Every seaside store has a demographic it is trying to cater to. For some it is the middle-aged woman wanting to look extra stylish for a night out with her girlfriends. For others it the family wanting to stock up on all their gear for a day at the beach, and still others want to be able to provide that perfect gift that can be taken home as a keepsake.
No matter who your core customers are, chances are they have a little one to buy for. It could be their own offspring or a niece, nephew or grandchild. Sometimes children may also accompany adults to the store, so having merchandise that is geared toward them and their wad of cash can make a lot of sense.
According to Chris Lowe, showroom manager for toy distributor Sandy Ruben and Associates, the expansion of retailers into kids’ merchandise is a growing trend.
“It has been amazing to watch all kinds of stores add a 12-by-12-square-foot area of toys — women’s clothing stores, baby boutiques, garden centers — as they realize it is a captive audience and most people are in need of items to keep kids busy as well as for gifts, holidays and travel.”
Often seaside retailers tend to stick to traditional coastal themes with their children’s merchandise offerings such as mermaids, sharks, pirates, fish, boats and active beach/pool play items, Lowe notes. Luckily for these niche retailers, there are plenty of products to choose from that carry such themes and are specifically designed with the young and young at heart in mind.
“When [retailers] are adding toys we start with the no-brainer lines, then help them build their section up to fulfill all toy needs,” says Lowe.
And there is a multitude of needs to be fulfilled for the seaside customer. There are “be quiet” items for car rides and restaurants. These are more grab-and-go type items. Problem-solving sets, card games and activity books also work for those scenarios.
For a vacation, Lowe recommends engaging games, puzzles and outdoor fun items. For the holiday season, he suggests going for some higher priced items, while still carrying the $20 to $25 birthday gift price point.
Lowe says the Plus Plus Tubes are one of the company’s hottest selling lines, They are available in many different themes, including a turtle, a mermaid, a shark and a surfer girl.
“Boys, girls and their parents find joy in using their imagination to create colorful puzzles and mosaics or build 3D creations,” says Lowe. The award-winning educational STEM construction toy stimulates fine motor skills, creativity, focus and patience.
Another popular toy is Glo Pals Party Pals, a liquid activated toy that engages children’s senses and brightens up bath and pool time.
“There’s been a lot of emphasis on sensory items for kids with special needs and for anyone dealing with stress. All these hands-on items help everyone,” says Lowe. He notes that kids appear to be using their whole hands to play these days rather than just using a finger to swipe as they once did.
“We have been swamped since last year with everything from indoor play — puzzles, games, science kits, arts and crafts and books — to outdoor items to keep kids active. Everything is trending,” Lowe says.
Pumped about products
Nowhere was the trending toys and games phenomenon more apparent than during the September edition of Surf Expo in Orlando, Florida. New and returning vendors reported garnering a lot of interest for their playful, imaginative, educational products.
ChulaHoops USA was one such company that made its debut at the show — its first trade show since COVID. The sparkly hula- esque hoops with UV-glow are successfully used on the first try by 85% of users, according to the company. Surf Expo attendees loved trying out the fun activity on the show floor.
“We loved the ambiance, the attendees, the retailers — the whole enchilada. I think we really found our tribe there,” says Andrey Sanchez, ChulaHoops executive assistant.
Surf Expo exhibitor, Ocean Family Games, partnered with the nonprofit shark research organization Ocearch for its latest product, Ocearch Shark Playing Cards.
This nontraditional deck of cards take a bite out of the boredom of traditional cards by combining technology and real-time interactive learning via QR technology for tracking great white sharks. Ten percent of the proceeds go directly toward funding Ocearch’s research expeditions and STEM programs.
The 12 face cards in the deck include different sharks that Ocearch has tagged and named. The remaining 40 number cards include nine illustrations of different shark species’ teeth. The deck even comes with a shark tooth identification guide and instructions for a special Shark Tooth Identification War game.
“We launched this product right before COVID hit, which was not the best timing,” says Katharine Baumgartner, Ocean Family Games president. “But we’ve been able to make some pretty significant deals. We’re now nationwide, and we’re in West Marine stores, a lot of coastal gift shops and state parks.”
Baumgartner also wrote a book supporting Ocearch’s mission, “Ocearch Sharks in the Ocean.” It is geared toward children ages three to eight.
“It accompanies the cards really well because it talks about the different studies that Ocearch does when they catch the sharks,” explains Baumgartner. “Tagging is only one part of the research and studies the organization conducts. The book goes into the importance of sharks and what Ocearch is doing to help protect them. It also shares what kids can do to help protect the ocean.”
Books with a theme
Books with sea themes are the prevailing reading materials at most coastal-inspired stores whether fact or fiction.
“Mermaids do really well with girls and sharks are always popular with boys,” says Chris Wicht, owner of Sunburst Books, a distributor of nature and nautical titles.
These themes tend to carry through in coastal areas everywhere, but some books can be customized to a specific location. “Good Night New York” or “Good Night Maine” “are different titles that are the same book, customized to a certain state,” explains Wicht.
Our Lucky Star launched its series of children’s books just before the pandemic. The Adventures of Lucky series is inspired by the true story of a little girl and her favorite stuffed dog who goes missing while on vacation.
