Member Interview & Giveaway: Toys Of The Past

VKC: Tell us a bit about yourself, Holly, and your shop, Toys Of The Past.
Holly: I am a Mom of 2 fabulous children, ages 3 1/2 and 16.  We live in the wonderful Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. I was looking for something I could do from my home, in order to be able to stay with my little one, and I found Etsy! It has been such an amazing place for me, I have met so many fantastic people that are helpful, friendly and welcoming.
 My shop, Toys Of The Past, specializes in Vintage Fisher Price Little People Toys. These toys have always had a soft spot in my heart, as I remember playing with them all the time when I was a child. My son now has the sets that were my sisters' and mine, because my fabulous Mom was smart enough and kind enough to save them all these years! Thanks Mom :)
These Little People sets are so versatile! All of the pieces are awesome for "mixing and matching", they can be interchanged amongst all the sets.

 VKC: Why are you drawn to vintage? 
Holly: I think it is the memories of items, places and people that draws us all to Vintage, isn't it? I tend to grab up anything that I remember from my childhood, whether it is toys or dishes or clothing or decorative pieces ~ I really do need a larger house!
Customers and fellow Etsy shop owners tell me all the time how they love the toys because they bring up such fond memories for them and they want to share that with their children and grandchildren. It really is such great fun to hear from everyone as to which set or pieces they had and played with the most, and I thank each and every one of them for sharing those memories with me! 

VKC: Where do you find your treasures?

Holly: Oh my gosh, I find my treasures everywhere! Both for my shop and for my personal items. Online, garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, antique shops, friends and family, and lots and lots of local contacts! Most of the pieces I find are not complete sets, so I then hunt for the missing pieces in order to be able to offer complete (or really close to complete!) sets in my shop. I do also offer small pieces too though, so that if someone is looking to complete their own set they can do that too. The hunt for the small pieces is just as much fun as the hunt for the larger ones!

VKC: How do you promote your business?
Holly: Promoting? Hmmmm...........It is definitely beneficial to join the "teams" on Etsy (like Vintage Kiddo Collective) as well as produce Treasury lists, which I try to do as much as possible. I was just recently invited to a Vintage and Handmade Market in my area, but unfortunately the date of that event conflicted with previous plans so I can not attend. So, I offered to do a donation of items for "goodie bags" that they will be handing out to people that come to the market. I so wish I could be there, maybe next year! But at least my shop name is getting out there a little more with those donations, which is great! I also have some little goodies that I place in every order, magnets and other things, with the shop name and contact info, then people can put "me" on their fridge or somewhere in their workspace, so they are reminded of my shop.

VKC: What do you do when you are not working?
Holly: Spend every possible second with my kids!! I have one sister and my Dad who live very nearby, so a lot of time is spent with them too, which is wonderful. My other sister and my Mom are further away, but we do visit as often as possible with each other and actually my Mom is planning a move back to my Province soon and will be only about an hour away, and I couldn't be more thrilled about that! Moms' are just awesome :)

VKC: What is your favorite item in your shop or that you have sold and why?
Holly: That has got to be a rare and wonderful Farm set that was only sold in Europe, not in the U.S. or Canada. It was especially thrilling to me to even have it in my hands! It is a Farm that is so completely different from the "regular" farms that we probably all remember as being mostly red. It had gorgeous white outer walls and such amazing lithos! That one was actually very hard to list and sell to someone else, but it went to a truly fabulous regular customer of mine who I know will love it as much as I did!

VKC: How do you juggle your business and your personal life/motherhood?
Holly: Ah, the tough question! It is definitely a juggling act, as I am a single Mom and one of my children is still at home all day with me. I get in as much work as I possibly can while he is napping, or when he goes to bed at night but he is such a great little guy and will sit and draw pictures, play with playdough, his cars (or his Fisher Price toys!) if I need to get something done while he is awake.

I also do not drive, so rely on my family (mostly my sister who is nearby) to get me to the Post Office with my packages I need to send out. In warmer weather my son and I pack up his wagon and its separate trailer with packages and walk them to the Post Office!

GIVEAWAY

Holly is so kind to offer a GIVEAWAY for...

...a $30 Gift Certificate to Toys Of The Past!

Enter to win by visiting Toys Of The Past and leaving a comment on this post letting us know your favorite item.

 

OTHER WAYS TO ENTER:

(Leave a separate comment for each one!)

1. Become a follower of the VKC blog (along the right sidebar).
2. Blog about this giveaway and comment with the link. 
3. Follow VKC on Facebook.
4. Subscribe to the VKC via RSS or email (along the right sidebar). 
5. Visit another member shop and let us know your favorite item (one comment per shop visited).

Giveaway end Thursday, May 19th at midnight (EST).  Winner will be announced Friday, May 20th.  

GOOD LUCK!