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After a flat August, this North Carolina toy store is already looking forward to the holidays

Sep 14, 2023
For this toy store owner, the biggest challenge right now is prepping for the holidays.
"We are selling a lot of Halloween products right now," said Irene Kesselman, owner of Ali Cat Toys in Carrboro, NC. "And certainly we'll move into the Christmas season shortly thereafter."
Ariel Jackson

For this toy store, summer is here, and so are inventory woes

May 30, 2022
Business is up at a North Carolina shop, but managing inventory and costs are headaches.
A shelf of outdoor toys at Ali Cat. "We had a great Easter," said owner Irene Kesselman. "And now we are starting to sell some of our pool toys and outdoor toys."
Ariel Jackson

Iconic Cleveland toy store is closing after 27 years

Feb 6, 2018
Operating a small business, especially in a niche industry, can go either really well or not. For a couple decades, business at Steve Presser’s vintage toy store in Cleveland was booming, despite the challenges. We checked in on him on several occasions to see what it was like to be a small business owner in America’s heartland. Now […]
The view from outside the Big Fun Toy Store in the suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Charlton Thorp/Marketplace