The mother-daughter trio behind the series is Barbara Jackson, mother and author; Jamie Edelson, the inspiration for the books; and her sister, Andrea Brockman, the founder who “brought together the talents and inspiration of her mother and sister to embark on this wild adventure.”
The first book, “Lucky’s Island Adventure,” is based on Jamie’s real-life story of how she lost her stuffed dog Lucky, during a vacation. It turns out he had gotten twisted in the bedsheets and was sent for a tumble with the hotel’s laundry. Just as in real life, he was finally discovered and reunited with his owner.
The other books are fictional accounts of Lucky’s adventures in space, on the farm and soon to be released, at The North Pole. But what makes the series extra special is that each book comes with toys.
“My mom was a preschool teacher for 20 years so she made them very interactive,” says Brockman. “Each one includes Lucky dressed for his adventure, a mode of transportation and another element from the book. The toys rattle, squeak or crunch. Lucky has a little star on his paw prints so throughout each book you can follow his paw prints.”
The story resonated with buyers at Surf Expo. “Everybody has a story that relates to it. They can remember themselves or their child losing their favorite stuffed animal,” she says.
Another Surf Expo exhibitor, Turtle Tracks Family created by Sue Trew, launched its ninth collection in a series.
“Loggerhead Life, A Tale of a Loggerhead Turtle and a Pelican” storybook helps children from three to eight years old learn to read while educating them about the environment. Unique plush characters from the beautifully illustrated book are also available.
“In the storybook, Luna the loggerhead turtle mistakes a balloon for a jellyfish and is taken to a turtle hospital. Gulp a friendly and helpful pelican is part of the action and always talking with his mouth full, which annoys Luna,” explains Joy Carter, manager of Orchid Island Creations, which distributes the series in the U.S. The books and accompanying plush were well-received at Surf Expo.
“We had the best show ever! New customers, existing customers — everyone was so complimentary about Turtle Tracks,” says Carter. “All three pieces in our Loggerhead Life collection are a huge hit. Everyone agrees Gulp pelican, with the fishy pouch, is the cutest pelican they’ve ever seen.”
Dress and accessorize
If clothing and accessories are more your store’s style than toys and games, then you’re in luck. A lot of the same themes and prints that grown ups like also resonate with kids. The streetwear company Vintage Havana showcased its casual styles at Surf Expo, including its kids’ line.
While casual fleece wear is big for its coastal retailer market, Rachael Knockenhaur with the Vintage Havana Kids division says the company’s Hawaiian shirts for boys are also trending. The company launched a new Hawaiian print for the upcoming season after giving the look a year off.
“Last year it definitely wasn’t missed but when we did it, people [reordered] it with us. We had our biggest spenders asking for the Hawaiian print from the year before. Now we have a new one to offer them and it’s been very hot this year,” says Knochenhauer.
Tie dye is another trending style that continues to see traction. “Tie dye continues to be super-hot. I’ve actually seen our boys’ business grow significantly in the past year and a half alone,” says Knochenhauer.
Boys’ styles and cuts in general have been popular, according to Knochenhauer, “A lot of our buyers notice our [boys’ offerings] and will buy them because girls like the boy cut.”
ShapeShifter Fish and Friends is touted as a “multifunctional sun protective wear company in sizes for the whole family.” The designs depict illustrations of cute marine life printed on chemical-free UPF 50+ fabric.
“This brand isn’t just for kids,” says Founder Maria Aller. “It’s just sun protection your kids want to wear, and a positive community parents want their kids to be part of.”
The ShapeShifter Fish and Friends brand inspires friendship, supports diversity and encourages folks to get outside, where friendships are made and nurtured. A portion of every sale helps fund Project FIN (Friends In Need), which provides sun protective clothing to the homeless community.
“Our best sellers so far are the Manatee, the Hammerhead Shark and the hot pink Pufferfish. The turtle and pelican are close seconds,” says Aller.
And no outfit for the beach is complete without a set of shades no matter what age you are. Roshambo Baby has developed a market for its line of shades for the family’s youngest members.
Roshambo Baby’s sunglasses aren’t just for babies. The company offers frames for every face in the family — baby through dad. Scott Morris owns the business with his wife, Julia and young daughters, Avery and Chloe.
“Kids love our frames for two simple reasons, first, they look cool, and second, they are virtually unbreakable,” says Scott. “You can literally bend them in half and they go right back into shape.”
When Scott and Julia started the company they determined to find an Italian manufacturer for the kids’ brand like so many of the other high-quality adult brands.
Scott and Julia found an independent, family-owned Italian sunglasses manufacturer with a background in toy manufacturing.
“Our line does extremely well in seaside locations because polarized sunglasses are essential on the water and parents want a pair that won’t break or break the bank,” says Scott. “Throw in the fact they float, are made in Italy and assembled in San Diego, and the entire family can match, and it’s a no brainer.”
The company is also a carbon neutral certified e-commerce store, and starting in 2022, the plastic components of the frames will be made from recycled ocean fish nets.
With family vacations, holiday occasions and birthday invitations, there will always be a reason to carry gifts, souvenirs, toys, games, apparel and accessories for kids. Whether it is the children doing the shopping or someone who cares about them, you can offer something that will put a smile on their sweet little faces.
