As we enter our seventh week of quarantine, families are becoming restless and bored inside the house and looking for new ways to keep entertained.
That's where Experience Toys & Games store owner Brian Hayden hopes to be of some help.
With the closure of his store-front business as mandated by the government last month, he is continuing to service his clients through online orders and local delivery.
"Puzzles are easily best sellers right now, and board games for younger kids has been strong," explained Hayden. There are even options for adults including puzzles, darts and board games.
"There are so many new board games, I think people might be overwhelmed on the selection," he said. "If people like puzzles or models, the Metal Earth is a great hobby to start."
Hayden said he works hard to ensure his pricing is competitive, noting Amazon is his biggest competitor.
"People tend to search Amazon first, even before trying a broader Internet search for toys and games," he said. "It's the current market climate that we are up against, even though we have the same pricing on the products we carry."
And while online orders have picked up slightly with the pandemic, he said the online store is not fully complete yet.
"While we are slowly working our eCommerce site, and it has helped us weather the pandemic to a degree, we are cognizant that we do not have the technology, resources or online reach an Amazon has," he said.
Hayden hopes that with the extra time people now have on their hands, they will go the extra step in helping support local businesses, before going to Amazon.
"We are constantly trying to find ways to get competitive advantages, and serve our customers better than our big competition," he said.
The store which is located in the downtown core, has been serving the Bradford community with the latest in toys and games since opening its doors in November 2018. Hayden has lived in Bradford for the past 14 years with his wife, Laura, and together they have two daughters, Gillian, 13, and Addison, 10.
"We wanted to create something in Bradford that we thought was missing. We had several ideas, but the one that kept us coming back was a toy and game store. After an exhaustive business plan, we came to the conclusion that this could work with some hard work, community building, and luck of course," explained Hayden.
Hayden says the first year of business was "acceptable" from a business perspective, noting that it did take a while to build a customer base. One of the growing aspects of their business was their virtual reality game area, which unfortunately has been put on hold for now.
He loves living and working in Bradford, and is hopeful for the day when he can see his customers in person at the store again.
"I like the idea of working and living in the community because it can be much more rewarding. You get to see familiar faces everyday, and it feels like home every time I walk into the store. It helps with the commute too," he said.
Anyone looking for things to keep the family busy during these days of quarantine can place an order directly online at www.experiencetoysandgames.ca, with free delivery within Bradford or curbside pick up available. Customers can also Facebook message or email experiencetoysandgames@gmail.
