my customers at the remarkable jobs that they do each day.” (continued on page 18)
(“ASTRA’s New Board Members” continued from page 16)
Meet Your Board
Tim Holliday Having worked in finance, sales and marketing, Tim Holliday and his wife wanted to work for themselves, helping customers with the various needs of their lives. They had the opportunity to take over a long-established business and mold it into what it is today, selling specialty toys and games, school/work/sport/business uniforms, custom embroidery/printing and promotional products. They also run a contract U.S. Post Office inside their store. “We greatly expanded our toy focus about seven years ago, which is when we joined ASTRA,” he says. “In that time, we have learned much from the Marketplace & Academy each year, and have made great contacts in the industry.” He has worked on the convention committee for three years. His store, Children’s World and Uniform Supply, has won numerous awards, both local and national. They are actively involved in the community, including Toys for Tots, caring for a local park and supplying toys for numerous causes – to the extent that TD Monthly chose them to work with their community and give away hundreds of toys, not once, but twice. They are also the founding sponsor of the Easter Seals Design Sense toy design contest for those with sensory disorders. “I love ASTRA, and look forward to helping on the board in any way I can.” ASTRA
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ASTRA board members were introduced at the ASTRA annual meeting June 17 in Nashville. Linda Hays of Hopscotch Toys in Oregon continues as chair, Michael Levins of Innovative Kids in Connecticut is chair-elect; Lillian Davis of Diverse Marketing in Missouri is treasurer; and Dean May of Toys Unique! in Texas is secretary, with Kathleen McHugh as president. Four new board members were sworn in. Other board members include Bob Breneman of G. Willikers! Toy Shop in New Hampshire; Lea Culliton of HABA USA in Wisconsin; Robin McLane of The Toy Place at Bellevue Art & Frame in Washington; Ann Kienzle of *play in Illinois; John MacDougall of Golden Apple Learning Store in California; and Ted McGuire of Thames and Kosmos in Rhode Island. Four departing board members were thanked for their years of service: Michael Ziegenhagen of Playmatters in Ohio, past chair; Dana Barnes of High Five in Virginia, past treasurer; Mike Klein of Manhattan Toys in Minnesota; and Steven Aarons of Barston’s Child’s Play in Washington, D.C.
MAP: A Complex Road howrooming. Cut-rate online prices. Policing the Internet. Figuring out the law. The changing world of retail in the Internet age has shaken traditional ways of doing things. Is Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) the answer? MAP was the focus as ASTRA members from all sectors of the industry gathered for a special session at the convention in June to explore what’s legal and how it can be enforced. Antitrust lawyer Todd R. Seelman, a partner in the Denver office of Lathrop & Gage LLP, led the way with an overview of applicable antitrust laws. Antitrust laws cover single-company conduct (monopoly); multi-company conduct (cartels and their gang behavior); and unreasonable restraints on competition, such as price, supply or the exclusion of competitors. “It’s the bully in the sandbox,” Seelman said. Today, all agreements between manufacturers – horizontal agreements – are unlawful. Vertical agreements between manufacturers and retailers are “at risk of being judged,” Seelman said. “Judges are not always the best judge of what’s good for the economy,” he pointed out. MSRP, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, is a suggestion only. Retailers are free to charge what they want. MAP isn’t a pricing policy but an advertising program, Seelman said. Manufacturers contribute money and intellectual property rights to the program. The retailer is free to set the price, but advertising below MAP violates the policy. “MAP is not a set retail price. Maybe federal law will say, ‘Let’s test that.’” Mike Varda, president and CEO of International Playthings, has a MAP policy for IP’s Calico Critters line. “When we put the policy in five years ago, there was no software out there to see who was selling below retail,” he said. Every Saturday morning, he’d sit with his laptop and look for violators. “We didn’t ship to stores that discounted even a penny below MAP.” IP “spent $5-6,000 last year buying our own product to find out where the discounted product is coming from,” he said. Why? “We build our business on bricks-
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and-mortar retailers … if the price is the same, then [customers] know they can support the local retailer.” Neat-Oh! International is just getting started with this process, said Dee Farrell, senior vice-president. “In the past we could sell something for $10 to a neighborhood store and probably know it would be $19.99. If we sold a different item to a chain, they could Low put on a price of est $14.99. If a retailPric e! er wanted to put it on clearance, that’s okay.” But small Internet stores, she said, buy for $10 and might sell for $13. “Amazon posted $274 million in losses last October. So who’s benefitting here? Is this sustainable?” Retailer Kate Tanner, owner of Kidstop Toys & Books in Scottsdale, Arizona, wants to see a leveling of the playing field. “I’m a community store,” she said. “I feel responsible for lots of people in my community. When a business closes, there goes the accountant, the lawyer, the sign guy.” When she opened Babystop, a store of baby and children’s furniture, a couple of years ago, she faced showrooming – the practice of seeing a product in a bricks-and-mortar store and ordering it for less online – on a whole new level. “Six years ago I would have said I’d match the price,” she said. But now, “If you want it today and you want us to be here next time,” she holds firm on her price. “I think we (bricks-and-mortar retailers) are worth something.” Everybody likes to get a good deal, Farrell pointed out. “Long term, we have to squeeze our manufacturers, cut corners. How about product safety? In our industry, what’s more important than safety?” She cited a study from Wanderful Media last December quoting a high percentage, 91 percent, of shoppers who have gone into a store because of information they got online. Among toy shoppers, 35
by Mary Sisson
percent bought online, 45 percent had no preference and 22 percent preferred to buy in a store. “I say we take some action, and we go get that 45 percent,” Farrell said. Going and getting is what Ron Solomon does, only he’s going after information on MAP violators. As CEO of the Credit Collective, he compiles reports on MAP violations – 186,305 of them just in the first five months of 2013. “With such a high volume, how do you monitor it?” It’s not just the online retailer selling out of his basement that’s the problem. Many ASTRA stores sell under a different name, he said, and manufacturers, too, have sites on Amazon and don’t say who they are. The barriers to entry for manufacturers have risen, with safety testing and rising costs. But the barriers to entry for retailers have gone down. “They don’t even have to touch the product,” Solomon said. It’s an “incredible race to the bottom.” What can ASTRA members do? Tanner told manufacturers that the first thing she does when deciding what to order is Google their toys. If the margin won’t help pay her rent or her manager, she won’t order. “Great toys are not making it to our shelves, where we can nurture the brand.” From the manufacturer’s viewpoint, “If somebody drops below MAP, I can only do one thing. I can only drop that customer,” Varda said. What can ASTRA do? From a legal standpoint, Seelman said, “ASTRA shouldn’t be doing anything but educating. When ASTRA starts to group companies together, they’re going down the wrong road.” If ASTRA attempts to do more than educate, the association puts manufacturers at risk of government intervention because they have not made pricing decisions on their own; that’s the legal requirement for any policy decisions. “Setting standards as it relates to MAP is like an industry price fixing and would put the organization in legal jeopardy, as well as the vendors,” explained ASTRA President Kathleen McHugh. ASTRA
