http://toysandbooks.wordpress.com - our new blog address

Hi!

Please hop over to our new Wordpress blog for the latest.

The address is http://toysandbooks.wordpress.com.

See you there!

- Erin B.

Downtown Staunton Easter Event on Saturday, April 11, 2009

Again this year, the Staunton Downtown Development Association and Staunton Recreation and Parks are hosting “Hop Along the Bunny Trail” in downtown Staunton.

It’s a pretty neat event with three major components; you can do all three, or just one or two.

First, from 10am to 12noon, there’s an Easter egg hunt at Gypsy Hill Park. From 11am - 1pm, the Staunton trolley will be transformed into the Bunny Expresss — ride it from the Park to downtown and visit with the Easter Bunny himself (herself? You know, it’s kind of unclear). The Bunny Express will drop you off at Byers Street Bistro, where kids can enjoy a specially-priced lunch. Finally, from 11am - 1pm, most downtown stores will be handing out candy and treats to kids who “hop along the bunny trail” — just look for the big eggs outside each store. Of course, Pufferbellies will be leading the way with the most delicious and plentiful treats.

The SDDA website has some more details for you here. Hope we’ll see you Saturday!

Rogue Roomba

We love our Roomba robot vacuum cleaner ... but apparently she's had enough of us. We came in this morning to find Roomba missing. Gone. Nowhere to be found. She left behind only her mangled brush, in the middle of the rug in the book section.

Have you seen our Roomba?? Please call!

Happy update: the Roomba has been located. Now, we have to figure out how to get that brush thing operational again.

Balloon Powered Boat at Pufferbellies!

Looking for something new for bathtime? Thinking ahead to pool season? You probably need a balloon-powered boat. No, scratch that. You definitely need a balloon-powered boat. In this video, Erin S shows us why. (Hint: They're SO CUTE is why! And only $4. Wow.)

Staunton entrepreneur makes some changes

Here's a little break from toy talk. More toy talk tomorrow, I promise. Now, business talk!

There's a fascinating article in today's Staunton News Leader about Xavier Wilhelmy, a local pipe organ maker who's responding to the economic downturn by completely overhauling his business --- he's converting most of his retail space into a neighborhood grocery store.

I'll admit that when I first read the article, I thought, "huh. Weird." But the more I ponder it, the cooler I think it is. Organ building is a highly specialized craft. Obviously, Mr. Wilhelmy has a lot of passion for it, and has had some measure of success since his shop has been around for years. But I can well imagine that the pipe organ business is one that would really get hit hard by a deep recession like the one we're in. And when that happened to Mr. Wilhelmy, he didn't flounder around, blaming an unforgiving economic climate, until forced to close his doors. He thought about what the people in his neighborhood really need every day, and how he could fill that need.

I think it's an interesting entrepreneurial story, and perhaps a lesson for other struggling small businesses. Sometimes we get so blinded by our own fantasies of what our businesses should be, we can't see what our customers really need. Not Xavier. He's rocking it, by my standards.

At Pufferbellies, we're lucky (and I like to think that we create our own luck, at least to a certain extent) that people still seem to need what we're selling -- even though the overall economic news is grim. Our store is busy and thriving, and we try to continually look ahead so we can avoid pitfalls. But, wow, I am definitely putting Xavier Wilhelmy's story in my mental filing cabinet. If times should ever get tough, I'd love to think that I'm not so emotionally invested in my own ideas about my business that I couldn't make a major change to make it work.

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to give a huge shout-out to all our faithful customers who keep coming back, week after week after week. You make Pufferbellies happen, and we thank you for it.

--Erin B.

(Back to toy talk now!)

Learn Qwirkle at Game Night this Friday, April 3

Get ready for a great evening at Pufferbellies -- the famously fun Erin Staebell will host our first Game Night of 2009 on Friday, April 3, from 6pm to 8pm.

You'll get the chance to learn Qwirkle, one of our very favorite family games. If you already know and love Qwirkle, bring a friend who's never played and show 'em the ropes! Plus, Qwirkle will be 10% off its regular price of $24.99 if you purchase it during the event.

We'll have snacks from our friends at George Bowers Grocery, and you'll be invited to try out any of our board and card games. Did I mention PRIZES? (Hint: We'll be giving away gift certificates to a certain downtown ice cream shop.)

Pufferbellies hosts Game Night on the first Friday of every month; we hope you'll add it to your calendar and that we'll see you there.

Game Night is best suited for kids ages 5 and up with a grownup.

--Erin B.

photo from Mindware.

Where the Wild Things Are teaser trailer is out!

The teaser trailer for the film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze, is out. What do you think?? I say, let the wild rumpus start!

Constructive Eating utensils are here

These are so super neat! Constructive Eating has come up with three cool, construction-themed utensils for making mealtime more fun. There's a bulldozer pusher, a fork-lift fork, and a front-loader spoon. They're great for encouraging productive eating time at the table, taking out to eat, or just for fun.

Constructive Eating utensils are in stock at Pufferbellies today for $6.99 each, or $19.99 for a set of all three.