Latest happenings for July

What a huge month we have had at our new store at Domain Central. It has been great to welcome so many new customers. There's a constant vibe in the store, and of course the sound of a Quadrilla marble run in almost constant use! The business of the centre has exceeded all our expectations, and sent a shiver up our spine when we think about the Christmas season. The elves try and prepare all year for the Christmas season, but not matter how much wrapping you do during the year, Christmas still sends your fingers into a spin.

We've welcomed a couple of new elves into the fold. Belinda is our weekend manager and it is her happy face that greets the many customers that venture out to Domain on the weekend. Michaela has also recently joined us, and she will be working Friday through Sunday.

We've expanded our stock levels and welcomed a number of new ranges. The Tiger Tribe range is doing particularly well. Tiger Tribe is an Australian company that produces a pretty sweet range of craft kits, mobiles and pocket money toys. We've also got the new limited edition colours of the ever popular mini micro scooter in, plus the latest Nutcase helmets to go with these.

Our mid year mini catalogue is out, and contains more than 50 items with discounts of up to 50%. Check it out and grab a bargain.

Kids in Style roundup

I always enjoy attending the Kids in Style trade show in Sydney. It's kind of like the boutique end of what we do, and gives us a chance to find new and really edgy items to add to our inventory. I like to think that this is one of the things that distinguishes us on the web, as we have our best sellers plus a nice range of 'harder to find' items. Kids in Style is a 'must do' show for anyone with an online kids boutique store, as it covers fashion, accessories, decor and toys. Of course we only stock the toys, and that's what I'll cover here; but the rest of the show is well worth looking at. For nice summaries have a look at www.babyology.com.au and www.kidsstylefile.com.au.

So, what was there that knocked my socks off? We'll start with some of our existing brands. The stand for premium German toy manufacturer Haba always looks a treat. We already have a huge range of Haba products and it is about to get even bigger. Products available for the first time this year include new designs of baby soft and wooden clutch toys, wooden play food, family games and the popular terra kids range for outdoorsy types. Items that deserve a special mention include the Rose Fairy play tent which is delightful, the mini shop-front with umbrella, and the doll's play tent. I also loved the new clip fasteners for the block and marble runs. These clever little clips allow you to stabilise your structures, and you can even build vehicles with them.

The Moulin Roty Childhood Memories range is popular with customers who are looking for special gifts that are very traditional looking. I particularly enjoy the exquisite detail in the clothing of the dolls and plush toys; and this twin doll set with portable wardrobe and clothes is bound to be a hit.

Also on the way are new dolls from Kathe Kruse, wooden selections from Sevi, fab additions to the retro Dumpling Dynasty range and the long awaited prehistoric dinosaur Anamalz. I also dropped in and chatted to the friendly team from Wishbone design who distribute the innovative 3 in 1 balance bike that converts from a three to a two wheeler. We have been with Wishbone from the start as one of their first retailers in Australia, and they still maintain their competitive edge with their point of difference being their versatility.

Now to some of the new stuff that is about to grace our shop walls and web pages. I was particularly pleased to finally find a very edgy range of kids helmets from Nutcase. These helmets come in a range of designs and sizes and make wearing a helmet a fashion statement. Of course they meet all the safety requirements for Australian testing and are the perfect companion to our Microscooter and balance bike selections.


I've also been on the lookout for birthday party invitations and accessories that are that little bit different. Welcome Banter and Frolic, whose vintage inspired party kits are stylish little boxes of everything you need to make a complete party statement. They describe them as the 'dressed up' version of backyard parties from yesteryear, and this is a pretty accurate description.


On the craft side of things I'm pleased to be adding the 'Seedling' range to our walls. Seedling craft kits are packaged in eco friendly bags and boxes so you can actually see what you are getting. They are definitely not a 'boxful of air' like some craft kits. They are kind of hard to describe; but just imagine that you decided to put together your own craft kits, using only the best quality parts that make something that is truly functional (and fun). With the new range you can make everything from designer tutus to super hero capes, plus worm farms, volcanoes and quirky sock toys.




Bobble Art have a great range of children's bags and accessories in bright fun colours and cheery designs. Backpacks, library bags, swimming bags and drink bottles will soon be available.


Ruby Luxe is a range of eco friendly jewellery for kids made with natural and sustainable materials. It includes brooches and necklaces in quirky acrylic designs with fabric, wool and crocheted embellishments. These will be a great gift for those hard to buy for tweens.