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Cash Flow the New Financial Reality by Paul Erickson, RMSA Retail Solutions and ASTRA Academy Speaker
s a retailer, what is more important to you, profits or cash flow? The initial response from most merchants posed that question is … profits, of course! On the surface the answer makes sense – who wouldn’t want more profits? The mere word itself, “profitable,” evokes a sense of financial well-being. In today’s retail environment, profits alone are not enough; cash flow is the new financial reality. I have reviewed countless profit and loss statements that showed extremely strong gross margin figures only to find out that the store had no cash. Since accounting does not factor in the element of time, turnover does not appear on a profit and loss statement. Therefore, the financial picture created by a “profitable” business with poor cash flow can be a false reality. Recently, a client came to us for a strategy to deal with a bank request. The bank wanted the retailer to produce an additional $200,000 in cash, not profits … cash! If you were given a similar mandate, what would you do? Well, hope is not a strategy, and crying is not an option. To use Tom Hanks’ famous quote from the film A League of Their Own, “There is no crying in retail (baseball).” Three more practical solutions quickly come to mind: cut expenses, increase sales or cut inventory. Let’s examine all three. Putting excess expenses on the chopping block is an obvious first step to save some cash. The problem here is that most retailers feel they have already trimmed expenses to the bone. If you have recently renegotiated your leases, reviewed payroll costs and scrutinized the remaining administrative costs, there may not be much left to cut. Slashing costs too deeply can actually have a negative effect on business. Several big box retailers have
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experienced this recently as sales have been undermined by deep cuts in staffing and training. Prudence and caution are priorities when examining expenses. Increasing sales sounds like a viable option, but how? You can promote more, but you might experience a margin hit which will most certainly raise a banker’s eyebrows. You could buy more inventory, which might drive volume, but the risk is that the cash problem could worsen if the additional stock does not perform as it should. You could advertise more, but that would only increase expenses if the ad campaign didn’t pull enough customers in. The third option is to cut inventory. Cleaning out excess stock will generate more cash in the short term. The dilemma, however, is how to consistently build cash over the long term. I prefer the scalpel approach as opposed to the meat cleaver method. Anybody can slash and burn inventory and generate quick cash, but the aftermath of kneejerk business decisions can haunt you for months to come. This is the very reason that I object so strongly to the marketing strategy of 20 percent off everything in the store, or what is often referred to as the “lazy man’s markdown.” This promotional approach does little to solve merchandising problems since the desirable items that could have sold at full price are the first to sell at discounted prices. Aside from a momentary bump in cash, the downside is reduced margins and broken size runs. Worst of all, the problem inventory is still … a problem. Strategic planning is the answer. This means bottom-up dollar merchandise planning at the store and class level. Most often a retailer’s line of credit is tied to inventory. A banker’s valuation of inventory is what he thinks he can liquidate it for given the outside chance that
they end up with the keys to the store. Because of the way bankers perceive the value of inventory, they get nervous whenever the word “cutting” is mentioned. Understand that to a banker, goods that are a year or two old have the same value as merchandise that was received yesterday. In most cases, not all, what the banker only sees with regard to your inventory is numbers on a financial statement. Given their reference point, it is understandable, though not always justifiable, why a lending institution might require more collateral when stock levels are reduced. For that reason, it is paramount that you keep the communication channels wide open with the bank if you depend on them for your line of credit. Demonstrate to them, using sales and inventory reports, that fresh, “balanced” inventory has a better chance of increasing sales than simply having more inventory. It is also a good idea to have your banker visit your store and even attend a management or buying meeting. Treat the banker as part of your management team. Anyone working in the retail business longer than a week knows the positive effect that new products can have on sales when received at the proper time. Customers don’t visit your store to see what came in last year! It is the constant flow of fresh inventory that drives profitable sales. A strategic merchandise plan that blends inventory balance with properly scheduled deliveries and timely markdowns is the pathway to faster turnover, which drives sales volume. There are few problems in retail that can’t be remedied by increasing sales and cash flow. Hence, my new retail math formula: Cash Flow + Sales Increases = No Problems! ASTRA
Become a Retailer
Figures designed by Safari LtdÂŽ in the US since 1982.
Using the Benefits of Play to Market Your Store by Kathleen McHugh, ASTRA President, excerpted from The Toy Book, June 2013
Children: the “end users” in the specialty toy business Members of ASTRA – whether manufacturers, sales reps or retailers – are businessmen and businesswomen. When they gather at ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy each year, they may come with a variety of agendas: buying toys, or selling toys, or introducing new products, or developing stronger distribution channels or learning better ways to run their stores. One thing they all have in common, however, is that their businesses impact children. The “end user” of all the commerce conducted at Marketplace & Academy is a child who learns while having fun from the play that results when she gets a new toy in her hands.
The benefits of healthy play Years of scholarly research have documented that healthy, developmentally appropriate play helps kids grow up stronger, smarter and better adjusted. Children who have had access to positive play experiences are more likely to develop richer imaginations, more creative problem-solving skills and greater capacity for self-regulation. The connection between specialty toy products and healthy play is an important competitive advantage for independent toy retailers. How do you leverage the many developmental benefits of play into support of your marketing and sales efforts?
