In another industry first for the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), independent toy retailers now have their own special day to promote the advantages of shopping at locally owned toy stores. From now on, every year on the second Saturday in November, which is November 13 this year, ASTRA will celebrate Neighborhood Toy Store Day. It will be promoted in national and local parenting media and will feature the public announcement of ASTRA’s Best Toys for Kids award winners.
The effort is intended to unite the specialty toy community, so that the outstanding products, expertise and service that ASTRA stores provide will be better understood by consumers.
“At its core, Neighborhood Toy Store Day is about growing the specialty toy industry for retailers, manufacturers, reps, and everyone else who is dependent on moms and dads and grandparents and others buying toys for kids,” says Kathleen McHugh, president of ASTRA. “Our strategy is to stake a claim on the second Saturday in November every year, and make as loud a noise as we can—both nationally and in local ASTRA markets—about the advantages of shopping at a locally-owned independent toy store. We will learn a lot from our first year, and keep growing the event every year so consumers understand the value they get from specialty stores that they cannot get elsewhere.”
ASTRA members get a free step-by-step guide to successful consumer outreach and other free tools to help ensure the success of the day in their local markets. For more information visit www.astratoy.org.