In terms of availability, some of these new items and ranges will be arriving in the next couple of weeks. The rest will be available over the next few months. As always, we'll advise of their arrival in our weekly newsletter, facebook and twitter updates.

Practicing what we preach

Wednesday is my day off, well sort of. Reilly has a break from kindy as we have found that 5 days in a row just tires him out too much. So he comes to the shop with me, and does a craft class with Bec, while I answer the very long list of email queries that arrives overnight. Then we have a special lunch together and pick up Connor. Today he was hooning around the shop on a Gyro car, so I decided to treat him and bring one home. Colour selection is interesting, as he is very in touch with his feminine side and lurvs pink. When I told him it was called Princess Pink he was less enamoured with it, but took it home all the same. So here are some pics of quintessential Australian kids at play - the ocean in the background (in this case it's actually the Coral Sea), a blue heeler and a couple of scraggly haired kids having some fun.

What's been hot this week - Microscooters!

It's been a week of proximal control (as I like to call it) at Entropy. Bec, our retail store manager got back from her soiree to Melbourne to see the brilliant Pink and indulge in some fine food and choccies from Haigh's. So it has been all hands on deck, which means I get to actually do some of my own work for a change. When I have spare time I spend it trying to source new products that have the 'wow' factor. Of course managing to get them to Australia at a reasonable price for you guys is the next challenge. Fortunately the exchange rate has picked up a bit, which makes things more realistic. So stay tuned for some new arrivals (as always).

So what's been hot this week? For the eStore it has definitely been Microscooters. These high quality scooters offer the ultimate riding experience. They have slightly larger wheels than most scooters, and better quality components and bearings; which all results in a smoother ride. We are a microscooting family; I ride the White which has huge 200mm wheels (very cruisy), hubby rides the Monster Bullet with fat carving wheels, Connor (6 years) rides the Light and Reilly (4 years) rides the Mini Micro. It is a heap of fun head down the Strand on the weekend for a scoot; plus of course we stop at Cold Rock for a treat. The parent models are mostly rated to 100kg; so are suitable for both Mums and Dads. Scooting is a nice family activity, plus has the bonus of incidental exercise for everyone. Hugh Jackman is a great fan of Microscooters, and we all know what good shape he is in! Here he is riding the Monster Bullet, with his daughter on a Mini Micro.

Finally, a huge Mummy plug for Connor, who completed his first fun run (5km) last weekend. He was too young to officially enter, so he wore my race number; plus got his photo in the paper to boot!

It's our two year birthday!

It's hard to know where to start with all things Entropy this week. That is, my world feels like there is entropy happening everywhere. It has been so busy this week in both the retail and eStore, there has almost been a Christmas feeling about it. We are told the recession is far from over, but perhaps glimmers of confidence are starting to radiate their way through. First I have to let you know that I did indeed back some winners last weekend at the races. Our lovely Australian Air Express driver Daniel gave me his hot tips, and they were both on the mark. The bookies will live to work another day; but I still managed to sort out the babysitter and my beloved's parking ticket, plus have some change. It's a little strange to call it a winter racing carnival, given that the weather was in the mid 20s. Kind of hard to dress for as well; as I feel that stockings and gloves are du jour, but it did get a little warm in them. Ok, that's enough about the races, now to what's been happening in the store.

Lots and lots of new stock this week. The latest release Flik Flak watches came in; 11 new styles. I'm really loving the two Aussie designs; one is in blue and the other brown, with traditional aboriginal art work. There are also some new models with synthetic bands, these wear really well and are popular with older children; from about 7 years. Entropy is the only retailer in Australia with the rights to sell Flik Flak online, and there are now 76 different models available. There is something for everyone; even I wear one for day to day use. We also had new stock of Corolle dolls; the Calin and Tidoo bath dolls. We are expecting our import of special order Corolle dolls any day now. We have a long list of customers with special requests; and their dolls will be on the way soon. We also have a couple of new models of the super popular microscooters available. Today we had a special delivery of our favourite tea sets. These were really well supported in our Christmas catalogue last year; and now they are available again. We have managed to discount them to $34.95, which is great value for a 20 piece set.

Finally, it's our two year birthday next week! I can't believe two years have gone by already. It's been great fun, and I've met some amazing people along the way. Thanks for all your support. I'm busy hatching up some birthday surprises for our eNews subscribers, facebook fans and twitter tweeters. More to come.


Deborah