BERLIN – Wow.
That’s the word Olga Kozhevnikova has been hearing over and over during the past week as customers have walked into the new World of Toys location. After several years in the tiny space adjacent to the Berlin Shoe Box, the shop now occupies the expansive storefront formerly home to Toy Town Antiques.
“We love that ‘wow,’” Kozhevnikova said. “We’re getting lots of compliments.”
Kozhevnikova first opened World of Toys in 2012. She had wanted to start her own business for some time and decided to focus on toys when she realized that she was buying things for her then-1-year-old daughter online.
“I thought we needed a toy store,” she said.
The shop, which has always focused on specialty and educational toys, did well from the start. Kozhevnikova said she was ready to expand within a few years of opening.
“We were in need of extra shelving space and were looking for the opportunity to expand but we wanted to stay in Berlin,” she said. “There was nothing available.”
When she learned late last year that Toy Town was moving to Snow Hill, she inquired about the space immediately. After some fresh paint, updated lighting and lots of new shelving, the new store was ready for inventory in April. Kozhevnikova and her family spent several days carrying and carting merchandise across Main Street from the old shop to the new.
“It was a lot of work,” she said.
It was worth the effort though, as World of Toys now features the space and variety it had been lacking. In the old space, for example, the shop carried half a shelf of Breyer model horses. Now they fill roughly half of the back wall. Similarly, Kozhevnikova pointed out the large array of Hape wooden toys in the new space. She said she went from ordering $500 of merchandise from the company to ordering $8,000.
She was also able to acquire new lines for the store, such as Mary Meyer, and to expand already popular lines, such as Robotikits.
“We have a lot more STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) projects,” she said. “Before people were asking us for things we couldn’t carry.”
Customers browsing the new array of inventory, which ranges from puzzles to beach toys to die-cast cars, can do so comfortably. In contrast to the tight aisles in the store’s former space, World of Toys now has plenty of floor space to accommodate strollers and the like.
While admitting the store has needed a larger space for some time, Kozhevnikova said she refrained from moving because she wanted to keep the shop in Berlin. The new store is roughly four times the size of her former home.
“We were successful here,” she said. “Why go somewhere else? We’d already built a huge following.”
Kozhevnikova says customers recognize the fact that World of Toys sells unique and educational items not generally available at big box stores. Furthermore, the shop’s employees are familiar with its products. They’re able to answer questions and provide recommendations to customers.
“We always give customers advice if they struggle to find something age appropriate,” Kozhevnikova said. “We even play all the games ourselves so we can explain the rules.”
