Kiddlestix Owners Celebrate 10-Year Milestone
On April 1, 2015, Jana and Chuck Doyle officially became owners of Kiddlestix Toy Store, ready to build on the legacy of founders Sue and Mike Burdock. “I was shopping in the store for a gift and overheard that the owners were retiring,” Jana Doyle says. She and her husband had been talking about starting a business but weren’t sure what that would look like. However, when she heard about the Burdocks’ retirement plans, “I jumped on it and got her phone number and it just kind of went from there,” Jana says.
Now, they’re celebrating their 10-year ownership anniversary with a month of special in-store events (like a visit from Calico Critters!) and giveaways. Follow @kiddlestix on Instagram, where they’re doing 10 days of giveaways. The giveaways are live as of April 17, and winners will be announced April 21-30.
Rising to the challenge
It’s no secret that owning a small business isn’t easy, and challenges like COVID and online shopping certainly don’t help. However, the Doyles’ commitment to top-tier customer service (and free gift wrapping!) has kept Kiddlestix thriving.
“COVID especially was a big challenge,” Jana says. “We had our kids here, we were homeschooling the kids. The business was closed. I think what helped us get through that was social media.”
Jana explains that they would post new products, like art supplies, on social media, captioned with messages such as, “Hey, this will get you through the next few weeks!” And again, they maintained that personal touch. “We gave customers our cell phones…They wanted to support us,” Jana says. “It was during Easter, too, so we were putting together Easter basket ideas on the floor and sending them to customers, and they’d be like, ‘Yeah, let’s do all of that, wrap it up, and we’ll be by to pick it up.’ We were busy.”
A proven model
When it comes to choosing that perfect gift – no matter what age you’re shopping for – Kiddlestix no doubt has what you need. And if you don’t know what the child in question would like, the Kiddlestix staff can make expert recommendations. They know all the latest toy trends, keeping the most recent viral TikTok toys in stock along with classics that never go out of style such as LEGO and Playmobil. Current top sellers include NeeDoh Nice Cubes and JellyCat stuffed animals, which draw even adult collectors into the store.
Where will the shop be in another 10 years? “I don’t see a lot changing,” Jana says. “The foundation of Kiddlestix is our customer service and free gift wrapping, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
