The 'Little Elves' on Front Street

Nancy Walton has a slight smile on her face as she recalls her days in the pressure cooker.

It was 1984 when Walton and her friend Mimi Bruder went out on a whim and did something a little crazy. With exactly zero combined experience in retail – Walton’s background was in landscape architecture and Bruder was a social worker – they opened a toy store on Front Street.

“When we started, we really were fish out of water,” Walton says. “We had absolutely no idea whatsoever what retailers did, or how they did it.”

Perhaps the term whim isn’t fair, as they had done all the research. They carefully built the case for a loan, only to be told that they needed a husband to cosign. They polled existing retailers on Front Street, only to be told that their idea was unlikely to survive.

Undeterred, they pushed forward. Both women were mothers who often traveled to Grand Rapids or elsewhere for quality toys, and they knew for certain there would be a demand for them in Traverse City. But that didn’t ease the anxiety of running a business (they named it Toy Harbor) that was now responsible for their livelihoods.

“We were strictly limited to our budget,” Walton says. “I can remember putting in our first Corolle doll order, and it just seemed so exorbitant. It led to some sleepless nights. How were we going to manage?”

Toy Harbor has now managed just fine, more or less, for four decades. And when a business is around that long, it’s almost never for just one reason. Yes, Walton and Bruder seem to have been correct about the need for toys in town. But there have always been and will always be other places to get toys, particularly nowadays with the entire world only a few mouse clicks away.

Walton believes the quality of Toy Harbor’s toys, combined with a staff that has always gone the extra mile, has helped the downtown fixture survive 40 years in what can be a brutally tough line of work.

“From the get-go, we wanted creative and quality toys,” she says. “We each had three children, and what we bought for the oldest we wanted to last for the youngest, and even beyond that. Some of those first toys we had for our oldest, Stephanie, are still in our playroom (for the grandkids).”

The store is now owned and operated by Amanda Walton, who married Nancy’s daughter Stephanie. Nancy credits Amanda with “bringing the store into the 21st century” with a recent fresh remodel and actual point-of-sale system to replace a card catalog for inventory and handwritten receipts. Amanda counters that she was “handed everything on a golden platter” with clear pattern for success.

Amanda has maintained the integrity of the store, continuing a tradition of largely avoiding licensed characters and battery-powered junk. Oh, and one more thing – no weapons.

“If I got into Nerf, I could make a gazillion dollars. Someone asks for Nerf every single day,” Amanda says. “But it’s something we’ve never strayed from.”

It can be difficult to hold the line, particularly when it means leaving money on the table. But both Waltons believe in sticking to what got Toy Harbor this far if it’s going to continue to thrive.  

“Sometimes it’s hard. There are a lot of trendy things out there on Tik Tok and YouTube, and things will take off and everybody wants it, and they’re coming in and asking for it,” Amanda says. “I feel like I could retire right now if I got into Pokemon, for instance, but we just don’t want to do it.”

As with any small, independent store, service has always been a priority. Amanda, like Nancy before her, always makes sure her staff has intimate, genuine knowledge about products on the shelves. That way they can always suggest the best possible gifts for that special niece, son or friend’s child. This is a nice thing to do, of course, but it’s also good for business.

The Waltons have found this high level of service to be especially appreciated during busy holiday season, where despite all the good cheer, adult customers are often overwhelmed and frazzled. So much to do, so little time.

“My favorite is when I get a little older gentleman that comes in and he needs to buy a gift for his grandson, and he doesn't really know what he needs. So I get a little bit of information and point him in the right direction, and he's so excited because he feels he has the perfect gift,” Amanda says. “Then I’ll even wrap it for him and send him on his way. If I can just check one thing off someone’s list, that feels good to me, because I know how many things are on that list.”

There will always be pressures in small-town retail. But this time of year, it’s hard for Amanda to not lose herself in the magic of a toy store during the holidays.

“Like any job, there’s hardships, there’s trials. Work can be tough sometimes. But I have the best job. I get to play all day. I try out what we have, I just choose what we order. And then even before they come inside, I hear the kids getting so, so excited, and they come in with that look on their face and don’t know where to go first,” Amanda says. “In a way, we’re like little elves. Santa gets one night a year, but I get all the nights.”