More Than Just a Toy Store, Julie Wells

Erin and I came together in 2004 with a passion to build a destination in downtown Franklin where families would love to visit and shop and we could let our creative juices flow! We did it! Over the years Imagination Station has grown and flourished, making Franklin a destination for so many central Indiana families.

We are more than just a toy store! We always said from the very beginning we want people to visit often, if only just to play and have a place out of the house. We knew they would be back to make purchases when the time was right! We quickly became a destination for the mom who needed an outlet for their child. During the time in the store, we bonded with our customers, many of which we had only just met. We grew relationships with them that ran much deeper than surface “hellos”. On many occasions we laughed, cried, and prayed with them.

A welcoming place always led to faithful customers doing their birthday, Easter, Christmas…shopping with us. Who can resist the expert advice and free gift wrapping? We pride ourselves on understanding our products inside and out. We ask questions and listen to learn exactly what stage the child is ready to explore. Then comes the meticulous gift wrapping with ribbons and paper that make anyone say “WOW!” All these things make us smile and bring joy to our hearts.

The same creativity that started our business is what is keeping it alive today. We know we don’t live in a constant world. We know we have to adapt to change to stay alive. We have continued to reinvent ourselves over the years to match economic demands and customer demands. We’ve expanded into parties and classes. We offer book clubs and science days. We listened to what you shop us for and directed our buying to meet those requests. All of this allows us to use our best talents and skills to bring about a place that everyone can enjoy!

Our business has been met with a big challenge, one which I don’t know that we can overcome. When you lose the convenient flow of traffic that brings your customers through the door on a weekly basis, it’s hard to survive. By the time the road construction project is complete, we will have lost 17 months of traffic past our door and 2 Christmas seasons. It’s not hard to realize that Christmas keeps a toy store alive. Those of you who own or manage your own retail shop know what the cherished fourth quarter means to your business all year long. While shoppers look forward to "Black Friday" for fantastic deals, we long for that season when our accounting books are back in the "black". Unfortunately, that didn't happen for us this past Christmas season.

We will continue to fight to stay alive in this community. We don’t feel our time is over. We hope our customers feel the same way and vote with their dollars to #savethetoystore. 

All those in favor, say "aye!"

Fondly,

Julie Wells

What the Store Means to Me, Erin Bollhorst

Erin's story

It's like one of those cheesy essay topics: "What the Store Means to Me." But that's what I'm writing about, from the heart.

I always say, one of my favorite things about having this store is being a part of a child's life. Being part of their childhood memories. Those memories shape us, comfort us, bring a smile to our face when we look back on them. I love that people let me hold their babies, show me their grandchildren's pictures, tell me about their potty training woes and their child's first steps.

I love seeing children grow from babies and toddlers to "finally old enough to come to a tea party", then on to American Girl or Science Events or Book Clubs... and "I can't believe how big you are getting!"  I love sharing these experiences with the families who are our customers.

 

I take great pleasure in finding just the right gift... that, "this is SO them, they are going to love it!" kind of gift. I love wrapping it for them and handing them something that they know will bring joy to the one they are giving it to. 

My other passion? I love providing an environment of wonder, one that invites play and learning.  I admit, I get quite excited when the creative juices flow and the shelves start to move!  A new, fresh look is always exciting! Whether it's decorating for a holiday or just creating new areas to shop and play, it satisfies in me what I said before we opened: I want this to be a place that both kids AND adults want to come back to! A stimulating environment that earns the name IMAGINATION Station.

I studied Elementary Education at Franklin College, and so I guess the teacher in me is what drives me to love doing events that engage kids. The book clubs that we hold each summer have grown from 4 or 5 kids in each group to over 20 kids in each club!!!!  In a children's book club!!  During summer vacation!!!  As an educator, I find that quite exciting!  Kids come to our events and learn about science, nature,  friendship, gardening, being an entrepreneur, manners and etiquette, even hula dancing!  We pride ourselves on putting on the best events possible.  And birthday parties are no exception!

We have never had more party bookings and take great pride in putting on quite a bash, I must say!  I admit, I still have pirate on the brain after hosting a dozen boys at a pirate party yesterday!  Twas' fun Mateys!!! 

I hope that your experiences with our store have meant something special to you. I hope we have been a happy part of your life and your children's lives. I hope that we can continue to serve our community and beyond with our uniqueness in service, product and style. Lord willing, we will have the privilege of watching this generation, and the next grow and play and we hope they will always want to come to Imagination Station!

Most Sincerely

Erin Bollhorst

Your FAQ's

You're asking us a lot of really good questions and we've taken the time to give you what we think are really good answers. If you disagree, please contact us and give us a chance to elaborate.

Most Frequently Asked Question: If the campaign isn't successful, are you going to close the store?

Our hope and prayer is for a successful campaign that allows us to rebuild what has been lost during the past 11 months. The struggle isn't over when the construction ends in late November. It's just the beginning. If we don't tilt and replenish our store,it won't be pretty, but we will still keep our doors open and fight to weather the storm.

When will this road construction end?

As of last week, the city engineer reported that the project would be completed "ahead of schedule." Late November for the current phase. Starting in early 2014,

another project will begin on North Main Street which will present challenges, but nothing like what we have endured in 2012-2013.

What will you do with $60K? What about the money raised in store from T-shirt sales and cash donations.
75% of the tilt fund will be used to pay vendors. Since road construction began, our monthly sales have decreased by 40% and in nine out of eleven months we have not sold enough product to even cover our basic monthly overhead.  Therefore, payments to vendors for inventory are behind and must be caught up in order to restock our shelves.  The other 25% will be used to purchase new inventory and restock the store.  Anything above and beyond our tilt goal will be split evenly towards paying vendors, upgrades to the store, and keeping a reserve of cash until we fully rebound from the road construction. Cash donations in the store are donated to the tilt fund through Imagination Station and those are kept whether we tilt the campaign or not.  Cash donations and proceeds from t-shirt sales, as well as grassroots campaign fundraisers will be used by Imagination Station immediately to meet its monthly overhead and required vendor payments. 

What is Crowdtilt? Why did you choose Crowdtilt?
Crowdtilt is an online service to engage your CROWD of friends to achieve a common goal. When that financial goal is met, the funds are TILTED to Imagination Station (given to us).  If our crowd doesn't meet the financial tilt goal ($60,000), your pledge to donate is cancelled and nothing is charged to your credit card account.  Imagination Station started a Crowdtilt Campaign upon the advice of several customers who suggested we "put out a donation jar" to help cover the loss of income incurred during the road construction. With a large and loyal fan base as well as engaged social media network, Crowdtilt is an exciting way to rally our crowd together to work towards a common goal. Also, our success with the campaign helps us see the level of interest in keeping Imagination Station open. If you prefer Imagination Station receive your donation whether we reach our financial goal or not, please visit the store and make a cash or check donation. Imagination Station deposits those funds, uses them immediately, and pledges them towards our Crowdtilt goal as a "Donation Jar" donation. Since these funds are already deposited by us, they are not at risk and remain ours whether we tilt or not.  Either way, we appreciate your vote of confidence and are humbled by your generosity towards the store.