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| It's Saturday afternoon on a brisk autumn day in Lincoln Square. The leaves are beginning to fall and the days are growing shorter, turning kids' minds to thoughts of the holidays right around the corner. Christmas may still be many weeks away, but Timeless Toys Ltd. is filled with groups of parents and kids—and both seem to be having a great time. A man smiles as he leads his son by the hand out of the store and says, "I'm trying to extract him from heaven." Timeless Toys Ltd. is heaven because it's the vision of store owners Martha and Harry Burrows, who are passionate about their business decisions. And the store has thrived because the Burrows are practical dreamers who have found a method to succeed at doing what they love. |
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 The Burrows' inspiration for starting Timeless Toys Ltd. came partly from their own experience as frustrated shoppers looking for quality toys for their son, Evan. When they bought Evan a tricycle from a large chain toy store, it was so poorly made that it leaned to one side and would barely move. "We couldn't find the kind of toys we wanted for him anywhere in the city," says Martha. She turned the idea of opening their own toy store around in her mind, until the day she finally brought it up to Harry. "We always joke that the idea came from when Martha was volunteering at the Waldorf School—she was painting and we say that she was exposed to too many fumes," Harry laughs.
Neither Harry nor Martha had a background in retail, but Martha did have extensive experience working with children. Harry studied theater at the Goodman School of Drama, and Martha had a degree in music and theater from Michigan State University. While at the university, Martha taught a class that addressed how children play. As they pursued their acting careers later on, they both made ends meet by picking up other skills. Martha became a bookkeeper who worked for small businesses, while Harry worked a variety of service-oriented jobs that ranged from caterer to bartender, to landlord of a three-flat. The Burrows lived in the Lincoln Square area, and recognized its potential as a place to start their business. So in 1994, they opened their doors as Timeless Toys Ltd. in the building that had housed Abrams Department Store for many years. |
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| Though they didn't have experience as retailers, the Burrows started educating themselves to make sure the business made a profit. Martha put her bookkeeping skills to use immediately. "Without her expertise," says Harry, "we would not have done this." They hired a retail consultant who taught them the basics, as well as two important lessons: 1. Ignorance can sometimes be good, because there may be as many bad habits as good ones. 2. Always watch the bottom line. Martha and Harry listened to this advice, and Timeless Toys Ltd. has been profitable since the beginning. |
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| As Martha and Harry created Timeless Toys Ltd., they designed the store that they had always looked for with toys that they saw value in. They gave the store a creative emphasis, part of the philosophy that they picked up from their son's experience at the Waldorf School he attended. From the beginning, they made a huge variety of toys available. Today, Timeless Toys Ltd. carries items from more than 200 different vendors, which is almost unheard of for a store of its size. They recognized that the Beanie Babies they had started to carry presented a huge opportunity. Sales of Beanie Babies helped Timeless Toys Ltd. move into larger quarters across the street in 1999 (their current location), and helped with the purchase of a new computerized inventory system. While Martha and Harry enjoyed the success, they knew that the Beanie Baby fad would not last forever. "Many stores went under after the Beanie Baby demise," says Harry. "They lost track of their other products." |
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| Timeless Toys Ltd. never lost track of their other products. They continued to be selective about buying specialty toys rather than mass-market ones, focusing on items like retro toys and puppets. Puppets appealed to their love of theater, so Timeless Toys Ltd. developed a reputation for having one of the widest selections in the city. "You have to be patient," explains Harry. "When you start to build a reputation for having certain items, then you can eventually turn around and become known as a specialist." As time went on, their specialties became a cornerstone of their success. |
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 Today, Timeless Toys Ltd. is a favorite of both kids and parents, who can buy some of the same toys they had as kids for their own children. Parents also love the focus on toys that help their children learn. Chicago Magazine rated Timeless Toys Ltd. the best toy store in the city, and the store appeared in a feature in the Chicago Tribune. All the hard work and passion that Harry and Martha have put into the store has paid off. "A lot of retailers agonize over what other people are doing. We go with our gut," says Harry. "We will sacrifice a buck to avoid buying something we don't like." All the while, they keep an eye on their inventory to make sure that the things they do like are selling well too. "If we love it and it doesn't sell, then that doesn't work either," he says.
How Martha and Harry both work as a team is another secret of their success. They each take responsibility for certain tasks, and share others. Martha handles the books, staffing and public relations for the store, while Harry is responsible for managing most of the toy inventory. Martha buys all the books for the store, while they make decisions about purchasing plush toys together. Somehow Martha manages to balance her duties at the store with directing musical theater productions. Currently, she's the music director of a production of "Godspell." As the store has grown, Martha and Harry have been fortunate to have loyal employees to rely on for help. In fact, their first employee, Karin, still works for them now. They've watched Grace as she went from a customer who shopped with her parents, to an employee when she was in high school, to a college student at DePaul. Timeless Toys Ltd. also has loyal customers who have shopped at the store since it opened. |
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| From floor to its beautifully restored tin ceiling, Timeless Toys Ltd. is packed with items of all kinds, for all ages. They have big to small toys at all prices. Since they specialize in organic toys, you'll find more wood than plastic. Educational toys emphasize creativity and participation. Musical instruments, art supplies and costumes get kids interested in the arts. Of course, Martha and Harry stock some of the toys that were their favorites as children, such as the puppets. They carry baby toys from brands like Lamaze and Sassy, all the way up to more involved toys for older kids, such as Brio train sets and Plan Toys wooden dollhouses. They even have kid-sized play sinks and stoves, if you look up. Another thing you'll notice is that the store isn't dominated by electronic items. Instead, they have truly interactive toys like kites, board games, models and puzzles. And instead of the blockbuster brands, you will find more intriguing ones. The Timeless Toys Ltd. version of Barbie dolls are Groovy Girls, soft fabric dolls that come with eclectic outfits and accessories that kids can choose and change. They also stock many European brands, such as Selecta dollhouses and Schleich animal figurines. |
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| The holiday rush gets so crazy at Timeless Toys Ltd., that Harry runs around the store all day stocking up items as fast as they leave. This may sound odd, but it's one of his favorite moments. "I love being out on the floor and overhearing someone who doesn't know me talk about how much they like the store," smiles Harry. It's proof that when you do what you love and you work hard, success will follow. Visit Timeless Toys Ltd. for a local alternative to your holiday shopping and birthday gifts. Or stop in just for fun. But if you come with kids, be forewarned—it may be hard to get them out. |
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Timeless Toys Ltd.
4749 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.334.4445
Hours:
Monday through Wednesday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday and Friday: 10:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am - 5:00pm
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| Read more profiles in the Member of the Month Archives |
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