About 166 million people are estimated to do some kind of shopping between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation, and one independently-owned mountain toy store saw an influx of customers this holiday weekend compared to last year.
For O.P. Taylor's Toy Store in Brevard, the holiday shopping weekend has been a major success.
“We were so busy this year,” said O.P. Taylor's owner John Taylor on Sunday, Nov. 27. “It was a lot of return families that we see about this time of year. It far exceeded our expectations.”
On average, the U.S. toy industry generates $39 billion per year, with half of the revenue coming in during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Unlike last year, supply chain shortages haven’t been top-of-mind for Taylor.
“We were fortunate; we saw the supply issues early and invested in a larger warehouse that was like five times larger than our old warehouse, “explained Taylor. “So, we filled it up. So, we had no problem keeping the shelves full.”
But major players Hasbro and Mattel have reported a 3% decrease in sales so far this year, leading to fears of too much stock among big-name toy stores and those that carry toys.
“Now they are sitting on piles of inventory with a slower economy because people are being more careful about what they’re buying,” said Taylor. “Their dollars aren’t going as far as they did a year ago.”
Taylor told News 13 he has noticed an increase in LEGO purchases this holiday season compared to previous years.
On average, the Brevard location has more than 17,000 different items to choose from.
He said he believes his store -- with locations in both Brevard and downtown Hendersonville -- has a nostalgia that sets O.P. Taylor's apart when compared to major retailers.
“It’s a whole feeling you get when you walked into a store like this and get to touch and feel it,” said Taylor. “When I was a kid, there was a toy store like O.P. Taylor's in every small town in America. Then, large corporate took over and Toys"R"Us kind of stole the show, with Target and Walmart filling in the gap. So, you don’t see independent toy stores much anymore, which is kind of sad.”
Taylor said he looks forward to continuing the holiday shopping season with Cyber Monday.