The Toy Box: Where Kids Learn and have Fun

Toys may be for kids, but since 1998 making children happy has been serious business for Judy and Jennifer Clements.  They are the mother and daughter owners of The Toy Box in Pearl River.  And it soon becomes apparent that this store is somewhat different from most other toy stores.

“We have a different focus," Judy Clements said. "All of our toys are geared to children from newborn to 10-12 years old.  They have to be fun and educational.  Eighty to ninety percent of our items are not found in the big box stores.  We are knowledgeable about the products we sell and proud of the customer service we provide on high quality toys at reasonable prices.”

The Toy Box strives to provide items that make children think and learn. The Clements’s have made the conscious choice to stock none of the electronics that make up such a large part of the toy market today. 

“In our store you will find kaleidoscopes where children make their own designs and work with colors," Judy Clements said. "We also have mandalas where you make lovely designs from stencils and draw pictures.  You won’t find these toys in most stores.”

The Toy Box is also proud to carry merchandise for children with special needs. There are tactile items like musical instruments that can be seen and felt or toys that make sounds to serve the needs of blind children.  For autistic children there are toys that are made to provide low frustration levels.

The business started in the mid-1990’s as an Internet source for plastic boxes for Beanie Babies.  Jennifer Clements loved dolls, specifically the Madame Alexander line, whose makers dictated that their product could not be sold online.  It was at that point that the Clements’s opened their original shop on William Street.

“There weren’t really any specialty toy stores around,” Judy Clements said.  "We saw a need and expanded on it.  As a matter of fact, today we are the only store that offers Madame Alexander dolls in Rockland County.  And it is a wonderful brand that has been around for eighty years.  It is a nostalgic collectible that is passed from grandmother to mother to their children.”

Since 95% of the business for The Toy Box is walk-in trade, Judy Clements is in the store six days a week while her daughter scours the world for new products.  As a matter of fact, Jennifer Clements was in Europe on a buying trip when we spoke with her mother.

Jennifer Clements attends toy shows in overseas locales that include London and Nuremburg and, closer to home, in New York City and the All Ireland Show in Secaucus, NJ.  The Clements’s are always searching for “the next hot toy.”  That is also another very important aspect of keeping The Toy Box competitive in a challenging marketplace.

The make up of the community where a store is based is also very important to buying patterns. 

“Pearl River is a tight community, a family community," Judy Clements said. "Since there is a large Irish population we feature a wide variety of toys made in Ireland.

Judy is a strong proponent of making sure Pearl River residents buy from local businesses.

“Local businesses give back to the community," Judy Clements said. "We support the fire department, police and the school district.  That is why The Toy Box is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce.”

The Toy Box has changed over the years to match the changes in the children it carries toys for.

“That’s easy. As children change, we change," Judy Clements said.  "We still carry Slinkies, yo-yo’s, dolls, knights in armor and Cowboys and Indians.  But, Webkinz dolls come with a code that allows the children to go online to play games.  Even jewelry has a code for internet use.  Today toys must be multifaceted.”

Visit The Toy Box at 44 East Central Avenue and be transported into a world of toys to suit every taste.  Let your children’s’ imaginations run wild while you take a look back at some of your favorites from years past.  Also, enjoy the Toy Box on line at www.thetoyboxinpearlriver.com.   .