PrintLooking to buy something different for the children this Christmas?
Maybe a Lego model of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, an American-made wooden log building set, or a furry Calico Critter figure instead of this year's hot ticket item the Zhu Zhu Pets robotic hamster?
Locally owed, independent toy stores hope they have the answer. Owners say shoppers are more likely to find unique, specialty toys in their shops than in big-box national chains. To compete, local toy stores say they must offer such products.
"We don't go on volume buying; we look for the quality toys, with a lot of educational play behind it" that allow youngsters to use their imagination, said Angel Stahl, owner of Angel's Toy Barn at Westmoreland Mall near Greensburg.
Independent toy stores can't afford to offer customers popular toys at give-away prices, to get them into the store in hopes of buying other merchandise, said Stahl, who has owned the store for 6 years.
"They need to offer the right combination. They need to feature some of the 'hot items,' maybe 10-to-15 percent of the store, but the majority of the store should be specialized toys," said James Silver, a toy industry analyst and editor of TimetoPlayMag.com.
Toys are big business, totaling $21.4 billion nationally for the 12 months ended Oct. 1, a 3 percent drop from a year ago.
Competition is intense. Retailer KB Toys went bankrupt and closed its 461-store chain this year. That left Toys 'R Us as the major name in the toy category. To grab market share, Sears opened toy departments in 20 stores, Wal-Mart stocked "100 toys under $10" and Target vowed to match any toy price.
A different product is the Ezy Roller, a child's riding machine that children can move by pushing each foot against an extender bar that moves a single front wheel, Stahl said.
"There's no electricity and no battery involved. It's all kid-powered. They are exercising while they are having fun," Stahl said.
Independently owned toy stores have benefited indirectly from chains cutting deals with toy manufacturers for the cheapest price, said Paige Beal, an assistant marketing professor at Point Park University, Downtown. Pushing toy production overseas has raised concern about both quality and safety, Beal noted, so customers are more assured buying independent stores' products.
A mix of unusual products that the big box stores do not carry can make a toy store a destination point that attracts customers from miles away, said Nadine Shingleton, a co-manager of Playthings etc, a toy store along Route 8 in Clay, Butler County.
"We carry a lot of classic toys from all eras. We carry a lot of toys made in the U.S.A., made by manufacturers that can't or don't want to deal with the mass merchandisers," said Shingleton, who owns the store with her husband, Todd. Among those toys are the Roy Toy wooden log building sets made by a Maine company, said Shingleton, who has operated the store for four years.
Two sisters new to the business opened a Learning Express franchise last month at the Settlers Ridge shopping complex in Robinson because they saw a need for quality educational toys, said Jennifer Palashoff, who runs the store with her twin, Julie Toussaint.
"We have some unique Learning Express products that are competitively-priced with the big box stores," Palashoff said.
At the Toy Box in Ligonier, owner Catherine Crawford said she's opted not to sell toys that she can't price competitively with the big-box stores.
"We have a very eclectic collection of toys, games and puzzles. We try to do the unusual things, like a (toy) boutique. That's what our customers want," said Crawford, who has operated the store since 1987.
S.W. Randall Toyes & Gifts, Downtown, has a broader selection than the national chains, and that sets it apart, said store manager Paul Caplan. It has 300 jigsaw puzzles, compared to about 20 at a national chain, said Caplan.
"I can't compete (against national chains) in price, but I can compete in selection and customer service," said Caplan.
The Lego Fallingwater set has 811 plastic bricks that form the famous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house over a waterfall in Mill Run, Fayette County.
"This is going to be our No. 1 best-selling Lego set ever," said Caplan. "It's a big seller with children, as well as adults."
