Toy Stores Small and HUGE!

Last week I had the great fun to visit 3 different toy stores and talk with the owners. I learned a ton and can see this vision coming more and more clear all the time! The first visit was to the Imagination Station in Franklin, IN. It is in a new location in an old bank and was absolutely charming. There were lots of fun activities to keep Lily and a friend busy. There was a steady stream of customers coming in and each was greeted warmly and taken very good care of by Julie, the owner.

The 2nd store was The Toy House in Jackson, MI...whoa!!! This one was HUGE! 16,000 sq feet of retail space and an amazing inventory selection! Phil, the owner, is 3rd generation to run the store and does an fabulous job. He clearly had many systems in place (oh, how I love systems!) that made the place run like clockwork. I've learned so much from Phil already and know there is much more to come.

The 3rd was The Genuine Toy Company in Plymouth, MI. Elle and Charles are in their 2nd year as toy owners and having such fun! Their store had a retro contemporary feel to it and had lots of games and puzzles. I used to teach in Plymouth so it was fun to go back to my old stomping ground a bit. I even got to visit at a favorite coffee shop with two good friends I'd not seen in over 15 years! Such fun!

It's fun to see how different all 3 stores were and how they were the same. Gives me lots of ideas! I sooooo appreciate the time and kindness of all the store owners I've spoken with in the last several weeks! I'm loving the sharing spirit of this new community and sooo enjoying being part of it!

I'm laser focused more than ever on getting the business plan done in the next week or so so we can get the financing in place next. There will be great opportunities for anyone interested in investing in a fun business! Stay tuned for more to come!

Mid March?!

Wow, another month flying by and time to get super focused on getting this project off the ground. I'd had some distractions the past few weeks that are now settled down and I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get busy with this adventure! First up, to invite more people to complete the online marketing survey to help us determine an interest in a toy store in Carmel. We have 130 responses so far with a goal of 200 by the end of the week. If you have not already taken it, please pop over for a quick 3 minutes and let us know your thoughts. www.thetoygardenshop.com If you can then invite 3 other friends to do the same, that would be great!

This week my other goal is to begin to gather the pieces for the business plan. Much of it is done already and now needs to be compiled into a presentable format so we'll know numbers and then be ready to look for investors and other funding. Very exciting!

A New Old Friend

One of the most exciting part of this new adventure is the major learning curve I'm in right now. There is so much to learn and I love it! My favorite way to gain knowledge is in talking with those who have walked the walk before me. Today was a delightful day in that I got to talk with a special man. He owned a toy store for 21 years and recently stepped away from it. For an hour I scribbled notes as he, like a gentle grandfather, took me under his wing and shared with me pearls of wisdom from his years doing what I want to be doing. What amazing gifts we have to share when we connect with one another! I'm so thankful for his time and his advice and look forward to talking with more toy retailers and other small business owners in the weeks ahead!

A shout out as well, I am beginning to look for a carpenter to help with the buildout of the store. If you know of someone who might enjoy working on this project with us, please let us know!

Endings and beginnings

A free week in Costa Rica...heaven in part to be sure but a bittersweet trip all the same. Tim and I just returned from the annual Discovery Toys incentive trip to Costa Rica. Such an amazing country with so many adventures at your fingertips. We enjoyed zip lining through the trees near a family of monkeys and days of leisure at the pool not worrying about naps, baths and who was hungry when. This was my 4th incentive trip to go on and sadly, my last. While I am very excited about moving forward with the toy store and loving how so many pieces are falling into place so easily, it was sad to share the news of my leaving with those I care about. I know the news was a major surprise to many and I appreciate so many of them sincerely happy for us and wishing us the best. Major changes like this always show you who your true friends are and I'm so blessed to see firsthand how many dear friends I have. Now to let a few more people in my Discovery Toys world know the news and help them transition and then full steam ahead back to toy store planning!

Thank you to all who have taken the Start Up Survey! 50 people already with a goal of 200. Please share with those you know in or near the Carmel area and ask them to take the quick survey at www.thetoygardenshop.com

The responses are flowing in! Thank you!

I had a very fun day today putting fliers lots of places asking people to please pop on the website and take the quick 15 questions Start Up Survey. In the past 24 hours, there've been 24 replies which is a great start! Thank you to all who responded already! Any help you have in sharing this link would be great. Please include it in newsletters, emails to friends asking them to help us get this store started, on your facebook page, etc! My goal is 200 responses within 2 weeks and I know with your help we can do it! Thanks again!

Primary Market Research

It's time to see what our neighbors near and far think about their toy buying habits and if they might consider shopping at our new toy store. I've created an online survey for people to answer questions to help us do our primary market research. I plan to share this survey with my Discovery Toys customers and team as well as share the site info with my hair salon, chiropractor, gym and anywhere else I can think of. If you would also please pass it along and ask others to take it, that would be fabulous! Thanks!

Click here to take survey