Local Toy Shop Brings Fun, Imagination to Plymouth

Charles Dare, co-owner of Genuine Toy Co. in Plymouth, started his business as a way to make ends meet in a tough economy.

"Like so many others who found themselves at a crossroads due to the harsh economic conditions of recent years, we concluded that our best course of action was to reinvent ourselves rather than continue down the same path," Dare said.

Dare recently submitted information about the business to Patch. If you have a business and want to participate in Patch's Small Business Shout Out you can fill out the form here.

How did your business come to be?: Like so many others who found themselves at a crossroads due to the harsh economic conditions of recent years, we concluded that our best course of action was to reinvent ourselves rather than continue down the same path.  We had no background in retail, no experience owning a business, and no special knowledge of the toy industry.  What we did have was a passion for fun, for games and toys, for knowledge and creativity.  We had one shot to make this work so we poured all of our energy into creating what you see today.  We are very proud of Genuine Toy Co. and are thrilled to have been embraced by our customers as we have.

What's a fact about your business that most customers probably don't know?: There are two big misconceptions about us I believe. The first is that we must be expensive and have a small selection of items. In truth, 80% of everything we carry is priced at under $20 and we typically have over 4,000 unique items in stock.

The second is the vision many people have when they think 'toy store', that we only carry things that appeal to little kids and that we play the ABC song in a continuous loop all day long. On the contrary, a regular comment we hear from our customers is that they are having as much as their kids are at our store. We really do have fun and unique things for every age in an upbeat and inviting atmosphere - we want you to explore everything."

What services does your business provide? The original concept we had (initially named the Explore Emporium) was to try to create a place like a museum store, a shop full of that wondrous and inspiring (and secretly educational) stuff you discover after spending an afternoon taking-in a first-class museum.  From there came our mining sluice (it's like panning for gold), a great selection of science kits which are almost entirely unavailable locally, arts and crafts of all sorts to foster creativity, unique and award winning games, challenging puzzles for all ages, and of course, everything else you would expect to find in a great toy store.

What do you want your business to be best known for?: The sense of fun we try to instill into the whole Genuine Toy Co. experience. We put a wavy funhouse mirror right inside our door and see people smiling and even laughing out loud from the moment they walk in.  There’s an erupting volcano filled with polished rocks that grabs every kid’s attention. Nearly every new customer delights at seeing some favorite toy from when they were a kid sitting right there on our shelves. We even have some anonymous customer who makes us laugh when we keep discovering the fairy princess figures we sell riding atop the T-rex’s like a jockey riding a horse (sometimes Prince Charming is in the dinosaur's jaws as well). People get silly just looking around at some of the wacky stuff they find and the fun is infectious.

What's your most popular product or service?: From the start, our most popular offerings have been the unique games we carry for all ages although our arts & crafts section is a very close second.

When was the business founded?: Opening day for the store was August 3, 2009 although more than a year's worth of research, planning, and work went into Genuine Toy Co. before that day.

Why did you choose to locate to Plymouth?: Although we looked at a variety of nearby locations, nothing compared to the vibrancy Plymouth has successfully cultivated and its endearing small town atmosphere. It was the perfect choice for us since it fit so well with the vision we had for our store. Plymouth is our home – we chose to live here long before opening our store for those same reasons. 

For more information call 734-414-9500 or email genuinetoyco@yahoo.com. The business is located at 550 Forest Ave in Plymouth. Hours are Monday - Thursday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.