Using the importance of play to grow your business Here are a few ways independent retailers have found to weave the benefits of play into their marketing platforms. Highlight the features of the play, not the features of the toy. When you are discussing a product with a potential buyer, talk about what the child can do with the toy rather than what the toy can do. Explain why a basic toy that requires a child to use her imagination is likely to offer more learning than one loaded with electronic gizmos. Most independent retailers have a big edge on larger stores when it comes to customer service, and your expertise about play is one of the most significant things you offer that your competitors cannot match. Establish yourself as your community’s play expert. Think about it – who in your area knows more about quality toys and healthy play than you? Now ask yourself who needs to know that you are the local go-to guru on play? For starters, the answer should be local mommy bloggers, journalists who cover family and education issues, early childhood educators and other business owners whose clientele includes families with children.
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You can find resources to make yourself more informed about play on ASTRA’s WooHoo! Factor consumer-facing website, yourneighborhoodtoystore.org. You can establish your “play cred” (and increase your search engine optimization while you’re at it) by writing and posting articles on this site, and linking to them on your Facebook page. Take the play message to the community. Parent organizations, church groups and other local organizations often need speakers for their events. Prepare a brief stump speech about play and contact targeted organizations about your availability. Not only do you build understanding about the importance of play, you introduce your expertise (and also your store) to a captive audience of potential buyers. Treat play as a helpful, reassuring message to customers. Raising kids is a joyful adventure, but also a tough and exhausting one – arguably made more so by the expectations of an achievementoriented culture. Your store may be one of the few places where parents are told (quite accurately and supported by research) they can do less, and their kids will be the better for it. This shapes play into a reassuring, supportive message – and positions your store as a comforting place to visit.
Own healthy play in your community ASTRA provides several ways to help you to position yourself and your store as the go-to resource on healthy play, including the WooHoo! Factor website, the Best Toys for Kids awards program, the annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day, sample press releases, content that you can adapt for your e-newsletters and Facebook postings, and more. In your community, you can and should own the “healthy play” space in the minds of moms and dads and grandparents and other buyers. Claim it and use it to grow your business!
ASTRA
ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members Appstart Learning LLC Nashville, Tennesee appstartllc.com AppStart Learning joins 3-plus toys and apps to make learning fun by making learning play. Our iLearn ‘N’ Play toys work with little learners to help them understand all sorts of early learning concepts. All iLearn ‘N’ Play Apps are built around our unique iLearn ‘N’ Play Global Curriculum that joins technology, play and early learning needs to help children learn while having fun.
The DDR Group Studio, California myflipperusa.com The DDR Group was founded in 2007 to design and distribute innovative children’s products. Our first to market was the Flipper toothbrush holder, a unique and patented product designed to encourage kids to brush, make it fun and to store the toothbrush hygienically. Its simple but ingenious mechanism
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opens and closes with the stroke of the toothbrush. Kids typically don’t like to brush their teeth. Flipper offers a new way of tempting them to do it. More than 15 different designs include animals and Hello Kitty. Visit us at myflipperusa.com for more information. A 15 percent discount is given to ASTRA members on orders greater than $150.
Fling A Ring LLC Holly, Michigan flingaring.com Fling A Ring is the ultimate outdoor game, a cross between horseshoe and disc golf. Scoring works like horseshoes, but it throws like a flying disc. The safe and flexible disc allows anyone to play. Great for backyard parties, camping and tailgating.
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Dedicated to Specialty (only, and always!) HABA provides specialty stores the best European brands, all with one order. For 75 years our wooden baby & toddler toys and board games have been designed by our designer family and manufactured at HABAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters in Bad Rodach, Germany!
- mobile wooden toys
er pt tor o lic mo he -up any s i d Th win of m t kits f e a on S cra th i t w jus D KI ABA is A RR by H TE
Ph: 1-800-468-6873 www.HABAusa.com
Request your free HABA catalog!
(“ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members” continued from page 26)
Great American Projects Inc. Lexington Park, Maryland theaquapod.com Great American Projects Inc. is a Mechanicsville, Virginia-based corporation that was formed by co-presidents Mark G. Micieli, an aviation systems engineer, and Charles W. Wollman, a telecommunications engineer. Charles invented the Aquapod Bottle Launcher, and partnered with his brother-in-law, Mark, to launch the business solely for the Aquapod in January 2009.
Jack Rabbit Creations Inc. Atlanta, Georgia jackrabbitcreations.com Jack Rabbit Creations specializes in heirloomquality toys and gifts that adults and kids love. We prefer to use wood, tin, cotton and other natural materials for our designs, favoring a “no batteries required” approach. We are a small family owned and run business. All of our products are designed by and made for Jack Rabbit exclusively, and we just sell to the specialty market – so leave the mass market behind for a little while and enjoy our creations.
Madame Alexander Doll Company New York, New York MadameAlexander.com The Madame Alexander Doll Company was founded in 1923 by Madame Alexander, a talented, entrepreneurial New Yorker with a vision to engage a child’s imagination through doll play. The company inspires girls of all ages to enjoy a lifetime of fun with baby, fashion, play and limited edition doll collections that are beautifully designed, age-appropriate products of quality and craftsmanship.
Monster Factory Toronto, Ontario, Canada monsterfactory.net The Monster Factory is a collectable toy brand, based out of Toronto, that designs and produces a line of unique and imaginative plush monsters. Its toys are best known for their impeccable quality, signature style, super-stuffed feel and engaging personalities.
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(“ASTRA Welcomes Its Newest Manufacturer Members” continued from page 28)
Oofdah! Games Inc. Fairfield, Connecticut thegategame.com “The Gate: A Game of Myth and Magic” is an award-winning, family friendly board game published by Oofdah! Games Inc. The Gate is two games in one – beginner and advanced versions included. It’s great fun for two to five players. ToysBulletin.com called The Gate “a magnificent game.” Shipping discounts available.
Southern Hobby Supply DBA Sales First Distributing Nashville, Tennessee Southern Hobby Supply is a master distributor of games and entertainment products. We have distribution centers in Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago and New York. We are committed to providing the best customer service and finest products to retailers of all kinds. Call our Nashville office at 800-473-2804 for more information.
Santoki LLC Berkley, Michigan santoki.com Santoki LLC is a U.S. distributor of LEGO LED lights and other licensed LED light products. Our licensed products include LEGO (Classic, City, Ninjago, Chima, Friends), LEGO Star Wars, LEGO DC Super Heroes and The Smurfs. Santoki LLC was formed in 2013. Contact Santoki LLC at 855-726-8645 or sales@santoki.com.
