CPSC idiot proofing

I carry loose marbles in my store. I love to watch the kids go through the pails and select their favorite few. I am required by law to post a sign with them that says "Warning, Loose Marbles...Choking Hazard." etc. and so forth. To this I have added a sign of my own that reads "While we have your attention, we should also like to advise you that running with scissors can lead to missing eyeballs." In other words, we are sorry to insult you (and clutter up our display) with ridiculously obvious warnings. Everyone knows that marbles are a choking hazard. Actually, I would say that everyone BELIEVES that marbles are a choking hazard. I have personally found that standard sized marbles are both too small and too smooth to pose any real choking threat. Contrary to popular belief, they pass through the system without any real changes to the system, or the marble. But, for the sake of today's argument we can say that it is well known that marbles are a choking hazard. Why do I need to post a sign? But I have, no big. Now though, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has decided that we need labels on every web image, every catalog image, any print material that aims to sell a toy to a child. Labels on EVERY image that might in some way if miss used harm a child. These requirements do not apply to television commercials (*gasp!* next thing you know they would have to actually say that captain crunch is bad for you on their advertising), but for stores that have a web-site, like hopscotch, and catalog, like hopscotch, it is a real nightmare to become compliant. Worse than that, I believe it defeats the purpose of having warnings. The way it is now, if a toy has a warning, parents read it carefully, they recognize that there are real hazards involved with this toy. I fear that when labels are everywhere, they will become invisible to the consumer. I understand that this is a reaction to the pressure to do something in response to all of the toy recalls from 2007, but I feel that it is too much effort in the wrong direction. Though I must admit that having more careful guidelines may have helped my parents with their toy offerings. And now, I present the top ten worst toys as compiled by radar online
#1: Lawn Darts - Nothing like a metal spike in your head to cement friendship.
#2: The Atomic Energy Lab - complete with Geiger-counter and Uranium bearing ore -
#3: Mini Hammocks that can strangle your children to death.
#4: The Snacktime Cabbage Patch Doll, capable of eating carrots, ponytails or fingers with gay abandon and probably inspiration for the “Chucky” horror movies.
#5: The Skydancer Barbie Rocket - guaranteed to leap from her perch and slice your eyes out.
#6: the Bat Masterson Derringer Belt Gun - because flaming gunpowder near your testicles is a good thing.
#7: The Creepy Crawly Stove-top Goop - toxic and hundreds of degrees in temperature, great to throw at your sister.
#8: The Johnny Reb, 30-inch “authentic civil war” cannon - complete with cannon balls, ramrod and civil war flag - my personal favourite due to the embedded youtube video advert from the early 60’s
#9: The Battlestar Galactica Missile Launcher - missing eyes, torn intestines - cylon love all round.
#10: The Fisher Price Power Wheels Motorcycle - replete with sticking accelerator pedal, guaranteed break-neck Christmas morning fun.

I think recently I would add Aquadots, the SpinMaster product that would create a date rape drug affect in your child if he or she put them in their mouth.
All in all I'd have to say that I trust that intelligent parents are going to know a dangerous toy when they see it, (and sometimes decide that the benefits outweigh the risks). I also believe that no amount of labeling will protect the child of a careless parent, and that sometimes even careful parents find that circumstances conspire to the worst end, again not something that can be prevented by a label. Now I think I'll take my ten year old and go jump on the trampoline.

Live Local, be Local, Buy Local

As many of you know, I am a rabid supporter of local business. I believe that the face of McMinnville would be very drab indeed if local businesses closed and left us all to wallow in the gluttonous mediocrity of the big box offerings. Independent businesses are an important part of the fabric of community that national chains can never be. They are organic growing things constantly responding to the trends and desires of their local community, and in this are a reflection of that

community. Well, I could go on and on, but I do have a point. Last night, we had a party. A party to celebrate all things local. Local music, local businesses, local supporters of business, local non-profits, all strands in the web. There were about twenty local businesses presenting their holiday offerings. There were six tables laden heavy with coupons, catalogs, and samples of goods and services available at these businesses, and many were there collecting the coupons that were out. hopscotch was there of course, and Third Street Books, Movietime video, Found Objects, and Value Pages. I mention these businesses in particular, because we all worked very hard to put this event together. We are step by step, event by event working to develop a strong sense of buy local pride in McMinnville. One window cling at a time we are getting the job done. I was asked today what our mission statement would be if we had one, and I said to support and promote locally owned businesses, and in so doing support the strength and individuality of McMinnville. Even if my business failed it would still be a passion of mine, because community is a passion of mine. Local business creates, supports, and responds to local community. Well, blah blah blah, it was a great night, and with any luck, the ball will keep rolling, the ripples will spread, and Wal Mart will go up in a ball of flames. That would be very pretty to see.

