Talking Shop
Here comes the summer! Our indies this month are turning over a new leaf, with new premises and developments – and in one case their first store. Sam Giltrow finds out what’s keeping them busy this summer. David Brown -
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Browns Toy Shop, Bonnybridge
e are a very new shop – we only opened seven weeks ago - but we’re very pleased with trading so far. My wife Nicole and I have two children ourselves, aged seven and two, and as the seven-year-old is severely autistic, we’ve been constantly trying to find different sensory toys for him online. We struggled, and they all proved very expensive, so we decided we had to do something. For kids with autism, toys are not just items to amuse them but aids which are very much needed to comfort and calm. I thought why not be the one to change things and stock a good range of sensory lines as part of a general toy shop? My initial plan was to sell online, but I got in touch with a few suppliers, and many told me they would only accept bricks and mortar accounts, as so many people had tried to set up online stores during the Covid-19 pandemic. A shop I drive past every day came up for rent; after giving it serious consideration for a few weeks, I eventually decided to take the plunge and just go for it. I’m still working as a manager in a company which sells car parts and combining that job with working in the shop with Nicole. Although I had no specific toy experience, I was still selling a product and to be honest, this is a bit more fun than dealing with mechanics! I contacted Toymaster when initially setting up the business and they were very helpful. I also had help and advice from Ian Melville at Bright Star Toys in Linlithgow, who gave me contact details for suppliers. I was able to meet some of them at the Toymaster show in May, and we now have orders in place with a host of well-known names like Ravensburger, Galt, Orchard Toys, Ty, A.B.Gee, Bliss Distribution, Cheatwell Games, Kayes of Cardiff and Craft Buddy.
We’ve been delighted with footfall overall. In terms of standout lines, Ty plush has been a really strong seller, particularly the Squish-a-Boos. The Construct It range, which we get from Kayes of Cardiff, seems popular and the Eugy 3D models from Brainstorm are also a hit with our customers. We have already curated a range of sensory toys – the main reason for starting the business – and it’s an area which we are looking to grow. We have accounts with Rompa and Sensory Direct but once we’re over our initial opening period and the business settles, I plan to focus more on the sensory side of things. I’m looking forward to the summer holidays and a busy trading period. I was told the last few months would generally be quiet until the schools break up, but we have been doing pretty well, so I can only imagine it will be even busier during the summer. We’ve had excellent support from the local community since we opened, as the area hasn’t had anything like this for at least 30 years. We are also in the process of building an online presence to support the shop.
Toy World 35
