Greetings!

I have a wonderful new job! I am now the publisher of Playthings and Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazines. And I couldn’t be happier.

My eight years at a home furnishing trade book and 17 at a national bridal magazine clearly prepared me for the gift business … but a toy book? What do I know about toys? It turns out, quite a lot.

You see, I have raised three boys to manhood (well, close to manhood—it’s still a work in progress). I took them from Barney to Power Rangers to PlayStation. What I’ve seen of the toy business so far, it seems not much has changed since the last time I went to a toy store. Kids still want the latest must-have toy they saw on television and parents are still challenged to find playthings that educate and inspire while entertaining their children in ways parents feel are appropriate.

What has changed are the challenges faced by the independent toy retailer. There is more competition than ever from the big discounters and from online retailers. Recently, there have been safety issues with more and more products. Despite all this, many of you not just survive, but thrive. For their part, toy manufacturers also have their hurdles, but they still find ways to develop plenty of safe, innovative products to put in your stores, and they do it year after year.

As for us here at Playthings, we are committed to bringing new product information, trend analysis, industry news and real-life business advice to all of you in the toy business. With our print magazine, website (check us out at playthings.com) and email newsletters, we want to continue to be an essential partner to our readers.

I hope to meet all of you soon. In the meantime, please call, write or email. Tell us how we are helping and what we can do better to play a role in your success.

Let’s start the conversation.