Focus on fun spurs growth

Stevens opened The Toy Co. LLC at Battlefield Mall in August. Six months later, it’s expanding to a larger location across the street in the Brentwood Center at 2720 S. Glenstone Ave.

The new store is almost 3,000 square feet – 1,000 square feet larger than the mall store – and the Brentwood Center space was an opportunity Stevens felt she couldn’t pass up.

Located at Glenstone and Battlefield, the center offers high visibility at one of the city’s busiest intersections and easy access for tenants and shoppers, according to Brentwood Center Property Manager Laurali Gillenwaters.

And while chain and franchise stores tend to dominate at the mall, “We take pride in the fact that we have such a strong representation of local and locally owned businesses,” Gillenwaters said.

Battlefield Mall, however, still welcomes small, local businesses, according to Christine Moses, marketing manager.

“We’ve got a lot of big names here at Battlefield Mall and are trying to get more of those, but we also cater to our local businesses as well,” Moses said. “A majority of our specialty carts that are throughout the center of the mall are all locally owned and startup businesses.”

Aldo Shoes will occupy The Toy Co.’s former mall space, according to a billboard at the site, but Moses declined to comment.

With the move, Stevens is expanding The Toy Co.’s existing lines and adding new ones, including Madame Alexander dolls. The Toy Co. also is launching a birthday party room that will be up and running in a couple of months.

Starting up

Small, locally owned retailers rarely brave the challenges of starting up as in-line tenants at super regional venues such as Simon Properties’ Battlefield Mall, but Stevens was uniquely equipped to operate in that atmosphere.

A 2001 graduate of Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising, Stevens was an intern at Jellybeans while completing her degree, then went into Battlefield Mall store management. She managed The Limited Too for two years and managed Aeropostale for about a year.

Aeropostale was “very, very intense,” Stevens said, and the pace was more frenetic than she wanted, either personally or professionally. She went back to Jellybeans for a year, “to kind of slow my life down.”

Her return to Jellybeans would prove inspirational.

“It was at Jellybeans that I heard customers saying ‘Oh, I need a birthday gift, where can I go?’ or ‘I’m looking for this.’” It was then she realized, “it would be a great venture to open up a toy store.”

“I have a very strong entrepreneurial side, I’ve managed before and I just felt like there was a need for a good fun toy store with some good customer service,” she added, an “old-school establishment” with the personal touch, including free gift wrap.

Besides, she said, “What other job or store could you have or own that is more fun than a toy store?”

With two SBA loans totaling $135,000 and the support of her lender, Commerce Bank, Stevens opened Aug. 1.

She said she chose Battlefield Mall because of its outstanding customer traffic and her familiarity with mall operations.

While Stevens declined to give sales figures, she said “I had a great holiday season. I definitely exceeded my sales goals.”

In fact, she hopes to go back into the mall for the back-to-school and holiday seasons, either in a store or kiosk.

“I had some really great business, and I feel very fortunate to have gotten my clientele established through the mall,” Stevens said.

Battlefield Mall’s Moses said there are many tenants who will temporarily lease in-line space if it’s available, or lease a kiosk to reach holiday shoppers.

Toy lines

While most toy retailers are heavily focused on major mass-produced brands – Hasbro, Lego, Mattel, etc. – The Toy Co. takes a different tack.

Many of the brands are international, such as Corolle dolls and accessories from France and Bruder trucks from Germany, and many of the toys have educational aspects.

Stevens called The Toy Co. “a toy store with educational value.”

To find the right toys, Stevens networks with manufacturers’ representatives, does research in magazines and online, and listens to her customers. She will take all of that input with her when she attends her second American International Toy Fair Feb. 11–14 in New York City.

Toy Fair 2007 features more than 1,500 toy manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 30 countries.

“I’m trying to bring in some really unique specialty toy store items and just keep expanding, expanding, expanding all my lines,” Stevens said.

The Toy Co. carries everything from Alex craft items and Breyer horses to Schleich knights, Uncle Milton Solar Racers and Zoomorphs. The infant section includes Lamaze and Manhattan Baby, as well as Melissa & Doug FirstPlay wooden toys. The store also offers Educational Insights board games, all things Hello Kitty, Only Hearts Club dolls and accessories, and giant floor puzzles by Ravensburger, to name a few.

The variety of Stevens’ inventory has gotten Stevens some referrals from the folks at Jellybeans, where her toy store idea was born.

“She has lots of different toys that nobody else seems to have, so we do send a lot of people there,” said Jenny Wassam, an 11-year Jellybeans employee.

The last six months have been a period of learning and growing, Stevens said, and she’s sure that process will continue in her new location.

“It’s a lot of work, no doubt,” she said, “but it’s definitely worth every second of it.”

While the manufacturers’ reps that Stevens works with have encouraged her to open a store in the Branson area, “I do believe that it’s not in your favor to bite off more than you can chew,” she said. While a second location might be of interest in the future, “I think I’m A-OK with what I have and where I’m at.”

Meet the Stevenses

Small business is also family business for Paula Stevens, who co-owns The Toy Company with her husband, Brent Stevens. “He takes care of all my maintenance and computer issues and leaves the buying and merchandising and daily operations to me,” she said. “It works out perfectly.” Brent Stevens is an architect and partner with H Design Group. The couple has two children, daughter Sadie, 13, and son Ty, 7.