Toying around with a great idea brings success
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and gives birth to many wonderful ideas. About 10 years ago, Sallie Kashiwa, owner of Timbuk Toys, found herself frustrated that every time her children went to a birthday party, she had to jump into her car and drive to mall to find a present. She found that others in her Park Hill neighborhood shared the same frustration and thus one of Denver's most unique toy stores was born.
"We started in 1993 with a 600 sq. ft. store on Kearney Street called Presents of Mind," said Kashiwa. "I realized that I needed more traffic so I began scouting for a location that was close to a grocery store since picking up birthday presents was a regular need for families, just like shopping for groceries." The old University Hills Mall had been torn down and was being developed into a retail facility with a large grocery chain as one of the anchor stores. Kashiwa inquired if there was space available, secured a 1,000 sq. ft. storefront, and opened as Timbuk Toys in 1997.
"It was a great move for business, but it was a bit of a disappointment to me because I wanted to continue to serve my end of town, " said Kashiwa. "Our store was open during the height of Beanie BabyŽ madness. We had people standing in line to get in." Because the University Hills location had no back door, shipments would come through the front door and customers collecting the miniature stuffed animals would find themselves writing their checks for purchases on top of shipping boxes.
Realizing she needed even more room, Kashiwa approached her landlord to see if she could assume a space occupied by a restaurant in the shopping center that had gone out of business. It was three-and-ahalf-times larger than her current storefront. "I ended up taking the space, but had a feeling that what I was supposed to be doing was bring the store back to my part of town," she said. That opportunity would come with the development of Lowry Town Center.
"I had been watching the development of Lowry and a customer came in and asked me if I'd been to the information center. I got the name of the landlord who was building the retail space and in 1999, Timbuk Toys was the first business to have a letter of intent filed to occupy space in Lowry Town Center."
The store was supposed to open that same year, but construction delays kept the store from opening until October of 2002. According to Kashiwa, that was a good thing because her third child was born during delay.
"I didn't have any idea that we were going to grow in the way that we did. Many people think we are part of a national chain and are surprised that we don't have the
resources of a business of that scope. For instance, our inventory is ordered directly from vendors in small amounts, just enough to fill our shelves. We always try to keep a good variety of popular things in stock, but we can't guarantee constant availability of everything we offer," she said.
The store carries gifts for babies, preschoolers and older children and prides itself on helping customers select the perfect gift for the recipient. "We'll ask whether they are into dinosaurs, or do they like vehicles, outdoor stuff, or brain teasers," said Kashiwa. Sales people then can come up with suggestions to help find a gift that matches the recipient's interests. Gifts are always wrapped for free.
"We are always working as hard as we can to figure out what needs to be improved and to make the most of things that are working," she said. "I would like people to know that we're here to serve the community and we're open to suggestions. Of course we'd like to hear the positives but want to hear the negatives as well," -- anything that will help Kashiwa's wonderful brainchild to continue to grow.
Visit Timbuk Toys online at www.timbuktoys.com or call the Lowry Town Center store at(303)366-1755.