ASTRA Launches New Neighborhood Toy Store Day
The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) has announced the launch of its new national Neighborhood Toy Store Day (NTSD) program, to be held annually on the second Saturday in November. This year’s event, at which ASTRA will announce the twenty-two winners of its 2010 Best Toys for Kids awards, will be held Saturday, November 13, 2010.
"At its core, Neighborhood Toy Store Day is about growing the specialty toy industry for retailers, manufacturers, reps and everyone else who is dependent on moms and dads and grandparents and others buying toys for kids,” says Kathleen McHugh, President of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. “Our strategy is to stake a claim on the second Saturday in November every year, and make as loud a noise as we can -- both nationally and in local ASTRA markets -- about the advantages of shopping at a locally-owned independent toy store. We will learn a lot from our first year, and keep growing the event every year so consumers understand the value they get from specialty stores that they cannot get elsewhere."
To support the program, ASTA will publicize the event in national parenting and social media outlets and provide ready-to-go press releases for its member retailers to use in their local markets. An easy-to-use, step-by-step retailer guidebook, full of how-to ideas for using the event to attract new customers, has been posted for ASTRA members online. Toy retailers who are interested in learning more can find information about ASTRA membership at http://www.astratoy.org.