Restoration, Mending, and Maintaining

I've been planning on putting Candy into the toy store since before we moved into this space. I know I know, it's evil, but they do love it so, and watching them light up just makes my world go 'round, so the parents are going to have to be the ones riding reign. I'm getting candy, and it's going to be beautiful! It's all about the sex appeal for me where candy is concerned. I think I'm more into what it will look like than what it will taste like! Which brings me to the point of my blog this evening. Well, actually morning, 1:00 in the morning. I just finished refurbishing that beautiful oak case pictured above for candy to go into. I don't know how old it is, but it is amazing. Sylla McClellan the owner of Third Street Books asked me if I might be interested in a case that she bought from the hobby shop when it went out of business, so I went down and took a look at it. The glass was falling out, and the joints were all loose, and it had been a little abused, but it was beautiful... And monstrous! Twelve feet long to be exact. Don and my brother Cullen wheeled it down Third Street, and then down Baker once I had stripped the glass out of it. Tonight was the night that I put it all back together. I cleaned the dust out of the joints, and put wood glue on them, sanded and stained all the wood, replaced the end glass with oak panels to make it more solid, cleaned all of the glass and put it back together. The process only took five hours, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is something deeply satisfying about returning a ruined thing to service. I feel the same about mending, patching, painting, all forms of repair. My father was a cobbler by trade, and I worked with him repairing shoes all through high school and for a few years afterward, so that may be why it gives me so much pleasure. New is nice, but the history and richness apparent in something that has been used, appreciated and maintained is truly beautiful to me. This case is made exclusively of materials that age beautifully. It is all glass, oak, and mirrors. The wood is worn smooth and has a few stains in it. The glass is rippled with age, and the mirrors are all crackled in appearance. There is a metal yard stick attached to the back side of the case with the name of a company inscribed on it. Every piece tells a story. I'll have to ask Sylla if she knows anything more about it, for now, I am falling asleep content in the work I have done.

Toy Store Owners Rule!!

I went into Portland last night to Green Frog Toys in the Pearl district in Portland. There I met up with some of the coolest people I know, and they all own toy stores. Pat Fielder who owns Green Frog was there of course. You may be more familiar with her other store, Childs Play that is up on Northwest 23rd. Also present was Eddie who owns Mudpuddles in Sherwood, and her manager Rebecca, Katey and Errol Noel from the Toy Factory in Corvallis, Mary Sissons from Kazoodles in Vancouver, Jen from G Willikers in Hood River, Sherri from Let's Play in Hillsboro, Celia from Frogs and Pollywogs in Albany, Merrick from Piccolo Mondo in Bethany village, and Grammy and Nona from Grammy and Nona's on NE Lombard in Portland. At other events we have entertained Bill from Sandcastle toys in Newport, Stacie from Leapin' Lizards in Bend, and Ty and Joan of Thinker Toys in Multnomah village.

We get together to talk toys, and to see how we are all faring with whatever seems to be at issue currently. This year the economy, last year toy recalls, always stinky diapers, and reviews on new toys. We always come away with new ideas to implement in our own stores. New practices that benefit us and our customers. It is through this practice that many of our stores feel so familiar to our customers when they are traveling from one town to another. Most of us are members of ASTRA which is the American Toys Specialty Retailers Association.

I am able to rely on the experience of the other toy store owners, and bring fresh insight and new ways of doing things in return. We help each other fill customer requests so that we don't need to order a minimum to make our people happy. We learn about new items on the market so we can have the best quality most exciting toys in our stores for our customers. Through my association with them, I have discovered Zoobies, Wheelie Bugs, Play foam, Quirkle, and so many more... it would be silly to list them. I guess my point is that I and my customers are so much better off for my knowing these folks. I can stand on their shoulders and speak with the confidence of having decades of experience behind me. Just wanted to mention the men and women behind the curtain because well, they rock.

Princess Grace....our store kitty

It's time to make an introduction to those of you who have not met our store cat. This is Gracie, or Princess Grace as she has come to be known. Gracie showed up at our home a few months before we moved into our new location and made it very clear that she was far superior to our other cat (she is) and could not abide residing with him. When we moved into our SE Baker St. location, we took Gracie with us. It is truly a testament to her marvelous personality that we haven't put her in a cardboard box in front of the shop. Having a store pet is interesting to say the least. Our first concern was customer response. I was worried that Gracie might scratch a child, but she has been quite good, going limp when caught, but generally managing to evade those who would handle her improperly. Allergies were also a concern, and we have lost one customer for this reason. Even with all of the potential people problems, the main issue with Gracie has been her tendency to defile the merchandise. Take the Melissa and Doug Panda she was napping on in this picture. Gracie thinks that bear is her mother. She will stand on her hind legs, put her front paws on the bears chest, and bury her face in the fur kneading and purring. We have back stock in the basement, so we have given up on trying to make her stop. Then, there was the Stephen Joseph Moses basket we had on display in the store window. A nice sunny store window, with a beautiful blanket and soft toy ...you guessed it her new favorite place to sleep. Rendered the baby bed unsaleable in a couple of minutes, positively wretched in a couple of weeks.

When we arrive in the morning it's time to pick up latex balloons with needle thin holes in them, and decapitated rubber snakes...She's quite the big game hunter. She is just as proud of her virtual kill as any barn cat is of it's field mouse, winding her way around our legs and bragging. But don't get the idea that she is a woosie pussy. One night a neighborhood cat came in through a window and when we got there in the morning, there were tufts of long white fur all over that store. Turns out my cat isn't the only cat that Princess Grace feels superior to. She keeps the place warm while we are away, gives us a warm welcome when we open up in the morning, gives us attitude when her litter box is not cleaned, and gives us a lot of entertainment.

