Welcome to the Blog!
You don’t have to be an independent retailer to find value in these posts (but it helps).
This blog is for you. If there are any topics or questions you want addressed, let me know and I’ll cover them.
Merchandising Rules Never Really Change
February 15, 2019I was unloading boxes of toys and trying to organize them on the shelves in our booth at Toy Fair. This is a new role for me. I’ve only ever seen these trade shows after everything is set up. I’ve never had to navigate the aisles filled with shipping crates,… Read more
Your Sales Rep is Your Best Friend
February 12, 2019Twenty-five years ago I invited two sales reps to my wedding. I didn’t know them before I was working at Toy House. I didn’t know them from outside Toy House. Our relationship in life happened purely through our relationship at the store. Yes, I’ve been thinking a lot about sales… Read more
Why Bud Light Had the Best Ad Last Sunday
February 8, 2019Hi, my name is Phil and I’m a Detroit Lions fan. It was easy being a Lions fan when I was working retail. Every season we would buy into the hype, get all excited, and then somewhere down the line get our hopes dashed by catch that wasn’t a catch,… Read more
A New Beginning for Me, An Old Lesson for You
February 4, 2019Today is an exciting day for me! Today I start a new job as the National Sales Manager for HABA USA, a wonderful toy and game company I used to sell at Toy House. I will be responsible for helping the sales reps get more HABA toys into more retailers.… Read more
Making the Most of Trade Shows
February 1, 2019In two weeks the world of toys will be on display in New York City for the International Toy Fair. All the vendors will be there showing off their new products. Retailers from around the globe will be there to take a peak. New York City is a fun place… Read more
Make Your Lists Now (You Can Thank Me Later)
January 31, 2019Our store had 16,000 square feet of carpeting. The original carpeting was laid in 1967. It lasted twenty years. Fortunately for me I was on a canoe trip in northern Ontario in 1987 when my parents decided to replace it. Replacing carpeting in a store that size while remaining open… Read more
When to Close for the Weather
January 30, 2019Right now the Weather app says it is minus ten degrees outside. The “real feel” is minus thirty-five. Thank goodness I don’t have any presentations or travel scheduled for today. My office is only a wall away from my bedroom. I’m going to work today. But if Toy House was… Read more
Don’t Just Go With the Tide
January 29, 2019If you have ever studied the topography of Lake Erie, you’ll know it is one of the shallowest of the Great Lakes. It is shaped much like a swimming pool with a shallow end to the west (25-30 feet deep) and a deep end over near Buffalo, NY (210 feet… Read more