TDmonthly - Retailer Quotes

2006 SAMPLE TOY RETAILER QUOTES: Toy-Store Owners Talk to TDmonthly

Are you curious about what's selling down South? In the Midwest? On the East Coast? Every month, TDmonthly Magazine's regional correspondents call specialty toy-store owners around the country to find out what's hot and not. Their answers go into our TDmonthly's Top-10 Most-Wanted lists and premium access Sales-Tracking Charts.

Over the past 3 years, TDmonthly Magazine's regional correspondents have picked up their phones and talked to more than 800 specialty toy-store owners around the country.

Want to know what your colleagues said? We thought so:

New England

"Scientific Explorer kits, especially My First Science Kit," are a top-selling science item. — Tom Levin, owner, Tom's Toys Inc. , Great Barrington, Mass., October 2008

"Webkinz are explosive! Our plush sales are 92 percent above plan because of them. It is absolutely incredible!" —LeeAnn Stern, general manager, Village Toy Shop, North Easton, Mass., July 2006

Read more quotes from retailers in:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

Middle Atlantic

"I sell a lot of Breyer horses...20 to 30 per month. We're in horse country." — Mike DiAndrea, manager, The Hardware Centre, Paoli, Pa., October 2008

"I think the most valuable thing for me [at trade shows] is to be able to see the products … and put my hands on them." —Lisa LeStrange, owner, Lucky Duck Toys, Wayne, Pa., November 2006

Read more quotes from retailers in:

Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington DC

South

"I am known for my collectibles. Quantity-wise over everything, [it's] always [Madame] Alexander dolls." — Colette Shockley, owner, The Littlest Princess, Norcross, Ga., October 2008

Top That! Publishing - its a little company - and we do the 'How to Draw 101 Funny People' and '101 Manga Characters.'" — Jan Adamson, owner, Annie's Toy Chest, Cocoa, Fla., Winter 2005

Read more quotes from retailers in:

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

Midwest

"I noticed more of a return to family games this year." — Cheri Sims, store manager, White Rabbit Toys, Ann Arbor, Mich., October 2008

"I saw the traditional quality of the European toy market, and it really turned on a light." — Michael Ziegenhagen, president/owner, 14 years, Playmatters, Inc., 4 stores in Ohio, February 2007

Read more quotes from retailers in:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin

Southwest

"[We] tend to sell more strategy-based games because they bring out that logical thinking." — Kara Fichtner, manager, Out of the Blue, Albuquerque, N.M., September 2008

"We do game nights in the schools. Even though Target is carrying them, none of their staff can play the games, so they can't hand sell them." — Jacque Flagg, owner, Jacque's Inc.,Bryan Texas, February 2006

Read more quotes from retailers in:

Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

West

"The bug vacuum — those guys sell really well." — Pat Cooley, owner, Cooleykatz Toys, Livermore, Calif., October 2008

"We have sold the Khet game [Innovention Toys] since its original inception … There's a new little company called the Little Little Little Toy Company … great toys." — Diana Nelson, owner, Kazoo & Company, Denver,Colo., at Toy Fair, February 2007

Read more quotes from retailers in:

Alaska, California, Colorado, Idah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming

International

"[Bakugan Battle Brawlers by Spin Master are] out of control; I've never seen anything like it." — Barbara Vininsky, Blossom & Harry, Montreal, Canada, October 2008 (first reported in April 2008)

"We have found ToyDirectory invaluable as we are a new internet retailer. It's great to get up-to-date information about new products." — Jason Chapman, Toys Are 4 U Ltd, Sittingbourne, Kent, England/UK, January 2007