Gifted Originals Ltd

Where is it?
Gifted Originals Ltd
Unit 3&4
Southpoint
12 Lane End Road
Burnage

Tel: 0161 637 2257
Website: www.giftedoriginals.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon–Sat 9:30m – 5pm

History
Situated next to Tesco in Burnage, Gifted Originals is the sole occupant of an apartment slash commercial premises on Lane End Road. With a cheery, Teletubby-ish shop sign, the North West’s largest independent toy store is something of a pick-me-up in otherwise dreary surroundings.

Established in 2004, Gifted Originals started off by doing the rounds at school fairs and markets, peddling its traditional wares to small crowds before moving into a shop, “bricks and mortar”, as director Andy Kidd puts it, then a warehouse in 2008.

Like many other businesses, it was the world wide web that allowed Gifted Originals to reach a wider audience without the extra costs of a shop. The warehouse was “a place customers had the option to see what they were buying”, but it was the website that attracted mums and dads to part with their hard-earned cash.

Unlike other web-based businesses, Gifted Originals made the decision last year to setup a real life shop alongside the website.

“We were getting a lot of good feedback, but more people were enquiring if we had a place they could visit. The warehouse was alright for the odd customer to visit, but couldn’t accommodate a large number at once”, says Kidd.

Opening the store in May, Andy calls it a “natural progression” for the toy retailer. Perhaps as a way to compensate for the not-so-suitable previous environment, Gifted displays its products alongside a play area for kids and has mobility access and chairs for those that need them.

What does it sell?
Specialising in traditional, wooden and educational toys, the shop is lined with cars, kits, trikes, dollhouses, musical instruments, and a number of other plaything paraphernalia, alongside party goods and a small selection of shoes. From the traditional spinning tops, rocking horses and jack-in-the-boxes, to the ultra-cool Automoblox cars and science kits, the toys exude quality rather than the familiar sight of brash packaging.

Speaking of packaging, Andy points out that all the toys are wrapped in recycled materials rather than those nasty bleeding ‘blister packs’ (you know the sort, cut your hands and take forever to open).

Another range stocked is Plan Toys. Labelled the ‘green toy company’, it uses non-toxic, natural materials such as organic rubberwood to create toys that can compete with their not-so-eco-friendly counterparts. But it would be a mistake to say Gifted are overtly ‘green’, rather, it seems it’s down to the type of toys they specialise in which means they naturally lean towards eco-ness as opposed to toxic-laden toys.

The aforementioned trikes are the stuff children’s dreams are made of. Modelled on the 1936 Sky King originals, they are far from your average child’s bike and come in a choice of pink, red and blue powder coat. Priced at £199.99, the Sky King Trike is the most expensive item in the shop, but I’m reassured they’re “a collectible for years to come”.

Why go there?
In these post-recession days, we’re all watching what we spend. Yes it’s independent, but that factor alone is hardly going to make hard-up mums and dads shop there. As with most things, money talks, and rather than trying to swindle customers with two-tier pricing (like many big retailers do), the price you see on the Gifted Originals website is the same as the price you’ll find instore.

What’s more, something tells me people are getting bored with all things faddy, toys being no exception. With an emphasis on quality, traditional, but also contemporary, many of the products are classics of the future, “heirloom” toys that can be passed down from sibling-to-sibling.

Verdict
Already at the receiving end of changing consumer habits, Andy tells me they may “possibly be opening another shop next year”. It seems playing shop really is paying off for this independent toy retailer, and deservedly so.