Two independent toy stores plan to stock Click-A-Brick educational toys and that has co-founders Georg de Gorostiza and Jason Smith excited at the prospect of not just being an online-only company.
While Click-A-Brick has been available on Amazon since last December, this marks the first time the toys will be available in a brick-and-mortar retail location, something the co-founders view as a bit of a milestone for the toy.
De Gorostiza, who also acts as the company’s brand manager, says being in physical retail locations adds an extra element to Click-A-Brick’s availability.
“We love that Click-A-Brick is available on Amazon and it has worked wonderfully for us, but there is just something special about having your product in a physical retail location that gives it that extra bit of authenticity,” de Gorostiza said. “It’s a whole different shopping environment and experience than shopping online. Not only will we be able to attract people specifically looking for educational toys for their children, but we’ll be able to get some sales from impulse shoppers, too.”
Smith says they also appreciate the fact that it is independent toy stores that have been the first to step up and show an interest in stocking Click-A-Brick.
“Of course, getting into the big chain stores is a huge plus, but we’re happy to start with a couple of independent stores. Being a small fish in a big pond ourselves, we understand that it pays to work with smaller operators to get our foot in the door,” Smith said. “And, of course, we have a soft spot for small businesses who are competing against much more established brands, as that’s just what we’re doing ourselves. We see this as an opportunity to help a couple of independent businesses while they help us at the same time. The term ‘win-win’ is a cliche, but in this case, it totally fits.”
Click-A-Brick currently has the Animal Kingdom Safari and Army Defenders sets available, which could be stocked in the stores and it has plans to release as many as six sets by the end of 2016. If their first venture with brick and mortar shops goes well, the company could see all of the sets available in physical locations.
Currently, no deal has been struck, but the company is negotiating to potentially have the sets start appearing in toy stores some time this year. The company plans to specifically target independent toy stores before trying their hand at negotiating with larger toy chains. They believe appearing in smaller stores first will give the added leverage for negotiating with larger stores.