All in all, she's far more popular with our customers than any of us are. They are all so proud to exhibit their acquaintance with her, calling for her loudly as they come through the door. As if... She'll come out for a cat call....but call they do, and that is well worth putting up with a little kitty hair for.

Hopeful about our economy

I'm hopeful about our economy, and not in the way most people will say. I don't know enough about all of the things that are going down right now to venture a guess as to where we will all end up when the cards land where they will. (That much Sarah Palin and I do have in common) We might see a turn around after the election, as some say. We might see a decade or longer struggle to return to where we were just eight short years ago. At present though, I am seeing changes that I am hopeful will have a lasting effect on our lifestyle choices, our environment, and our concept of ourselves as Americans. So many people that I speak with are re-aligning their priorities. They are striving to return to the conscientious spending and consumption habits of their grandparents. You know the ones I'm referring to, the tin foil re-users, the menu planners, the canners. Customers are coming in and investing in one good open ended toy that will see their children through multiple stages of development, rather than pick up a few bells and whistles throw away's at the big box. I have sold more good old fashioned American made Beka blocks this last year than I have in all of hopscotch's years combined. Puppets, puzzles, "guys" as my boys called them, balls, dolls, marbles, and of course board games are moving out at a steady clip.
I am hearing the sentiment voiced over and over again that we need to fortify our local economy through keeping our dollars local. This comes not from my fellow shop keeps, but from our customers. There is finally a realization that maybe, just maybe the big boxes are really not the answer. At first, I was worried that the fear of less money would make people rush headlong to the "Lowest Price" sale signs of the big boxes, but the opposite has seemed to be true. People get it. If 3rd street were to fall, livability in McMinnville would be greatly reduced. The influx of new residents, new tax dollars, and new industries would be affected. Schools would suffer from the loss of tax revenue, and subsequent to all of these things housing prices would take a huge hit. If Wal Mart closed, would our property values be adversely affected at all? For the first time, I hear others speaking of these issues that have been near and dear to my heart since my parents made their living in their small shop in 3rd street. I don't feel so weird and backwards in my thought processes anymore. All these years I've been on the cutting edge of yesterday!
All of these new awareness's have the potential to have a huge impact on our environment as well. What if we all went down to Boersma's and invested in a $300 vacuum cleaner that we could have serviced rather than throwing several of the $50 big box vacuums into the landfill when they crash and burn? Ummm, maybe they wouldn't need a dump expansion... oh yeah, that's Portland's dead vacuums they need to expand for. But I digress.
Frugality and cheapness are not the same thing. Frugality is a mindset wherein you keep track of your assets. You manage them. You place your money where it will give you the most return, where it will be serviceable as an asset in your home, and you will not have to replace it over and over and over again. Cheapness, is spending a little and getting less over and over and over until there is nothing but a big pile of broken plastic parts and McDonald's wrappers to reconcile at the end of the month. I see our population moving away from the cheap and toward the frugal, and that means a better quality of life for us all. Yes, I am very hopeful indeed.

A Toy Expert

I find the concept of "Expert" an interesting one. I remember my first day at hopscotch when a customer asked me for a recommendation. She thought I was the expert. I was the Toy Store Owner, of course she thought I was an expert! I felt like such a phony showing her the things I liked, things my children liked, and explaining the why's as I perceived them. That first week I made many recommendations to customers. I recommended the Darda track because of my memories of my own son playing with the track at Kids at Heart in Portland, his desire brimming over, and the birthday on which he received it. Oh, the glorious day! I recommended Gertie balls for children who had developmental challenges and for two year olds. I did this because I had purchased one for my daughter as an impulse buy at Child's Play in Northwest Portland when she was about two. That ball was in and out of diaper bags, chewed on, washed off, inflated, deflated, and always easy for Zoe to catch, so I recommended it. But I was just a mother, not an expert, and felt like a complete poser! I didn't fully appreciate the value of my own accumulated knowledge. I had been a homeschooling mother of three for 12 years at that point. I had purchased countless birthday gifts, seen what worked, what broke, what the kids loved IN SPITE of it breaking... Balsa Wood Airplanes come to mind. Now, five years down the road I have made recommendations for THOUSANDS of gifts. I have read many books, gone to more trade shows than I would like, been mentored by many members of the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association (ASTRA) some of whom have decades of expereince in the toy industry. I have squeezed, pushed, pulled, and ridden some of the craziest most wonderful inventions in the known universe. I have written "body organ slime $2.50" in big letters and my best handwriting.
I am a Toy Expert. I'm afraid to date, the position does not come with a cape, but I do get to wear a great apron complete with scissors, sharpies, and a box knife. With that and my trusty price gun I am quite a well equipped superhero indeed. So now, I've amassed enough information that I think that I have a lot of useful things to say, about toys, children, and life in general. Welcome to the hopscotch blog.