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16 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m T R E N D I N G All His World's for Play By Makayla Silva M E E T T H E M A K E R A cross the country, indepen- dent toy stores are seeing something of a revival as parents (and children) seek a more personal shopping expe- rience during a time when so many shopping functions have been reduced to the click of a button. Just ask Kevin McGrath, president of the Original Toy Co., who has been in the business of toys for 30 years. McGrath has harnessed the pow- er of play for decades, assembling a creative collection of toys and learning tools that run the gamut of specialty playthings. "I originally came into the toy business 40 years ago," McGrath re- counts. "I was president for a com- pany called Galt America, based out of England, which had been around since the 1800s — one of the oldest toy companies in the world." Heading Galt's North America operations, McGrath saw an oppor- tunity to create his own company and founded the Original Toy Co. on August 1, 1989 in Milford. "We are a manufacturer creat- ing our own product and our own brand," says McGrath. "But we are also a distributor, distributing Bon- tempi, an Italian musical-instru- ment manufacturer, and we are the exclusive distributor for Orchard Toys, the leading manufacturer of educational puzzles and games for children aged between 18 months and 12 years." Inside the Milford store, you won't find row aer row of LOL Dolls or Nerf Guns. Instead, there are Pinocchio Marionettes and light-up Whirlo's, kaleidoscopes and wooden trains. When you purchase a toy, you'll also meet its maker. is is a classic toy company, making and selling the kinds of toys and games you remember from your childhood. OTC sells exclusively to specialty store companies throughout North America and exports product to Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. "We sell exclusively to about 2,000 mom-and-pop specialty toy stores across the United States, edu- cational supply companies, specialty toy catalogues and on the Amazon platform to FBA sellers," McGrath explains. "We have about 80 independent sales representatives who call on all of those accounts nationwide." Locally, Original Toy Co. products are sold in Jesse's Toys in Orange, Evan's Toys in Hamden and Jordie's Toys in Guilford. While the bulk of toy sales take place online, independent mom- and-pop retailers like Jesse's have been able to keep their doors open through developing and maintain- ing a connection with customers, McGrath believes. "Someone's in that store telling you how to play that game, which toys to check out, what the benefits of that toy are," he says. "ese are people who stand behind the prod- uct they sell and can provide one- on-one service. You're not going to get that in a mass-market store." According to the market research group NPD, U.S. retail toy sales totaled $21.6 billion in 2018, down 2.0 percent from $22.0 billion in 'We are not in the business of creating a product that has a 10-minute lifespan,' says McGrath. 'We are in it for the long haul.' M E E T T H E M A K E R

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