We sat down with our friends at Henry Bear's Park to chat about working in the toy industry! Check out this video of Nate unboxing his latest shipment from Great Pretenders and read the interview below to hear from Katie.
Nate unboxes a Great Pretenders Package
1. Who are you? Where is your store located and how long have you been in business?
We're Henry Bear's Park! We have 8 locations in the greater Boston area, and we've been lucky to be a part of the Boston community for over 45 years!
2. What is your favourite part about working in the toy industry?
The people! The industry seems to attract folks who are invested in staying young at heart and bringing the spirit of play into daily life, and there's something magical about that. It's a joy to turn work into playtime with such a fun and quirky crew.
3. What makes your business unique?
Henry Bear's Park is unique in how we're always looking to try new things. We are pretty bad at standing still, and we're always working on a new project or adventure.
4. What is one leadership lesson you've learned in your career?
The power of putting people first. It takes careful and deliberate work to create an environment where both your people and your customers feel valued as individuals, and though it may seem trite, that effort is so much more important than any bottom line.
5. What was your favourite toy as a child and why?
I had a Halloween decoration plastic spider that I dragged around with me everywhere. That poor thing was down a few legs over the years, but I loved taking it to the park "for walks". My poor parents were thrilled!
6. What is your favourite Great Pretender costume?
The Reversible Unicorn Dragon Cape! Some days you feel like a lovely, magical unicorn and other days a powerful, scaly dragon. With this cape, you have it all!
7. What do you wish to see more of from the toy industry? (gender neutral toys? STEM toys? etc.)
Imaginative, open-ended and gender inclusive playthings never go out of style. We'd love to see more gender neutral packaging in the toy industry. All toys are for all kids!