Starpath Dolls (Pitt Street Doll Company LLC) Alexandria, Virginia starpathdolls.com Starpath Dolls is a new toy concept that gives the doll/child experience a whole new meaningful and fun level where girls can escape into magical, personalized chapter books starring them and their dolls. The line will be sold at select retailers with a collection of four dolls, each of which comes with a gift code for a customizable book, written by award-winning authors.
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Tactic USA Inc. Grantsville, Maryland tactic.net/usa Tactic Games, a well-known and respected European publisher of games, puzzles and books, is proud to announce its new U.S. subsidiary, Tactic USA, as a new member of ASTRA. Tactic produces board, action and card games that bring people together, including its line of exciting Angry Birds games.
The FirstBIKE Company Inc. Wilmington, North Carolina firstbike.us Multi-awarded FirstBIKE (German design) for ages 22 months to 5 years is loaded with safety features, making it by far the best balance bike on the market. The revolutionary frame material gives it flex for comfort and posture support, strength for durability and lightness for great maneuverability. Check out firstbike.us.
ToyLabs San Carlos, California toylabs.com ToyLabs is changing the way young minds think about the future, today. We design and develop innovative learning experiences in science and technology for kids, teens and young adults. Our mission is to inspire and empower young minds with fun, exciting and purposeful scientific learning experiences while providing parents and teachers with relevant tools to help them proactively engage their kids in the learning process. Our products can be used at home, at the park or in classrooms anywhere in the world.
Tudor Games Inc. Sammamish, Washington tudorgames.com Tudor Games is a manufacturer of sports games and hobby products led by our flagship brands â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Electric Football and Ballpark Classics. With over 65 years of product success and over 40 million units sold, our new ownership is thrilled to be back helping ASTRA partners sell iconic tabletop sports games. ASTRA
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New Members If any of the information below is incorrect, ASTRA truly apologizes. Please contact us immediately at info@astratoy.org.
RETAILERS Amazing Toys David Campbell 515 Central Ave. Great Falls, MT 59401 (406) 727-5557 davec@amazingtoys.net Artbeat Jan Whitted 212A Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, MA 02474 (781) 646-2200 Jan@artbeatonline.com www.artbeatonline.com Beecon Learning LLC Michelle Roberts 2012 Farrington St. Dallas, TX 75254 (877) 923-3266 mroberts@beaconlearning.com www.beeconlearning.com Big Grinns LLC dba Mountain Top Toys Patrick Holland 1231 Taft Hwy. Signal Mountain, TN 37377 (423) 886-6943 mountaintoptoys@gmail.com www.mountaintoptoys.com Bloomsbury Lane Toy Shoppe Tracy Diegelman 1 West Main St. Lancaster, NY 14086 (716) 684-0821 Tracydiegelman@yahoo.com BNG Venture Joel Breuer 1160 59th St. Brooklyn, NY 11219 (347) 422-6634 jb@bngventure.com Books & Co. ... Toys, too! Jerry Nay 406 Jackson Ave. Lexington, VA 24450 (540) 463-1955 jerrynay@jerrynay.us 32 August 2013
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Bright Idea Toys Nancy Dark 1050 Schnucks Woods Mill Plaza Town and Country, MO 63017 (636) 386-8300 brightideatoys@aol.com Brilliant Sky Toys & Books (Mishka’s Marvelous Toys LLC) Maya Pomroy 701 S Capital of Texas Hwy. Suite D-480 Austin, TX 78746 (512) 347-8697 mpomroy@brilliantskytoys.com www.austintoystores.com The Collectors Depot LLC Michael Olafsson 64 E. Uwchlan Ave. #221 Exton, PA 19341 (610) 721-6288 mikeo@bullmarkettoys.com www.bullmarkettoys.com Chris Mansell Covered In Comfort 9626 S. Claremont Chicago, IL 60643 (708) 715-1460 Fax: (708) 715-1460 chrismansell @coveredincomfort.com Doodle Doo’s Dana Rywelski 11 Christopher St. New York, NY 10014 (212) 627-3667 vendors@doodledoos.com www.doodledoos.com Edgewater Books Ken Kennedy 951 Central Ave. Edgewater, MD 21037 (443) 454-2803 ken.kennedy2@gmail.com www.edgewaterbooks.com
Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Castle Shops Renee Krueger 713 S. Main St. Frankenmuth, MI 48734 (989) 652-9985 rkrueger@bavarianinn.com www.bavarianinnrestaurant.com Fundemonium Jean Elliott 171 N. McDowell Blvd. Petaluma, CA 94954 (707) 762-9200 jeane@fundemoniumtoys.com www.fundemoniumtoys.com Go Big Skills Store Cesar Conde 16211 W 80th Pl. Lenexa, KS 66219 (913) 485-2716 cesargconde@yahoo.com Goodies Texas Alex Lanio 114 N Tennessee St. McKinney, TX 75069 (972) 542-3040 alex@goodiestexas.com www.goodiestexas.com The Haymarket Susan Hay 2120 Long Beach Blvd. Ship Bottom, NJ 08008 (609) 494-7228 haymktlbi@aol.com www.haymarketlbi.com HobbyTown USA-Knoxville Gary Phillips 11364 Parkside Dr. Knoxville, TN 39734 (865) 675-8650 gary@hobbytownTN.com www.hobbytown.com Hom Bom Toys Ilene Gayer 1500 First Ave. New York, NY 10021 (212) 717-5300 twingalstwo@aol.com
