Summer 2008
Toy Store Retailers By Poornima Apte

Fun and Games in Tennessee

Like most gift-store owners, Andy Cannon starts planning for the Christmas holiday retail season right about now. Sure, he plans on what products to stock, what to order, how much to staff. But most of all, Cannon prepares for Christmas one special way: He starts growing a beard.

Yes, the owner of Discovery Depot in Cookeville, TN, has another avatar every holiday season—as Santa. Cannon dyes his beard and makes appearances as the big jolly guy in red both at his specialty toy store and in area locations. The marketing technique has become so successful that Cannon has to now rethink it. He doesn’t have the time to make too many appearances, so Cannon says Santa will have to be more selective about his holiday engagements.

And that’s just fine with Discovery Depot’s loyal clientele, who flock to the store in droves for all kinds of specialty toys and fun events. The store carries toys for all ranges from zero to adult, according to Cannon. There are toys for every interest, from Playmobil construction sets to outdoor toys, from Thames & Kosmos science kits and puzzles from Melissa & Doug to elaborate board games like Carcassonne imported from Germany.

In an age where kids are increasingly hooked on to virtual worlds earlier, Cannon doesn’t believe the market for wholesome toys like these is shrinking. “There is a place for all kinds of games,” he says, “both computer and board games.”

Cannon is a strong believer in marketing and his store partners with the larger community, often holding book fairs in association with local schools. The store is also a member of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. Cannon says the association’s email list helps him stay in touch with fellow retailers and also to help his customers. For example, if he runs out of a product a customer is looking for, he can find out if another retailer can ship one out. This makes for satisfied customers, Cannon says.

The best marketing event continues to be the birthday parties Discovery Depot holds on site. Cannon says the store hosts anywhere from four to 12 birthday parties a month. Attendees get play money to pick up a toy from the store. “It’s a great way to get new customers into the store,” Cannon points out.

Discovery Depot opened its doors 13 years ago in Cookeville although Cannon and his wife, Sherrie, bought the store from the original owners, three years ago. Since then, Cannon has vastly increased the range of products offered from approximately 5,000 to more than 20,000 SKUs.

The lead scare that plagued so many big retailers and vendors months ago did not affect Discovery Depot much. “We educated ourselves very quickly by calling our suppliers and talking to them,” Cannon says. In any case, most of the suppliers Cannon worked with were not the ones who had a problem. “We learned that the companies we trusted deserved our trust and that we were selecting the right products,” Cannon says.

The same element of trust is shown to Cannon by his customers. The wide variety of toys brings in a customer base that is very educated. “We have a lot of young mothers who do their research before coming to the store,” Cannon says, adding that mothers and grandparents constitute a large chunk of the clientele. Cannon and his staff of seven are educated about the toys they sell. “We pride ourselves on being able to answer our customers’ questions,” Cannon says, “on being able to lead them to the right toy.”

This summer is going to find Cannon even busier. Plans for growth are in place. Cannon has bought space across the street and plans on a new business to open Aug. 1. But he is hesitant to say more. “It will be a complementary business,” Cannon says, “Stay tuned.”

Discovery Depot
Cookeville, TN
931.520.8697
DepotToys.com