Chief Toy Expert’s Log: 2024.410
Dearest Future Owners of Toodleydoo Toys,
I thought I’d take a minute to review what was billed as one of the biggest events in our lifetime, The Total Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. Was it a celestial success or cosmic calamity? Depends on who you asked, what they sold, where they were, and what their mission was. While well-researched and best estimates of crowd size and potential revenue had many of us seeing dollar-sign-shaped stars, our revenue reality was a little more…down-to-earth. While my personal mission of making cash angels on my bed after Totality was pretty quickly aborted, the whole weekend still panned out to be worth the hype when it came down to overall experience. If you are reading this well into the future and approaching October 17, 2153, I have some stellar advice for you.
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First and foremost: do you, Boo. This is a 2024 colloquialism meaning, you know your business best, you know your business finances best, and you know your own tolerance for risk and potential loss. Don’t invest in merchandise you don’t typically sell if you can’t stomach the potential loss. Do not submit to pressure from people who don’t pay your mortgage or FOMO on your own part. Trust your gut. The only Eclipse-specific Little blond girl wearing sunglasses and a cream shirt with sun and moon design.
She is pointing upward with her right hand.merchandise we brought in was a totally unique, locally designed and produced t-shirt. We did a discounted pre-sale for our local customers three-ish weeks prior to the event, plus brought in just 50 more for the weekend of the event. AND WE SOLD OUT! We probably could have sold 50++ more, but my goal was to NOT have a clearance table come Tuesday, April 9th. Mission accomplished. In addition to the shirts, I went a little deeper in space themed books, puzzles, games, and plush. Space is a timeless toy, play, and educational theme. While my product mix is still a little heavy for the genre, none of these items are perishable and I’m confident that it will all sell well over the course of the rest of the year. Typically, we observe an increased interest in things like space when there is an incident that raises awareness and enthusiasm. The only other thing we added to our shop that was an unusual inventory purchase was novelty beverages. (Think Skittles, but the drink version!) We set up a simple little stand outside, in front of the shop including some small impulse items (all $10 or less, but you can adjust for 2153 inflation), candy, and some eye-catching drinks. I made the decision on a bit of whim when I was beefing up our candy selection prior to Easter. The only reason I justified the extra inventory expense was because we have a long, wonderful spring and summer ahead, PACKED with festivals and events. I knew these wouldn’t spoil if they didn’t sell during the Eclipse weekend. It was a calculated risk that hasn’t paid off yet. I’m still sitting on $300 worth of carbonation, corn syrup, and all the red dye 40 you can stand. Undeterred by smaller than anticipated crowds and sales this past weekend, it will be a BLAST to set up our little candy, drink, and impulse stand outside the store for future, warm weather events!
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To event or not to event? That was the million dollar question leading up to the weekend. It might have been one of my biggest sources of pre-Eclipse stress. (That and the possibility that some of my favorite people might be raptured, but I digress…) Afterall, we love to say that we are more than just a toy store. By locals, we are known for kid-friendly story times, art opportunities, and playful experiences for the whole family. I really wanted Toodleydoo to be a fun place for families to gather and create a memento of their weekend in Franklin. The prospect of planning, supplying, staffing, charging for…events that may or may not strike the fancy of our guests made me hyperventilate on more than one occasion. With only outdoor space available to host events, the thought of even purchasing minimal supplies for a craft or activity that can’t happen or doesn’t garner any interest was not a risk I wanted to take. In the end, I decided to forego any free or fee-paid events so that we could focus on being well-staffed inside the shop. And I’m so glad I did.
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Location, location, location. Yes, our current location just a block from the amphitheater, is a good one. Truthfully, there are plenty of events at the Amp that don’t add any measurable revenue to our day. And I am okay with that. Traffic just for the sake of traffic isn’t always as profitable as one might think. In reality, having MORE people come in the store could have resulted in greater losses. (Theft, damages, our sanity…)
Proximity is great, but PEOPLE are what can really make or break you. We may not have had any idea how many out-of-towners would show up or what they would choose to spend money on, but we were WELL-staffed and ready for anything. (Internet back up plans, plenty of petty cash and coins, SNACKS!) If I overspent on anything, it was labor. When I realized what I planned for wasn’t happening, staffers were able to leave early and enjoy unexpected time checking out the festivities with family. My people were friendly, helpful, and excited to meet every guest that walked in the door. So, basically status quo at Toodleydoo! Saturday was probably still 80%+ locals, (For reference, our sales and traffic were comparable to what I expect the opening day of the Farmers Market to look like if it is really pretty.) Sunday was a very good mix of people as visitors started to arrive and some brave, adventurous locals (often within walking distance) decided it might not be too crowded to leave their homes. On the day of the Eclipse, we saw a manageable, steady Picture of a hand holding a paper map of the United States with several colored in signifying where crowd of people from at least 22 different states. Overall, sales didn’t skyrocket or even compare to past, yearly events like Strawberries on the Square or the Holiday Open House. (Which, just based on the nature of holiday shopping, seemed unlikely, in my opinion. Travelers want trinkets and souvenirs, not $100 Bruder trucks.) Like many of our business neighbors, we can proudly report that visitors were wildly impressed with our downtown, the events planned, and the unique shops and restaurants they experienced during their stay. On more than one occasion, we heard about return trips already in the planning stages! Regardless of where you find yourself located in the future, my best advice is to make sure you still call historic downtown Franklin, HOME. It is definitely where my heart is.
- KISS MEthod. If people don’t still use this acronym in the future, they should. Often thought of as, “Keep it simple, stupid” other variants include, Keep It Simple and Straightforward or Keep It Short and Simple, and I’m adding my own–Keep It Short and Sweet. (Like me.) Yes, I got hives and hyperventilated at a few planning meetings with city and tourism leaders. Yes, I considered not being open at all to avoid the massively anticipated crowds and associated problems. But in the end, I went with the simplest plan possible. Prepare for the worst, (internet outages, extreme overcrowding, post-eclipse traffic jams) but do what we already do best.
This is staff photo for Toodleydoo Toys. There are seven happy women in the image.