Homewood Toy & Hobby Tricia McCain 2830 S. 18th St. Homewood, AL 35209 (205) 879-3986 hwdtoy@bellsouth.net www.homewoodtoy-hobby.com
Kite Stop John Lutter 379 Cheney Hwy. #227 Titusville, FL 32780 (321) 613-8697 john@kitestop.com www.kitestop.com
Incredible Toy Company Inc Kathleen Rowell 3411 Hwy. 321 South Blowing Rock, NC 28605 (828) 264-1422 itc@incredibletoycompany.com www.incredibletoycompany.com
LAT Toys Lora Wright 1886 Wingate Ln. Wheaton, IL 60189 (630) 877-2199 lorawright2004@yahoo.com
JAKE’s Toy Box Dan Driver 14455 W 64th Ave. Arvada, CO 80004 (720) 974-3222 Jakestoybox2010@gmail.com www.Jakestoyboxonline.com Kathy’s Kreations Enterprises Inc. Kathy Daniel 4501 Lascassas Pike Murfreesboro, TN 37130 (615) 890-9886 Kiddywampus Amy Saldanha 4400 Excelsior Blvd. St Louis Park, MN 55416 (952) 926-7871 amy@kiddywampus.com www.kiddywampus.com Kids’ Therapy Place LLC Alyssa Colton 100 E. Main St. Bogota, NJ 07603 (201) 525-0050 kidstplace@yahoo.com KidSnips Kim Stolze 2920 N Commonwealth Ave. Chicago, IL 60657 (312) 943-4255 kimstolze@kidsnips.com
Laugh‘N’Learn Toy Shops Susan Morris 9752 - 170 St. N.W. Edmonton, AB T5T 5L4 Canada (780) 436-0778 toys@laughnlearn.ca www.laughnlearn.ca Learning Safari Kathra Carter 301 Market St. Dogwood Plaza Seneca, SC 29678 (864) 885-9016 lsafari@bellsouth.net Liapela Corp Alejandra James 358 San Lorenzo Ave. 3225 Coral Gables, FL 33146 (305) 441- 0658 hello@liapela.com www.liapela.com Little Pnuts Melissa Beese 5701 Bancroft Dr. New Orleans, LA 70122 (818) 384-8275 Melissa@littlepnuts.com
Lopez Enterprises Inc. dba Childhood - The Smart Store for Kids Cynthia Lopez Plaza Dorada Shopping Dorado PR 669 Mar De Cortes Paseo Los Corales Dorado, PR 646 (787) 796-5590 lopezcastellano@hotmail.com www.childhoodpr.com Main Street Toy Shoppe Kim LaRocca 412 Main St. Franklin, TN 37064 (615) 790-4869 info@mainstreettoyshoppe.com Marco’s Emporium John Piwowarski 574 Newark-Pomptom Tpk. Pompton Plains, NJ 07444 (973) 835-3443 jpmarcosnj@aol.com www.marcosemporium.com Marvin’s Toy Store Lori McConville 1807 Blossom St. Crystal Lake, IL 60014 (815) 382-2731 marvinstoys@gmail.com Mermaids By The Sea Nathalie Barnes 5258 Linton Blvd. #303 Del Ray Beach, FL 33484 (561) 542-5305 ucsfnat@mac.com Monkey’s Uncle Joe O’Brien 808 Bay St. Beaufort, SC 29902 (843) 263-6409 obrientoys@gmail.com North County Retail LLC Erik Orezechowski 110 B Freeman St. Oceanside, CA 92054 (760) 529-1732 nocoretail@gmail.com
Northwoods Children’s Museum Rouleen Gartner P.O. Box 216 346 W. Division St. Eagle River, WI 54521 (715) 479-4623 rgartner.ncm@frontier.com www.northwoods childrensmuseum.com Oliver’s Trains & Toys Bogdan Rogalski 2002 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201 (847) 424-1940 bogdan@oliverstrains.com www.oliverstrains.com Palo Alto Sport Shop & Toy World Inc. Edward Hoffacker 526 Waverley St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 328-8555 edhoff@aol.com www.ToyandSport.com Pretend Time Toys Gina Bieller 121 Northam Ct. Sidell, LA 70458 (877) 368-2622 order@pretendtimetoys.com www.pretendtimetoys.com Pun’s Toy Shop Joseph Berardoni 839 1/2 W. Lancaster Ave. Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 (610) 525-9789 customerservice@punstoys.com www.punstoys.com RayJay Inc. Elissa Weiss 260 Altessa Blvd. Melville, NY 11747 (631) 455-3469 rayjaygifts@gmail.com Retroactive Kids Beth Reyes 4859 Rainier Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98118 (206) 932-3154 info@retroactivekids.com www.retroactivekids.com
Robyn’s Nest Robyn Johnson 2235 W. Cabana Ave. Mesa, AZ 85202 (602) 400-0149 sales@robynsnestresale.com San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe Inc. Betty Takeuchi 2424 Huntington Dr. San Marino, CA 91108 (626) 309-0222 bt44@earthlink.net School House Tom Sieber 770 Willard Dr. Green Bay, WI 54304 (920) 499-7999 Tom@SchoolHouseGB.com www.schoolhousegb.com Shenanigans Toys Inc. Debra Thompson 100 N. Peachtree Pkwy. 8B Peachtree City, GA 30269 (678) 364-0814 toys@shentoys.com www.shentoys.com Simplicity ABC A Suraphong Liengboonlertchai 107 Park Ln. Kirkland, WA 98033 (425) 250-1186 a@simplicityabc.com www.simplicityabc.com Something Safari Pei-Lin Yap 314 Water St. Excelsior, MN 55331 (952) 428-9116 somethingsafari@gmail.com www.somethingsafari.com The Strong Jessica Silva 1 Manhattan Square Rochester, NY 14607 (585) 410-6321 jsilva@thestrong.org www.thestrong.org Stuffed Animal Farm Karen Goodwin 2863 SW 92nd Terrace Gainesville, FL 32608 (352) 258-4886 kbgoodwin@cox.net
Publicity That Counts!
