Indie Opinion - Diary of a Toy Shop by Maggie Tibbenham, owner of Imagine Toy Shop in Holmfirth

Diary of a toy shop

Spring is in the air for our new columnist Maggie Tibbenham, director of Imagine Toy Shop in the West Yorkshire village of Holmfirth

It’s a very exciting time for me here in the lovely Holmfirth village, as this is my first Diary of a Toy Shop column and January (the most dragging month of the year) is finally over.

I never look forward to January because it’s so quiet. No one thinks much about toys, because games and jigsaws received for Christmas are still being played, and customers are paying off their credit cards.

Having said that, it’s my favourite time for planning ahead - such as moving my shop layout around, which I do often. I’m super creative and as a little independent toy shop, I must always think about how to allow people to get as much from their visit as possible. I noticed that customers quickly got used to seeing the same shelves covered with the same or similar products so, what was on the left I move to the right, what was on top shelves I move to the bottom, and when a new season is coming, I gather and showcase the best toys for that time. I'm super creative and as a little “ independent toy shop, I must always think about how to allow people to get as much from their visit as possible “

Show business

This year I didn’t go to the Toy Fair. Well, to be honest, I’ve never been! I keep promising myself that next year I will go, but when the time arrives, I can’t commit to it because of lack of childcare or simply because of the hassle involved in going there. Not that I’m lazy - far from it! I think over the years I’ve turned into such a country girl that a day trip to a big city seems too much for me. If it comes to the Toy Fair, I can always count on a few fellow toy shops who, being much closer to London, go and supply me with hints and details of all their finds.

My favourite exhibitions, which I always go to, are the Spring and Autumn Fair at the NEC. Gosh, the Spring Fair was so big this year! It felt like the good pre-Covid vibe was back in full swing. I always do the whole toy area first, and then spend a couple of hours in the gift area. And this year I’m particularly glad I did because I found a lovely company called Santoro. Their desirable range is called Gorjuss and it’s stationery, cute bags, key rings and purses for slightly older girls. What I like about it is that it’s so different, and for those little madams who are a bit fed up with pink unicorns or turquoise llamas, it’s perfect. As you can see, I’m not only a toy shop. I sell children’s accessories and even clothes (Blade & Rose baby leggings are a MUST!).

I’m also excited about Timio from Toynamics. I wasn’t convinced at first that I should order it at this time of the year, as its price appears to be perfect for a Christmas present, but I couldn’t resist. The Tonies Box sells super well for me and this seems a bit similar but very educational. I haven’t decided yet, but I might offer it with 10% off for the first few customers, hoping they will love it as much as I do and the word will spread.

I’m looking forward to spring and dressing my shop in sunflowers and tulips, and getting it ready for Easter. My bones just crave some warmth but, being close to the Peak District, we could expect snow this month. That makes me think I should always have sledges in stock (just in case) but it’s been a bit of a struggle to get them. I hope one of my local wholesalers has them in stock. I remember during one of the 2020 lockdowns, sledges were the only product I sold for a few good weeks (via click and collect). I must have sold 60 of them..

Digital world

A new year brings new ideas. A couple of years ago I built my online shop myself (which made me feel pretty proud) on the Wix platform. As well as this, I have an app for my shop connected to my website and I cannot praise it enough. It’s much more personal than a website: customers can chat to me instantly and they know who sits and responds to them on the other side of their screen. They leave comments for deliveries and send enquiries or just good vibes supporting small business. Through the app, I can then control my website too and have it all managed at once just from my mobile.

Talking about my website... Being a small shop I didn’t have an efficient stock logistic system in place, which resulted in a bit of a nightmare trying to manage what was sold online and what was still on the shelves. So this year I need to focus on how to make this more manageable. I’ve sacrificed some space in my back room and created a designated area only for online stock. Such a simple idea, but it took a good two weeks just to do that. With an updated website that has a new logo, plus the addition of fantastic new products and free local delivery, I’m hoping for a good outcome.