Talking Shop
The toys of summer
UK indie toy retailers are used to dealing with the ups and downs of the British weather, coping with the demands of rainy days, heatwaves and everything in between. Here, Sam Giltrow catches up with a selection of toy shop owners to find out how their summer season is going. Mike Masey & Teresa Carter Chocoloons, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry
W
e opened Chocoloons in October 2017 as a pop-up shop which was only supposed to be for 12 weeks, but we never closed! We decided to take the plunge and launch a permanent independent toy shop. With no background whatsoever in toys, we relied on our passion to create a child friendly space in our local town centre. The business developed and the shop grew until it was bursting at the seams; even then, customers were asking for products that we couldn’t fit in. Like many toy shops, we had a really good year in 2021, so we negotiated with the shopping centre to relocate to a bigger unit, where we officially opened at the beginning of June. Going from 960sq ft to 2,200sq ft saw the sales floor double in size compared to our previous store, and there is so much more we can do with the space. We have kept the smaller shop as a confectionery-only store, as the American candy we used to stock there remains popular. We try to be more diverse than the larger toy retailers in the area and have been able to bring in some different brands, particularly with products such as sensory toys as we try to meet the varying needs of children. During lockdown, we set up a website and delivered locally free of charge. We take a Chocoloons pop-up shop to events at local schools, as well as things like Christmas light switch-ons and even big music festivals; it’s important to us to be a part of the community. Since taking on the bigger premises, we have introduced a selection of outdoor toys, many of which we get from MV Sports & Leisure and One For Fun. We have added Schleich to our offering and expand some ranges from other suppliers. We have been able to reintroduce Playmobil, which we had to stop stocking in the original shop due to the space limitations, but
we’re delighted to be working with the team again; they have been really supportive of our new store. We have also grown our range of eco-friendly toys. There is a clear demand for more sustainable toys, so we make sure we have options that are non-plastic and have always stocked a good selection of wooden toys. A lot of customers describe our shop as a treasure trove; as well as carrying the high-profile brands that you can find in any toy shop, we have tried to work with other, smaller UK-based businesses because we believe that small businesses should support each other. We are located near the Giant’s Causeway, so we expect to be very busy over the summer holidays. The tourists visiting the area mean our summer season is always better than our Christmas period. Our current best-selling toys, by far, are Squishmallows from Jazwares. We have been stocking them for four years now, so have built up a good customer base both in-store and online. Soft toys, in general, are consistently strong sellers for us and we
Toy World 35
also sell high volumes of Ty and Pokémon plush. We try to offer a plush element for all our big, licensed ranges and find these are very popular. The pocket money section continues to be hugely popular – we had a phenomenal year in 2021 with the fidget toy craze and that has followed on through to this year. I think the demand is a knock-on effect of the current economic climate. We have also seen buoyant sales from dinosaur toys due to the latest Jurassic World movie, particularly the range from Mattel. We have a real passion for what we do, and we love to see the children’s smiles when they come in and spend their own money. We are looking forward to developing our new shop even further. We have a room at the back which we would very much like to turn into an experience/crafting area for children. More floor space will also allow us to bring in bigger items for Christmas, which we weren’t always able to do at the other store. I think we were considered a pocket money destination before, but now we can offer so much more.