Your Public Relations Experts on Kids' Stuff for Over 18 Years. Call Lisa Orman, 608-767-1102 or email Lisa@KidStuffPR.com. astratoy.org
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Stuffed Safari Troy Powell 2701 East Ash St. Springfield, IL 62703 (217) 638-4234 tpowell@stuffedsafari.com www.stuffedsafari.com
Toy Market Kelly Donio 204 Bellevue Ave. Hammonton, NJ 08037 (609) 561-2121 kelly@mytoymarket.com www.mytoymarket.com
T.G.F. Toys LLC Kevin Wiley 255 N. 950 W. Suite C19 Logan, UT 84321 (435) 563-5227 customerservice@tgftoys.com www.tgftoys.com
Toy Time David Ackelson 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 211 Kansas City, MO 64108 (816) 221-8697 toytime1@gmail.com
The Toggery Phil Olinghouse 5919 R St. Little Rock, AR 72207 (501) 663-8662 phil@toggerykids.com www.Toggerylr.com
Village Toys LLC Brendhan Quinn 7439 SW Bridgeport Rd. Tigard, OR 97224 (503) 752-0669 brendhan @bridgeportvillagetoys.com www.bridgeportvillagetoys.com
Tipo’s Toy Box Lewis Tipograph 921 Farm Haven Dr. Rockville, MD 20852 (301) 881-2432 ltipo49@gmail.com Tortue Josianne Gagnon 168 Rue de la Rotonde Verdun, QC H3E 0B6 Canada (514) 508-6033 josiannegagnon@videotron.ca Tout About Toys Linda Kahrs 1530 Gilbreth Rd. Burlingame, CA 94010 (650) 692-1669 linda@toutabouttoys.com www.toutabouttoys.com Town Square Toys LLC Stephanie Moos 215 N. Walnut Creek Dr. #101 Mansfield, TX 76063 (817) 453-8697 orders@townsquaretoys.com www.townsquaretoys.com
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United Art and Education Suzy Roberts 4413 Airport Expy. Fort Wayne, IN 46809 (260) 478-1121 sroberts@unitednow.com www.unitednow.com
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William’s Store Florence Allen 2356 Ingleside Ave. Macon, GA 31204 (478) 750-7519 florence@williamsstore.com www.williamsstore.com Wishes LLC Heather Coleman 2424 159th Ave. NE Snohomish, WA 98290 (425) 350-0482 wishestoysbooksgames @gmail.com www.ebeanstalk.com Keri Dempsey 500 Bic Dr. Milford, CT 06461 (203) 301-4141 kdempsey@ebeanstalk.com www.ebeanstalk.com
Zeebee Toys Shaun Zink 1709 Airline Hwy., Suite L Hollister, CA 95023 (831) 588-4694 shaun_zink@outlook.com www.zeebeetoys.com
MANUFACTURERS Appstart Learning LLC Josh Tyler 1912 21st Ave. South, Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 594-2621 josh.tyler@appstartllc.com www.appstartllc.com Arklu Ltd. Lucie Follett 47 Beaufort Mansions, Beaufort St. London, UK, ON SW3 5AG (207) 376-4484 retailers@arklu.com www.lottie.com Bits & Pieces Richard Roberts P.O. Box 857 476 Missing Link Rd. Springfield, VT 05156 (802) 885-1725 rroberts.bitsandpieces @gmail.com Bling2o Palma Reyes 1A Crossways Park Dr. West Woodbury, NY 11797 (516) 223-5020 info@bling2o.com www.bling2o.com Blum Robert Thompson 75 Parker St. Newburyport, MA 01950 (978) 465-0409 robert.thompson@tannincorp.com www.blum-usa.com
Brer Rabbit Toys LLC Mimi Stella 140 Franklin Ave. Maplewood, NJ 07040 (979) 996-2031 mimi@brerrabbittoys.com brerrabbittoys.com The DDR Group Romesh Fernando 11271 Ventura Blvd. #411 Studio, CA 91604 (877) 232-4593 info@myflipperusa.com www.myflipperusa.com Dream Big Wholesale Doll Clothes Alina Grewal 122 Millbrook Rd. Hardwick, NJ 07825 (888) 362-9712 sales@dreambigwholesaledoll.com www.dreambigwholesaledoll.com Fling A Ring LLC Heather Wojtaszek 8066 Tipsico Lake Rd. Holly, MI 48442 (248) 321-0700 originalflingaring@gmail.com www.flingaring.com Galt Toys Beau James One Corporate Dr. Grantsville, MD 21536 (301) 895-3792 Beau@BeauJamesGroup.Com www.GaltToys.com Ginsey Home Solutions Mary Fullam 2078 Center Square Rd. Swedesboro, NJ 08085 (856) 905-3130 mfullam@ginsey.com www.ginsey.com Great American Projects Inc. Mark Micieli 20881 Freedom Run Dr. Lexington Park, MD 20653 (866) 924-5552 mark@greatamericanprojects.com www.theaquapod.com
Greenwich Pictures Limited Patrick Burchell 14 Frobisher Court 10 Old Woolwich Rd. Greenwich, London SE10 9TE 4.4020829391e+012 patrick@greenwichpictures.co.uk www.greenwichpictures.co.uk InScribe Inc. Randy Hirschorn 9 Micro Dr. Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 933-3331 rhirschorn@inscribe.com www.inscribe.com J. Mason Ventures LLC Andre Branch 454 W. 54th St. Unit 3H New York, NY 10019 (914) 318-8022 andre.branch@gmail.com Jack Rabbit Creations Inc. Erica Lancaster 1039 Vance Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30306 (404) 876-4225 erica@jackrabbitcreations.com www.jackrabbitcreations.com Kahootz Toys Doug Cass 772 Airport Blvd., Suite 1 Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (734) 222-9798 doug@kahootztoys.com www.kahootztoys.com The Kids Watch Company LLC Brent Hennig PO Box 152 Tucker, GA 30085 (678) 395-4975 sales@thekidswatchcompany.com www.thekidswatchcompany.com Kineti-Go Magnetic Games Michael Stromberg 20 River St. Guilford, CT 06437 (203) 645-8144 mike@kinetigo.com www.kinetigo.com
Kristins Gifts Kristina Boudaeva 5139 Decarie Blvd., Suite 205 Montreal, QC H3W 3C2 Canada (514) 906-0045 kristina@kristinsgifts.com www.kristinsgifts.com Laser Pegs Ventures LLC Jon Capriola 8304 Consumer Ct. Sarasota, FL 34240 (941) 371-0909 sales@laserpegs.com www.laserpegs.com Lundby Beau James One Corporate Dr. Grantsville, MD 21536 (855) 431-3920 info@LundbyNA.Com www.micki.se/en/lundby Lusan (USA) LLC dba Regal Doll Carriages Lou Papaleo PO Box 203 Kew East LPO Kew East, Vic 3102 Australia 613 9857 0504 lou@lusan.com www.regaldollcarriages.com Madame Alexander Doll Company Marie Nastasi 112 W 34TH St., Suite 1207 New York, NY 10120 (212) 244-4500 mnastasi@kahnlucas.com Magformers Christopher Tidwell 417 Forest Ave. Plymouth, MI 48170 (734) 667-1673 tidwell@magformers.com www.magformers.com Monster Factory Bliss Man 471 Richmond St. West Unit 102 Toronto, ON M5V 1X9 Canada (416) 913-6673 bliss@monsterfactory.net www.monsterfactory.net 36 August 2013
