In a few short days, children across the valley will bound down the stairs, and celebrate Christmas morning at an all-too-early hour by tearing wrapping paper from packages in a mad rush of exuberance and holiday spirit.
There’s a good chance many of the toys they find beneath their respective Christmas trees were purchased at the best toy store in Ohio: Deluxe Toy and Hobby in Martins Ferry.
“We didn’t even get to bask in the laurels of that,” said Michael Yeso, jokingly.
Yeso and his wife Constance are the owners of Deluxe, which was voted the best toy story in Ohio for 2020 by OhioMagazine.com. The store is entering its 65th year of existence. It’s still as popular as ever, COVID or no COVID.
In fact, this holiday season is just as busy as usual in Martins Ferry, perhaps even a bit more so.
“It’s been a great season,” Yeso said. “We’ve made a lot of new friends. A lot of people have been cooped up and are trying to make Christmas extra special this year.
“And we are very, very blessed to have the greatest customers in the world.”
The regulars come from all over, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The one-time customers? That range extends out a bit further.
One reason why is the variety. Deluxe features more than 25,000 toys in its three floors of wonderment.
“Our competitive edge is our variety,” Yeso said. “You’d be hard to find this variety at another toy store. We’ve had people from all over, even China recently, passing through and come through our store.”
Stocking the Shelves
This holiday season, it’s not the coronavirus itself, nor any of the related restrictions that must be followed, that was the toughest aspect about the holiday season.
It was keeping stock in the store.
“One of the biggest challenges for this year has been getting in the merchandise,” Yeso said. “Companies were shut down or couldn’t get the raw materials to finish their goods and there were shortages.
“But we made up for it and found other things. We always have one of the best selections of unique and creative toys and there’s extra value in the higher quality items.”
Yeso, like the owners of other brick and mortar toy stores, must always combat the convenience of online shopping. This year is no different.
But the materials and toy shortages also has hit online shoppers as well. Yeso noted he’s heard from numerous customers about how they’ve ordered online only to be told it’s not going to be available in time, or at all.
No such problem at Deluxe. If it’s on the shelf, it can be yours.
“People have told us they ordered and were not going to get their items, or they were canceled,” Yeso said. “A lot of people are out scurrying to get merchandise at the last minute.”
Early this afternoon was a testament to that. There were plenty of shoppers in the store, and lots of people manning the sales counter to handle their every need.
Keeping the Play in Playing With Toys
Variety is aplenty at Deluxe Toy and Hobby. But one thing you won’t find a lot of are electronics and video games.
The staff is not a big fan of further adding to the screen time debate.
“We’re not big believers in video games,” Yeso said. “We see how much screen time gets spent on them already. The kids don’t get out and interact with their surroundings. So, anything we can provide the kids to help get away from screen time, we will do that.”
The staff at Deluxe has a knack for finding the perfect gift tailored to each individual child. Sixty-five years in the business will afford you such a keen eye.
That’s also why they are continuously updating not only the variety of their stock, but also in the types of toys that are offered. But the old favorites will always be available. If it isn’t broke, right?
“We like to think we have a little bit of a sense of the pulse of what’s going on,” Yeso said. “But things change, so we’re always looking for different things. On the other hand, the classic toys always work. The kids don’t need a lot of flash to have fun.”
