REDFIVE TOYS & COLLECTIBLES

REDFIVE

TOYS AND COLLECTIBLES

Toys are not just for children. Just ask Brian and Monica Rushby, owners of RedFive Toys and Collectibles in East Longmeadow.

The couple opened their shop at 55 Maple St. in 2021 and created a shop filled with nostalgia.

“We wanted to open a store that harkened back to toy stores of the ‘80s where kids could come in and be amazed – and overwhelmed – by all the toys of their favorite movies and TV shows,” said Brian. “Plus give ‘big kids’ a chance to reunite with the toys of their youth.”

The Rushbys are children of the ‘80s and they stocked the store with childhood memories.

“We chose to focus on toys that related back to what we grew up with in the 1980's,” Brian said, “Star Wars, GI Joe, Masters of the Universe, Transformers, Barbie, LEGO, etc … As toy store owners, we too like to revisit the brands and toys that were important to us as kids. What's better than reliving your childhood

every day at work?”

Even the store name is a throwback to Brian’s love of Star Wars: “RedFive” is the call sign of Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

For Brian, Star Wars and GI Joe action figures were the preferred toys of his youth.

“I was a huge action figure kid,” he said. “I can still remember the feeling I would get going into a toy store and seeing pegs and pegs of the action figures I wanted. It was such a magical feeling. The great thing is that we get to see this play out every day with our younger customers.”

Opening a store during a pandemic was risky, but it paid off for the Rushbys.

“COVID[-19] definitely helped families reunite with the idea of Family Game Nights,” said Brian. “Actually, COVID[-19] also forced people to stay inside which resulted in more time watching TV and movies which really helped fuel the toy and collectibles boom of late. I would definitely say that we have a larger ‘big kid’ clientele. People are really enjoying getting back into the collectible game, I think it brings out the inner child in all of us!”

RedFive Toys is ready for the holidays with a wide variety of collectibles, toys and games for all ages. Brian said there are some trends for the season.

“This year we expect LEGO and Pokémon to be

huge,” he said. “We are encouraging people to shop early, before the crowds really kick in. We also expect to see big things from Loungefly, which is a brand of pop culture themed mini backpacks. We are one of the largest dealers in Western Massachusetts and we are locked and loaded for the holiday season.”

RedFive has holiday hours for the month of December and will be open seven days a week instead of their usual six. And starting on Dec. 12, hours will be expanded to 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. MondaySaturday and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sundays.

“We can ship your purchases for you, or you can shop from home and choose our ‘Buy Online, Pick Up In Store’ feature and we will have your package ready for pick up whenever you are,” noted Brian.

IN ADDITION TO THE EAST LONGMEADOW STORE LOCATED AT 55 MAPLE ST, REDFIVE ALSO HAS ALL ITEMS FOR SALE ON ITS WEBSITE REDFIVETOYSANDCOLLECTIBLES.COM.