Toy shops, like other non-essential services, have been closed as part of Level 5 restrictions since 21 October 2020, which has meant that what was traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for Cavan Toymaster owner Francis Clarke has been very quiet. The shop is one of the biggest in the border region. Francis, a part-time farmer and Monaghan native, opened the shop in Cavan Retail Park 12 years ago and it has gone from strength to strength since.

“You are planning from June/July for the November/December sales period, so it’s a really frustrating time for us all. It’s by far the biggest challenge we have met yet, but we’ll deal with it, get on with it and look forward to getting out of Level 5 lockdown at the end of the month.”

Border challenge

“We are a little bit different up here and we have been hit particularly hard along the border region, because shops in Northern Ireland have remained open. That threat was always there, but it’s especially relevant this year when we are closed for general shopping,” Francis said.

“We were really hopeful that we would be deemed essential along with other retail shops in the run-up to Christmas, but that wasn’t to be.

You are planning from June/July for the November/December sales period, so it’s a really frustrating time for us all

“Obviously,the most important thing is that everybody stays safe and keeps healthy, but this is our busiest time of the year. The first few months of the year are very quiet for us. We felt we had refined a lot of our procedures since the last lockdown and we didn’t pose a risk to the public with our operating system. You just have to roll with the punches and get on with things.”

Different place

“It’s a different place – there is usually a buzz around here, especially at weekends when the shop would be packed with children looking at toys. There’s great excitement in that and we miss that end of the job. People generally know what they want, so if they ring us up, we can reserve items for them and they can then come to the front door and collect them.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we can do. We set up a Christmas club a few years ago, where people put money aside during the year to cater for Christmas spending. It’s really popular and it means Christmas isn’t the huge burden that it is in some households.”

Online selling

Many businesses have moved to online selling over the past few months and it would seem a natural fit for toy shops. Francis explained that it’s not as easy as just flicking a switch and moving to online selling.

To install an online system, everything needs to be synchronised so that if something is sold out on the shop floor, it updates that status online

“We have been looking at online selling and while there is no doubt that’s the way to go, you can’t just flick a switch and go online,” Francis said.

“Online selling suits some businesses really well, in that they can gear up quickly. It especially suits businesses that don’t have a huge choice of products, so they don’t have to carry a huge amount of stock. I have hundreds of different products here on the shop floor. I also have a warehouse for storing toys that we can’t fit on the shop floor.

“To install an online system, everything needs to be synchronised so that if something is sold out on the shop floor, it updates that status online. You can’t have people buying things online and expecting delivery if the product isn’t here.”

2020 must-haves

There’s always that one popular toy every Christmas. Francis explained that this year was a little different in that there is no real stand-out must-have.

“As we are situated in a predominantly rural region, farming has always been big in the shop. We have a complete wall dedicated to Britain’s, Bruder and Siku toys. They are always very popular here and accessories like farm sheds, animals and fields are also very popular. The majority of kids that come in here have some connection with farming so that’s why it’s big here. For the non-farming kids, Lego is always a good go-to, with different items for different ages.

“In the last year or two, we have seen a move back to more traditional-type toys. The Our Generation doll is a good example of that. After a few years of singing and dancing dolls, children seem to have moved back to simple dolls that you dress up, something from 30 or 40 years ago.”

Santa’s workforce

Francis added that being a toyshop, they get regular weekly communications with the North Pole.

“We are assured that everything is continuing as normal up there. Because of the remote nature of where Santa and the elves live, it’s one of the only places in the world where COVID-19 hasn’t hit. Santa’s elves were also deemed essential workers during the pandemic, so it’s business as usual up there. We are also told that Santa was one of the first people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, so he’s good to go on 24 December, all things going well. It’s important that children remember to leave out some hand sanitizer this year, along with the traditional milk and biscuits.”