“This time of year is pretty special,” said Heather Kesmodel, who co-owns Periwinkle’s with her husband, Dave. They opened the shop at 326 N.E. Cedar St. in 2021.
Kesmodel said she has seen some toys come and go. Pop Its!, for instance, were big for a time.
“Those have pretty much run their course,” she said.
Kesmodel and her husband try to carry a variety of toys in their shop. But she said the staple toys that customers buy at Periwinkle’s are largely tried and true. (Her shop doesn’t sell electronic toys.)
One of the biggest sellers this year is slime (not your mother’s homemade slime). This is fancy slime with fun scents and tiny toys added in.
“We get it in, and then it’s cleared out again,” Kesmodel said.
Fidgets of all styles are popular with kids this year, she added. Some brands are so desired they may actually provoke Tickle Me Elmo-circa 1996 flashbacks when trying to find them for Christmas.
Imaginative play is also big. Kids love stuffed animals and figurines. Calico Critters figures and playsets are especially popular at Periwinkle’s.
STEM sets, like Thames & Kosmos Bubble Gum Lab and Mega Cyborg Hand Science Kit, are also popular sellers.
Season outlook
Trade group The Toy Association said in its holiday season outlook that consumers are still cautious about spending despite inflation slowing.
“But our survey shows that parents are still prioritizing purchases that spark joy,” said Adrienne Appell, executive vice president of marketing communications at The Toy Association.
The group’s survey showed 69 percent of parents would cut back on other areas of their budget to ensure their kids have the latest toys.
Kesmodel’s small shop can’t compete with the big retailers, so she can’t get her hands on some products, like the popular Hatchimals brand.
But the toys her shop does carry represent the cornerstones of play: games and puzzles for family time, imaginative play with figurines and stuffed animals, science kits for hands-on learning, and art supplies to spark creativity.
“That’s the beauty of it,” Kesmodel said. When kids experience different kinds of toys, they learn and grow, she said.
This post was originally published on here
