Indie Opinion - Diary of a Toy Shop by Hazel McCarthy, owner of Toy Corner in Galway

Diary of a toy shop

Hazel McCarthy, owner of Toy Corner in Galway, shares her business to-do list, from tasks completed to upcoming projects

Icelebrated reopening on 17 May by fi nally fi nishing my shopfront. It makes a real statement now, especially with the addition of a new fi gure for my doorway from Playmobil. The next job is interior signage for each section, which will be bilingual to acknowledge my location in the Connemara Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) region.

I’ve had wonderful comments from customers on my layout redesign, which I undertook during the January-May lockdown (and only fi nished the night before opening - it took every day of the full fi ve months!), which makes all the long hours worthwhile. Despite adding

I think it will be a brilliant “ Christmas for independents “

more shelving and stock, the feedback I’ve received is that the shop seems bigger… and at only 600sq ft, any additional space (even if only perceived) is welcome.

After the signage is completed I will undertake a project just as extensive and time-consuming as the redesign, but not nearly as noticeable - a new POS system. This will probably also require a new ecommerce website so that the two speak to each other and work together. I made a lot of mistakes when building my current site - there was a lot of trial and error, so I’ll be happy to collaborate with a professional this time!

Online trading has slowed down considerably since my door reopened but there are still sales coming through, and new customers fi nding us. I absolutely think it’s not only worthwhile but necessary to keep developing the site. A lot of customers (children and adults) tell me they saw something online and came into the shop to buy it, so it’s like a digital shop window, and we all know how important our windows are for sales.

Reward system

Since reopening, I’ve also launched my loyalty card, which has been really successful. It took me a day or so on the graphic design platform Canva (my favourite tool) to create a design and I’m delighted with the result. I’ve already given out more than 500 of them. The front has all my information on it so it doubles as a business card. Every ¤10 spent earns a stamp on the card and 15 stamps earns ¤10 off the next purchase. I fi nd it really helpful to have a standardised reward system. We all have customers who ask for a discount every time they come in no matter what they spend, and customers who never ask for anything who you would love to reward. This is a great way to deal with such situations in a fair way.

I’m also very pleased that I now have a staff member. We share hours in the shop, which has given me much-needed time to focus on ordering for Autumn/ Winter, which defi nitely needed more concentration than last year. With no POS system to rely on, and only last year as a benchmark for sales (and we all know what a year that was!) it’s been a bit of a guessing game. However, with prices increasing, delivery times lengthening and stock shortages, my strategy has been to buy early and in bulk from the biggest companies, and buy little and often from those whose supply and pricing is more stable. My thinking is that it’s better to have the stock and be looking at it, than be looking for it.

Everything Pokémon is fl ying out, especially the booster packs. I made sure I was well stocked in advance of reopening, despite having no indication that they would sell and my stock of everything is almost gone now!

Pocket money items are a consistent driver for footfall too. I’ve started creating a Sensory Box for ¤30, which is a great way to give a substantial gift, made up of the one toy category that kids really want these days: lots of small, squishy things!

Feeling positive

I’m keeping my fi ngers crossed that we’re at the end of closures and lockdowns here. If I can make it to Christmas it will be my longest period of being open consistently since I started my business in November 2019. However, for now, I’m just grateful to be back in the shop chatting to all my customers.

I’m feeling positive for the rest of the year and think it will be a brilliant Christmas for all independents in the under ¤50 price ranges, as extended family members will make up for the Christmas they didn’t have in 2020. The main way we will make an impression on them will be by sharing our product knowledge and offering advice, as a lot of relatives may not be as up to date with children’s interests as they would be normally, due to lack of contact. As passionate experts, we can help bridge that gap.