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Oofdah! Games Inc. Michael Zanetti PO Box 320331 Fairfield, CT 06825 (203) 448-9062 orders@thegategame.com www.thegategame.com Ozwest Inc. Cindy Baker 920 SW 3rd Ave., Suite 300 Portland, OR 97204 (503) 324-8018 cindy@zingtoys.com www.zingtoys.com PocketPeople Avenue Inc. Sarah Masri 2445 E. 12th St. Unit B Los Angeles, CA 90021 (213) 596-9680 sarah@pocketpeopleavenue.com www.pocketpeopleavenue.com Santoki LLC Sun Yu 2850 Coolidge Hwy. Berkley, MI 48072 (855) 726-8654 laurie@santoki.com Schoolbags For Kids Luis Garcia 201 Post St. 2nd Fl. San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 946-5981 luis@schoolbagsforkids.com www.bixbee.com Shwings Elliot Hans 137 N Larchmont Blvd. #227 Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 422-4345 elliot@shwingsonline.com www.shwingsonline.com Snowtime Anytime Dianne Syme 3892 S. Spiceland Rd. New Castle, IN 47362 (765) 520-1604 mdsyme10@gmail.com www.snowtimeanytime.com
Southern Hobby Supply DBA Sales First Distributing Adam Lovell 211 Ellery Ct. Nashville, TN 37214 (615) 366-5858 alovell@southernhobby.com Stachetats Trace Adams 425 S McClintock Dr., Suite 1 Tempe, AZ 85281 (303) 416-0575 tadams@stachetats.com www.stachetats.com Starpath Dolls (Pitt Street Doll Company LLC) Anita Winsor 213 South Pitt St. Alexandria, VA 22134 (202) 669-8081 anita@starpathdolls.com www.starpathdolls.com
ToyLabs Tim Curley 175 Fairbanks Ave. San Carlos, CA 94070 (650) 520-6260 tim@toylabs.com www.toylabs.com Tudor Games Inc. Doug Strohm 2459 215th Ave. SE Sammamish, WA 98075 (800) 914-8836 doug@tudorgames.com www.tudorgames.com Yamie Chess Ltd. Tunde Reid-Kapo 5348 Vegas Dr., Suite 736 Las Vegas, NV 89108 (702) 605-4678 management@yamiechess.com www.yamiechess.com Zoku LLC Ken Zorovich 720 Monroe St., Suite C308 Hoboken, NJ 07030 (201) 604-1253 ken@zokuhome.com
Sun Moon Enterprises Inc. Phil MacAllister PO Box 52914 Irvine, CA 92619 (714) 566-5919 philmacallister@shnoozles.com
AFFILIATES
Tactic USA Inc. Patrick Manning One Corporate Dr. Grantsville, MD 21536 (703) 474-2122 patrick.manning@tactic.net www.tactic.net/usa
Adventure Publishing Jackie Breyer 307 7th Ave. Room 1601 New York, NY 10001 (212) 575-4510 jbreyer@adventurepub.com www.toybook.com
Teddy Tank Spencer Grabois PO Box 800149 Aventura, FL 33280 (305) 528-3038 spencer@teddytank.com www.teddytank.com
Dallas Market Center Eva Walsh 2100 N. Stemmons Frwy. MS# 630 Dallas, TX 75207 (214) 655-6289 ewalsh@mcmcmail.com www.dallasmarketcenter.com
TheFirstBIKE Company Inc. Joseph Rumley 300 N. Third St., Suite 420 Wilmington, NC 28401 (910) 795-2001 joseph@firstbike.us www.firstbike.us
Green Kids Club Sylvia Medina PO Box 50030 Idaho Falls, ID 83405 (208) 520-8353 smedina@cableone.net www.green-kids-club.com
Medina Funtastic Toyz Edmund Wright 140 West Washington St. Medina, OH 44256 (330) 952-1130 funtastictoyz@gmail.com Shopatron Ryan Kirkpatrick 825 Buckley Rd., Suite 200 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (805) 269-5170 rkirkpatrick@shopatron.com www.ecommerce.shopatron.com TUV Rheinland of North America Tina Blazer 2709 SE Otis Corley, Suite11 Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 250-0058 tblazer@us.tuv.com www.tuv.com
MANUFACTURER SALES REPRESENTATIVES Amy Albert Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8508 amy.albert@mainstreetreps.com Cheryll Baer Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8511 cheryl.baer@mainstreetreps.com Sharyn Baker Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8513 sharyn.baker@mainstreetreps.com
Stephanie Berry Toyservice 2050 Stemmons Frwy. Unit 106 Dallas, TX 75207 (866) 486-9779 Fax: (214) 698-9605 stephanie@toyserviceinc.com Patrick Brennan Diverse Marketing 324 Osborn Ave. Point Pleasant, NJ 08742 (732) 570-6093 Fax: (732) 749-1259 pat.brennan@yahoo.com Penny Brode BDC Group 36816 Elk Cove Farmington Hills, MI 48331 (248) 661-0108 Fax: (248) 661-0109 pbrode@twmi.rr.com Rob Cox BDC Group 33250 Miles Rd. Solon, OH 44139 (440) 542-0773 Fax: (440) 542-0774 Rob@bdcgroup.net Aubree Cox Grieco BDC Group 5190 SOM Center Rd. Solon, OH 44139 (440) 349-2453 Fax: (440) 349-1138 aubrey@bdcgroup.net Alison Davenport-Stueve Toyservice 2050 Stemmons Frwy. Unit 106 Dallas, TX 75207 (866) 486-9779 alison@toyserviceinc.com Tony Davis Rep Force One 4488 Galway Dr. Winterville, NC 28590 (252) 558-7627 tony@rfotoys.com
Maureen D’Haene Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8505 maureen.dhaene @mainstreetreps.com
Tammy Johnston Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1314 Fax: (978) 474-8501 tammy.johnston @mainstreetreps.com
Donna Nelson Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (802) 249-0969 Fax: (866) 889-5648 donna.nelson @mainstreetreps.com
Candy Fitzgerald Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8506 candy.fitzgerald@mainstreetreps.com
Jay Kanefsky J. A. Kane Inc. 4564 Indian Rock Terr. NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 342-3844 Fax: (202) 333-4776 jaykanefsky@gmail.com
Heidi Park Park Avenue Agents 6100 4th Ave. S, Suite 105 Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 779-4231 Fax: (206) 762-7447
Kristn Halfmann Toyservice 711 Windcrest Keller, TX 76248 (817) 266-9676 Fax: (817) 704-4573 kristn@toyserviceinc.com
Joyce LaMonica Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8503 joyce.lamonica @mainstreetreps.com
Thomas Hedlund Classic & Associates 10301 Bren Rd. West, Suite B-169 Minnetonka, MN 55343 (952) 933-3500 Fax: (952) 933-0214 Thedlund@classic-toys.net
