Kathleen McHugh, 2012 Global Toy News Person of the Year

December 12, 2012

I am very pleased to announce that Kathleen McHugh, President of ASTRA, has been voted the 2012 Global Toy News Person of the Year. The Global Toy News Person of the Year award is given each year to an individual who has helped make the greater toy industry a stronger, more enjoyable and far more prosperous place to work.

Kathleen McHugh was an easy choice for this year's award. Kathleen makes the point, however, that in honoring her we are actually honoring ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) and its members. So, congratulations to Kathleen and ASTRA.

Kathleen has guided ASTRA since 1998. Characterized by her intense focus and warmth, she has helped create an environment in which toy retailers and those who serve them grow and prosper; workers find jobs and consumers have access to innovative toys that surprise and excite.

Kathleen accomplished all of this while guiding ASTRA through the Dot Com crash of 2001, the Global Recession of 2008 and the collapse of key specialty toy retailers Noodle Kidoodle and Zany Brainy as well as two bankruptcy filings by FAO Schwarz. Despite these obstacles, under McHugh, ASTRA has quadrupled its membership; grown its show attendance by 15 to 20% per year over the last five and has added events like the Neighborhood Toy Store Day that showcase local toy retailers.

What makes ASTRA unique is its focus on growing the specialty retail business by providing a highly collaborative environment that promotes growth and cooperation. Attend an "ASTRA Marketplace & Academy" and you may find yourself eating a complimentary lunch with a competitor or enjoying the annual Ice Cream Social with a new friend. Walk from booth to booth and you will feel a sense of warmth as exhibitors, attendees and sales representatives go out of their way to help each other.

It is particularly important and even poignant that we celebrate Kathleen and ASTRA at this time. The New York Times Columnist, Gina Bellafante, in a column entitled "The Great Divide, Now in the Toy Aisle," decries the absence of a sufficient number of specialty toy retailers in the marketplace. Not because she is against the big mass merchandisers but because the independent retailers are unique in offering toys that do not sell in the quantities demanded by the big box retailers.
Bellanfante notes that these toys that come from smaller companies frequently offer a level of educational content, creativity and design that enrich the lives of those who use them. She points out that specialty toys stores now largely serve more affluent communities. She believes that those who have access to these toys, the affluent, are a step ahead of those who do not.
She calls areas that lack specialty retail stores "toy deserts." Here is how she puts it:"... we might begin to think, in essence, about toy deserts and the implications of a commercial system in which the least-privileged children are choked off from the recreations most explicitly geared toward creativity and achievement."
This is a powerful statement as it speaks to the importance of making a wide variety of creative toys available to all children. So, congratulations to Kathleen and ASTRA for not just making the toy industry a better place but for helping children everywhere have access to the best toys available, no matter who makes them. May you grow and prosper.

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on December 12, 2012 | Comments (4)

January 6, 2013

In response to: Kathleen McHugh, 2012 Global Toy News Person of the Year
Rio commented:

To get some great ideas about small business, you shuold inquire at your local small business bureau. They'll usually have seasoned/successful businessmen that come in once/twice a week to talk with people such as yourself that endeavor to start a business. I'll tell you one thing, it is NOT easy to get it off the ground, but it can be done. Try that.

January 3, 2013

In response to: Kathleen McHugh, 2012 Global Toy News Person of the Year
Tsukika commented:

To be honest, it soduns like you want to become a store owner rather than a distributor' ( the companys that actually supply the stores) THAT is a whole different thing and a major effort. I own a online shop, and I can help you in that arena:Start off by doing some research for companys that offer turn-key adult stores. These companies will host, and maintain you site, as well, in some cases, serve as a distributor by providing a inventory of products you can use on your site and offer drop shipping services.Some people will try and tell you that you're locked into using THAT one company as a distrubutor, but I actually use three different distrubutors, *none* of them are my Turn-key company I use them *only* for hosting my site because I wasn't a fan of their perfomance as a distributor. *You* will always be in control of what your website carries and the prices you charge.You'll pay a set up fee, and mine even applied a template so I was technically ready to go and if that company provides a large inventory- you can select the products you wish to carry, make adjustments to the template to customize it and go live. You still need to do the background stuff set up a domain name and a business/tax licence whatever your local laws require as well as a Credit card processor, and a business bank account. I'm not saying its a snap, but its isn't a Herculean effort either.About dropshipping This is a wonderfull alternative to actually having to warehouse a lot of stock yourself: Someone orders a Rabbit vibe, you put in the order to your distributor, for a small fee, they send it out to your customer for you. Its worked quite well for me.The real difference between stores is the marketing- market your business, pass out cards, throw events, demos, whatever your customer base will be all local at first but eventually but at time goes, you'll get a more diverse base. I live in Maryland and I recently vacationed in Vegas. In checking out the other side of Vegas I went into a shop and ran inot one of MY business cards. Marketing works. Also research all you can about your stock the more you know and can talk about, the more people trust you as a business. I've sold products while having a freindly conversation about toys without really meaning too!The biggest snag I had was getting a Credit Card processor. With CC processors getting tough on Adult content, some (many)companies have been downright Nazi-ish, even dictating what a cleint can sell or not sell.. even giving me grief about the packaging of the products, which I had nothing to do with, and demanding that I fuzz out any nudity on the product images and I carry over 1000 different products! I use Linkpoint I recommend them *highly* they don't give you crap or take you through the ringer like many other processors do. They handle transaction on my site AND and point of sale transactions we do at a toy party or event. I was on vacation and I did business with just my laptop! You could use PayPal but they have an inconsistant stance on Adult businesses. One auditor looked at our site and cancalled our account, another looked at it with no changes and reinstated us and that LAST thing you want is they way you get paid being left up to the personal opinions of a stary auditor on any given day. You'll pay less per transaction as well. This is vital, because chosing a company that might revoke your account can leave you dead in the water and out of business.Good Luck and I hope this helps you.

December 30, 2012

In response to: Kathleen McHugh, 2012 Global Toy News Person of the Year
Mohamed commented:

Laura,I just wanted to thank you for your reivew, information and video about Lagoona Blue's Hydration Station!I absolutely LOVE the video you provided. Long, yes, but I watched the entire video and more than once, just about laughed to tears! I didn't quite see the little girl, but her personality is adorable, so spunky! That's the only toy tester you need!And google.com gave your site a great hit. I was flustered trying to find out any info on this product, because I couldn't find a major US retailer showing it or mentioning on their sites.Thx again!Jen H

December 22, 2012

In response to: Kathleen McHugh, 2012 Global Toy News Person of the Year
redwagontoys commented:

Nice place, where we find information about the children's , toys & clothing and we can share much more.