When buyers search for the perfect toy or game, they have two options: visit a brick-and-mortar store or purchase their desired product online. While specialty toy stores might have to compete with the vast, ever-changing digital landscape, they also provide services and smiles that shoppers can’t find online. These stores are reliable locations for families to find the proper toy, a warm friend, or discover a brand new interest. 

Some community-based retailers look to the connection and aid found through an American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) membership while serving local shoppers. ASTRA provides more than 1,800 independent retailers, sales representatives, and manufacturers with discounts, educational opportunities, and networking channels. ASTRA also hosts Marketplace & Academy, an annual gathering that brings specialty professionals together in a new city each year. 

Independent toy stores bring a certain flair to the retail experience that customers can’t get by clicking the “add to cart” button. With different products, events, and — for some — an ASTRA membership in their toy box, specialty retailers establish themselves as places to shop, learn, create, grow, and bond.

Specialty toy stores often focus on one factor that larger retailers and e-commerce sites struggle to offer shoppers: outstanding customer service. These retailers curate a warm, welcoming experience for residents and visitors. 

When it comes to toys, Julie Everitt, Co-owner of Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, is certain that her employees are real-life counterparts to Google — if a patron has a question about their stock, there’s no need to pull the phone out and scroll through pages of text. “As the owner, I like to keep our employees informed on our products. I find it is very important to know the toys so you can help the customer find the perfect gift that fits that child,” she says. 

This direct interaction and education is one major benefit of shopping at a community toy store. The in-person discussions can remove confusion and an endless amount of time searching the web, a factor that Sylvia Edwards, CEO of  Terra Toys, acknowledges. Terra Toys, established in 1978 in Austin, Texas, offers customers more than a sales floor and stocked shelves. 

“We intensively train all our employees in understanding the cognitive benefits of each toy we carry and how they enhance different levels of learning and play at different ages,” she says. “For example, we teach about the emotional and social impact of a toy as simple as a puppet, that children use them to cast different social identities in a safe place called ‘play’ and it helps with becoming an emotionally secure human … when you interact with the salespeople here at Terra Toys, you will learn basic tenets of play as we show you toys,” she explains.

Providing shoppers with an unchallenged level of expertise and the warmth that buyers can only receive from an in-person interaction paves the way for a store to establish itself as a community pillar. At Terra Toys, the local shopper’s experiences remain an employee’s priority, and community members recognize the importance of the brick-and-mortar store. “I believe that [when customers are] feeling loved and like you supported something meaningful, it has an impact. We also care for our regulars, and having a fun relationship with the customers brings them all back,” Edwards says. The employees-turned-friends at Terra Toys are sure to greet each customer at the entrance and aim for shoppers to feel like they’ve joined a party upon entering the toy store. 

As families feel the love and dedication from employees at local toy stores, the shops steadily build their names as community centers. This means branching out from basic retail to toy-, arts and crafts-, and game-based events and experiences for the whole family to share ideas, make new friends, and have some laughs.

“We are famous for interacting with our customers and demonstrating toys, [and] we regularly open candy bags and start impromptu candy sample times and show all kinds of things that engage people,” Edwards says. 

At The Toy Box, a community staple in Mamaroneck, New York since 1977, families can interact with different games before adding them to family game night. Nick Tarricone, who acquired the business earlier this year, has plans to introduce new events and experiences to the shop and the regulars. 

With support from the previous owner Steve Josephson, Tarricone wants to start hosting game nights, wine and paint nights, and showcase nights at The Toy Box. “I’m interested in hosting nights where we have somebody show a brand new game to the community and people can learn it and then play it … my hope is to start monthly events during the summer and then work up to biweekly and weekly events,” he says.

Through these events and opportunities to physically play with toys and items alongside friends and family, independent stores can serve as a third space for families and friends — community members can leave the office, school, or their home and meet in an area full of exciting toys and games. 

Of course, the relationship between a community and a retailer goes both ways: It’s mutually beneficial. When retailers invest in their community, the community will return the admiration — and often return to the store. “It really is a codependency or an interdependency between the store and the community. And we need each other so deeply,” Terricone says.

Visiting these stores becomes a multigenerational adventure as grandparents bring their grandkids to the locations they visited as kids, growing the relationship between retailers and families. As families create memories, kids remember the places that brought them joy and new additions to their collections. One kid-turned-filmmaker recently returned to The Toy Box to shoot an upcoming movie. 

