Busy Bee Toy Shop

Where is it?
517 Wilbraham Road
Chorlton
Manchester
M21 0UF

Tel: 0161881 5838
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat 9.30am - 5.30pm

History:
This place is a Chorltonian symbol of collective effort.

After a 25 year spell, the shop’s owners decided to call it quits, retiring and closing up in January 2009. But the disappointed local parents of the community weren’t having any of it.

A meeting was conducted to gauge support for the project. The committee managed to raise £32,000 in five weeks.

“Each person had to donate a minimum of £250,” said Claire Waite, the store manager. “Some even contributed more.”

This spirit of persistence and unity reopened the Busy Bee Toy Shop and has kept the UK’s first toy shop co-operative open and running since July 2009.

What does it sell?
It's understandable why hoards of parents wanted to save the shop. It really is all about the kids.

It’s toys galore at the Busy Bee. With Lego, dolls and everything inbetween, the shop tries to stock brand names while also getting more individual pieces from local wholesalers.

It also tries to mix in the old and the new.

“We have a lot of the same stock that the original shop had like arts and crafts equipment because it was well known for that,” Claire said. “But we also have a lot of new lines this year like Sylvanian Families, wooden toys, crafts and science kits.”>/p>

Apart from the goods sold in store, the shop also provides a variety of services.

“We have a party bag service where people can call in advance and we’ll put them together. We also do gift wrapping and we have a mail order service,” Claire said.

Who shops there?
It’s a family-oriented shop. Local families funded the shop’s survival and regularly visit the store.

It isn’t rare to see children roaming around enjoying some of the store’s fun treasures - an opportunity that is typically a child’s fantasy.

But the company isn’t only focused on providing great toys and amusement for kids. They also want to help their cognitive development.

“We work with other businesses, schools and play groups and provide them with educational supplies,” Claire said.

Why go there?
The family and community focus is what really sets this place apart from others.

As a community cooperative, there is such a great focus on advancing the community, giving back and helping with the development of local children.

“Local families and members of the committee come in and help out,” Claire said. “We have activities like book readings and arts and crafts.”

The immense contribution that was made to make sure the store was still available to people in the local area shows how precious the place is.

“We try to make this a vibrant and fun place for kids,” Claire said. “This store is part of the heart of this community.”

Future:
Claire hopes that the toy shop will continue to build on its success by increasing stock and trying to get some more educational supplies in. She would also like to try some new things with the business, if the opportunity arises.

“We might start selling online,” she said.

Verdict:
Although it may not be as well stocked as bigger, more well-known toy specialists, its preservation of community and the fact that it symbolises such a great accomplishment for the people of Chorlton, is what makes it most appealing.