Mary Jane Maglione Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8514 maryjane.maglione @mainstreetreps.com
Melissa Held Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (206) 913-2657 Fax: (978) 474-8509 melissa.held@mainstreetreps.com
Kenly McKoy-Chivers Carolina Marketplace Inc. 1616 Jordan St. Camden, SC 29020 (843) 452-7895 Fax: (803) 753-0100 kenlymckoy@gmail.com
Helene Herwitz Toyservice 35 Country Fair Ln. St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 991-9647 Fax: (314) 991-3233 helene@toyserviceinc.com
Becky Morrison Carolina Marketplace Inc. 1616 Jordan St. Camden, SC 29020 (843) 452-7895 Fax: (803) 753-0100 kenlymckoy@gmail.com Fred Myres Toyservice 2401 Hillside Dr. Dallas, TX 75214 (214) 616-0148 Fax: (214) 824-2582 fred@toyserviceinc.com
John Park Park Avenue Agents 6100 4th Ave. S, Suite 105 Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 779-4231 Fax: (206) 762-7447 john@parkavenueagents.com Renee Piediscalzo Toyservice 3000 Severn Ave., Suite 4 Metairie, LA 70002 (985) 705-0830 Fax: (504) 324-0741 renee@toyserviceinc.com
Debbie Smith Toyservice 10750 S Cedar Niles Circle Olathe, KS 66061 (913) 634-8255 Fax: (772) 618-8255 debbie@toyserviceinc.com Tracy Spann Toyservice 2803 Stanton St. Houston, TX 77025 (713) 927-2082 Fax: (713) 481-8304 tracy@toyserviceinc.com Traci Thompson Main Street Reps Inc. 44 Haggetts Pond Rd. Andover, MA 01810 (978) 259-1307 Fax: (978) 474-8504 traci.thompson @mainstreetreps.com Ann-Maree White 2229 Wycliffe Ave. Roanoke, VA 24014 5406764359 Fax: (804) 467-0405 annmaree.white@gmail.com
Kacie Price Toyservice 8701 Lakehurst Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73120 (405) 517-8187 Fax: (866) 204-0423 kacie@toyserviceinc.com
ASTRA
Richard Roberts P.O. Box 857 476 Missing Link Rd. Springfield, VT 05156 (802) 885-1725 Fax: (802) 885-4483 robertsnorth@vermontell.net Charley Rogers Diamond R Sales PO Box 767354 Roswell, GA 30076 (770) 752-9892 Fax: (206) 202-4314 progersga@hotmail.com
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August 2013 37
News
We are a manufacturer not a jobber!
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Complete
BOARD GAME & CARD GAME Production
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DO-A-DOT ART!ÂŽ
"EING CREATIVE HAS NEVER BEEN SO FUN 4HE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
UPCOMING WEBINAR Engaging Your Local Market Through Facebook 11 a.m. CST Tuesday, August 6 Social media is a fantastic way to build an online community around your brand â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but how do you translate that to foot traffic in your store? During this webinar, learn tips and tricks for engaging your local market through Facebook. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discuss content ideas, how to decipher and get the most out of your analytics, setting up marketing campaigns through Facebook and more. Contact Cayrn Giznik at cgiznik@astratoy.org to register.
All webinars are recorded and available to download at astratoy.org under â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business Resources.â&#x20AC;? You must be logged in to view the webinars.
ASTRA WINS: Working in Networks for Success
CALL TODAY FOR OUR FOURTH QUARTER EARLY BIRD SPECIALS! Phone 800-436-8278 | Fax 818-597-1256 orderprocessing@dotart.com
38 August 2013
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ASTRA is now giving retailers the opportunity to connect and grow with like-minded merchants in the specialty toy industry. ASTRA is creating small networks of retailers who can learn from one another and share their experience as a specialty toy store owner. Just tell us a little bit about your business, and ASTRA WINS will make the connection and set you up in groups of up to 10 people who share your interests. Groups will be assigned a group leader and will meet on a regular basis as time permits, using the medium of their choosing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are matched by store type, size and similarity,â&#x20AC;? explains Katherine McHenry of Building Blocks Toys in Chicago, who conceived the idea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not necessarily by region, and definitely not too close to one other in consideration of competitors.â&#x20AC;? Get started by filling out the short questionnaire at astratoy.org under the â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Membersâ&#x20AC;? tab, and click on ASTRA WINS. ASTRA
“Empowering America’s Retailers” POINT • • • • •
OF SALE Customer Loyalty and History Lookups High Speed Credit Card Authorization Elimination of End of Day and Month Processing Real-Time Data Transmission Gift Card/Store Credit Tracking
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Exceptional Open to Buy by Company or Store Forecasting and Allocation Seamless Special Order Processing Automatic Reordering
INVENTORY CONTROL
REAL-TIME RETAIL RELIABLE
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Automatic and Recommended Transfers Markdown Management Encyclopedic Audit Trail Real-Time On-Hand Inquiries Physicals without Business Interruption
INTUITIVE E-COMMERCE
PARTIAL CUSTOMER LISTING Barston’s Child’s Play The Children’s General Store Crackerjacks Creative Kidstuff Curious Kidstuff Doodlehopper 4 Kids Froggies 5 and 10 G Whillikers Green Caboose Growing Tree Toys Jackrabbit Toys
Kits ‘N Kaboodle Larson’s Toys & Games Once Upon a Time Pip Squeak and Wilfred Playfair Toys Smart Toys and Books ToySmart Timeless Toys Toy House Toys That Teach Wondrous Things Zoom
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DO-IT-YOURSELF NEVER LOOKED THIS GOOD!