However, many stores realize that for some customers, the ease of purchasing a toy online might outweigh the potential to integrate into the community or learn about play from staff members. Because of that, independent retailers are increasingly opening digital storefronts with an extension of personal service in mind. Parents and other gift-givers can order online for curbside pickup, local delivery, or traditional shipping.

While local toy stores foster community, independent retailers also need a similar community of their own — and for most, this is found through ASTRA. When store owners join ASTRA, they receive access to a member community message board, discounts on survey data, education and certification programs, and more. Most importantly, retailers involved in ASTRA can easily collaborate and discuss with fellow independent toy stores.

Whistle Stop has been an ASTRA member for approximately 15 years. The company underwent a few transformations since its start as Whistle Stop Antiques in 1969 and eventually found footing as a combination hobby shop and toy store in the ‘90s. To Wendy Bacon, Everitt’s sister and co-owner, the ability to speak to, learn from, and help educate other toy retailers is a partial reason for their membership of more than a decade. “ASTRA is such a great community to talk to other specialty retailers from other states and locally, to see what’s working for them, what’s trending, what new lines they may be trying. Those connections are made at the ASTRA conventions. We are always so inspired after each show.  The networking, education, discounts offered, and even services such as shipping discounts are just a few benefits from our membership,” Bacon says. 

For some retailers — even established ones— ASTRA’s events and offerings are unfamiliar territory. Despite serving as a community toy store in Texas for more than 40 years, Terra Toys joined ASTRA just this year. The decision to invest in membership came nearly 15 years after Edwards assumed the CEO position. “We are founded by a mix of introverted owners, and I think the reason we didn’t join for so long is that we heard from the occasional toy rep that ASTRA is a popularity contest or  ‘cool kids club’ and mainly for networking and getting to know people. Now, I see the benefits [of ASTRA], and I know that this is not all that ASTRA is,” Edwards says.

Terra Toys stocks products across more than 12,000 square feet of retail space and looks forward to discovering new items to join its product mix. “We are interested in expanding our network of fellow business owners [and] would like to learn about new cool toys. We also want to learn what works and doesn’t work for some companies, and what retail solutions they are exploring as they run their businesses. We joined ASTRA to participate in a larger network of toy people who can help and learn from each other,” she says.

While some stores wait to join, other owners incorporate the membership application into their initial to-do lists. Terricone at The Toy Box approached ASTRA almost immediately upon renovating the space. He believes meeting fellow ASTRA members at different events will provide exceptional learning opportunities, especially as he integrates into the industry. “From a long-term perspective, as somebody who is now becoming a student of the industry, wanting to stay in the loop … to be a part of this community … to learn as much as I can, it makes perfect sense. I am truly someone looking to learn. And as a result, I think ASTRA potentially has a lot more to offer me than a lot of other people, although I’m sure there is an incredible amount of value for anyone,” he says. 

While most shops closely follow toy trends and stay true to specific buying factors, discussions with other ASTRA members can provide insights and perspectives that have been overlooked. Understanding the successes and failures of other stores can create new avenues for ASTRA members looking to continue offering the best of the best to their community members. And, for local retailers, serving the community with their desired brands and products impacts the entire town. 

Outside of providing locals with quality toys, soft smiles, and a place to befriend others, specialty stores positively impact the financial well-being of their hometowns. As Edwards mentions, “We [Terra Toys] pay our local taxes, donate to local schools and charities, we employ the people who live here … some companies are so far removed from the city they are in that the money that goes into the store does not fuel or help the economy around it.”  When customers invest in local specialty stores, their time and money strengthen the fabric of the community. 

Terricone believes that the expanding interest in digital spaces will help highlight the need for specialty stores.“ As the world becomes more connected and reliant on the internet, I think we’re going to see a deeper need for community. And that’s what stores like ours service,” he says. The increasing number of ASTRA members suggests that other independent toy store owners might feel the same way.

As local toy stores become community cornerstones, ASTRA members and those behind the registers can watch the magic of independent retail unfold. Both the customers and the toy experts within the community are positively impacted by doors opening on a well-known, recognizable street. As Edwards mentions, “I have a wonderful and beautiful reason to go to work, and I get to help enhance the lives of children and transmit positive content and culture to children who might not know it … it is also so amazing to watch these children grow up over the years. The benefits are endless.”

A version of this feature was originally published in The Toy Book’s 2024 Specialty Toys & Gifts Issue. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!