BUSINESS
story by Dee Lewis
The Toy Shop of Florence SOON TO BE KNOWN AS HAKABOHU
If you haven’t yet heard, there’s big news circling The Toy Shop of Florence. This May, they will be saying farewell to their beloved Hoffmeyer location and hello to a new spacious and fun spot on the south side of Florence. The new establishment will allow them to have play areas, events, and lots of demonstrations that kids of every age will enjoy. Along with the new space comes a fun new name, Hakabohu! Everything that surrounds this announcement screams EXCITEMENT! Before getting to the details, here's a short recap of the last nine years. In 2013, Brice and Kim Elvington purchased The Toy Shop from Brice’s parents. They already owned Florence Pediatric Dentistry where Kim is a dentist and Brice is the office manager. At that time, Brice and Kim had just had their first children, a set of twins, and Brice’s sister was also having her first child. “I could tell my mom was ready to be a full-time grandmother and not a business owner,” explains Brice. The Toy Shop had become a staple in Florence and the idea of it closing left Brice and Kim considering taking over ownership. After much prayer and planning, they became the new owners. Operating The Toy Shop came with its struggles. Brice had helped his parents long enough to know it was going to be financially challenging. “I looked at this opportunity as more of a real-world MBA program, where I could jump in and learn every aspect of it.” After five years, the shop still wasn’t at a break-even point. Brice began toying with the idea of officially closing. But even then, he couldn’t imagine himself completely leaving the toy industry. “I called some of my representatives and explained that even though we were closing, I still wanted to help them. Even if it meant I would work for free and pay my own travel,” said Brice. “One of my reps told me it sounded like I wasn’t quite ready to quit and encouraged me to give it a little more time. In that next year, things began to turn around. I became involved in the toy industry at a national level and went from planning to close the store to thinking of how to grow it bigger.” Brice remembers visiting The Toy Shop as a child, before his parents owned it, and the joy it brought him. He was an adult by the time his parents purchased the
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VIPMagSC.com
March 2022
Kim and Brice pictured with their children and Brice's mother, Susan
shop and would often visit and help around as needed. One of the reasons Brice wanted to keep the store open was so other children could also experience the joy of The Toy Shop. While balancing work and family is tough, Brice hopes that The Toy Shop, known soon as Hakabohu, will be a way he and Kim can be involved in business, be involved as parents, and be mentors to their children all at the same time. “The motto at our children’s school is ‘Play is the work of a child,’” says Brice. “We now have four children and their job is to play with everything we sell so I can see the play value associated with each item. As they get older, they’ll learn more about the business side of the store and how to engage with and build relationships with customers.” Brice and Kim have taken this opportunity to not only serve our community but educate their children. The growth The Toy Shop has experienced over the recent years is a motivation behind the new location. “We decided to move because we wanted enough space to do everything on-site,” explains Brice. They currently have to store things off-site, do their shipping off-site, get extra creative during the holidays with gift wrapping and inventory, and they can’t display all of the demos for kids to enjoy. “We hate to see a child walk in the store and feel like they can’t touch or play with the toys they are surrounded by. The place we are relocating to is next door to our other business so we can share resources. At the time of the initial decision to relocate, it was also the only way to financially make it work to stay open. Now that has changed and we are trusting that God wants it
