Castle Donington-based The Olive Branch Toyshop is gearing up for the festive push and, as owner Julie Logan explains, it's a time that community spirit is at its height.
You opened The Olive Branch Toyshop at the end of 2016, which must have been a real leap of faith. What were your main reasons for opening the store?
A leap of faith is a perfect way of putting it! I really wanted to create something for the community, somewhere where everyone would feel welcome and everybody would leave with a smile.
When I attended my first toy and gift fair in 2016, the Lanka Kade Ark just jumped out to me and became the first product we bought for the shop and the inspiration for our store.
There was even a rainbow in the sky over the shop at the end of our opening day - it was meant to be!
It's clear community values and a sense of friendship are important to you and the shop. Is that something that resonates with your customers?
Absolutely! We feel very grateful to be surrounded by such a wonderful and supportive local community.
Our customers are amazing, our village is really friendly and we have a beautiful shopping street filled with family-run independents who work together. We wouldn’t be here without that support.
Many customers actively choose to shop local to keep our village thriving.
In return, everything we do is to give back to that community; whether helping choose a special gift for a baby, providing a space for local groups in our meeting room or just being here every day with a smile, wave and a chat.
What is it about traditional toys that are so appealing and why do some continue to be so timeless and popular - even in an age of hi-tech toys and games?
I think there might be a touch of magic involved here! Who doesn’t love a beautiful and classic toy?
There’s definitely an element of nostalgia: that warm feeling of finding a toy for our children similar to something we enjoyed as a child.
Traditional toys are often durable and don’t date so they make great keep-sakes, family heirlooms or can be handed on to another child in the family.
There is definitely a place for hi-tech toys, but equally, sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that can give so much delight.
It looks like you have a great close-knit group of people working at The Olive Branch.
We have an amazing team. There are so many different aspects to The Olive Branch Toy Shop and each of our wonderful team bring their own unique skills and personality to keep all of the plates spinning.
We all bounce off each other’s positivity and enthusiasm and share in the joy of helping our customers find the perfect gift. Sometimes I’m not sure who likes playing with all the toys most - the children or staff!
What is the run up to Christmas like at The Olive Branch?
Christmas really is magic in a toy shop - we have Santa on speed dial here!
Christmas begins for us in the summer when we place all of our big orders ready for our busiest months of the year. There is always excitement when new products arrive.
Whist we do get very busy at times, there’s always a moment to refuel with a quick cuppa and a nice mince pie to keep us going.
Are there any toys/items that prove particularly popular as Christmas presents?
Christmas gifting is often quite diverse. Traditional games always go down well: wooden games like Bigjigs Snakes and Ladders and modern classics like Orchard Toys Shopping List.
Musical toys have been popular recently, such as Hape Baby Einstein Magic Touch Piano. Nostalgic gifts like a soft doll and matching outfit; an Usborne Poppy and Sam book or a wooden train are all firm favourites.
For a baby’s first Christmas, Peter Rabbit remains popular, especially this year on his 120th anniversary. Also, our Bigjigs 100% FSC Noah’s Ark makes a treasured heirloom and our Puppet Company Rabbit in Lettuce is a nice choice for customers looking for something a little different.
For older children, GALT science kits and craft activity packs are firm favourites in addition to construction toys like Gift in Tin. And who can resist a Lanka Kade Nativity Scene at this time of year?
How much joy does it give you knowing that the toys you provide will bring so much happiness to children when they open them on Christmas Day?
This is what it is all about, knowing we’ve played a small part in creating Christmas magic and joy for so many people.
We work hard all year to source brilliant products from fantastic suppliers to make gifting a pleasure. Best of all is when customers tell us how well received their gifts have been or leave us a lovely review on Facebook or Google. It means the world to us!
While people can purchase practically anything at the click of a button these days, do you think it's important that you can still walk into shops, browse options and connect with people?
Whenever I’m asked this, I think back to the lockdowns when we had to close our shop doors. Our website was a lifesaver and kept us going, packing and delivering toys to customers near and far. It was a lifeline in a challenging time, yet something was always missing.
That face-to-face contact, a chat with a customer, a smile, watching a child see all the toys in the shop for the first time... the online world is, and always will be, amazing - we wouldn’t be here without it.
But we feel it’s also so important to create a physical space for our customers to visit as well, to chat to us about what they need and find something that really jumps out to them.
Giving choice is key and blending our beautiful store with our own comprehensive website allows us to give the same friendly service to customers however they choose to shop.
