Out of the mouths of babes....

Oh where to start this week? I have been thinking about this blog for a bit but just have not got round to putting fingers to keyboard (remember when we used to say 'pen to paper'?) Oh but I do digress.... Incidentally, can you remember the first email you ever received, or text message for that matter? Truly one is showing her age. As always there has been lots happening. Heaps of Christmas catalogue stock has arrived, with some great specials from Le Toy Van, Djeco and Voila. The catalogue specials officially start from November 1; however a few are already loaded into our eStore. One of these is a tin fairy tea set for $29.95, which I know is going to be a best seller. With all this stock arriving we have officially outgrown our warehouse (not bad considering we didn't even have a warehouse 18 months ago). So our overflow stock is being held at another storage facility as we gear up for a bumper Christmas.

We are also right in the middle of a website re-design. You can't notice any difference yet, as it is being done on a test server. The re-design is aimed at making your shopping experience easier. The main change is going to be a re-categorisation of items, with new product groupings that should be intuitively easier to use. We are planning on switching over to the new site by the end of October. Fingers crossed it will be a seamless transition! We have more than 200 new items available this month alone, however you won't be seeing them until we switch over to the new site. We promise they are well worth waiting for. To finish with I need to share this gem with you. We were at the servo and Connor (age 7 today) was 'interpreting' the icons with the lines through them telling you what you are not allowed to do. "Mummy, there is No Smoking, No talking on your phone, and No children watering the cars to make them grow". Priceless!!

Building Blocks to make an architect smile

Every now and again you come across an item that knocks your socks off. Truly honestly and cross my heart, this building block set from Haba should be a part of every toy library or play room. I know I wax lyrical about certain products, but this set deserves all the praise I give it. There are wooden blocks, and then there ARE wooden blocks; this is the latter. The extra large set has 102 pieces of high quality untreated beech wood that are strong and durable. They have a lovely smooth finish and the variety of shapes means that everyone from babies to master architects can enjoy them.

The clever thing about Haba blocks is that all shapes are based on a 4x4x4cm cube, meaning that any structures built can have symmetry and stability if you so desire. They blocks are also compatible with the Haba marble track system (just imagine the possibilities!). In terms of play value, these rank right up there. I've had this set at home now for a couple of months, and customers are surprised when I tell them that Connor (6 years) and Reilly (4 years) play with them heaps. Not to mention Sean (late 40 something years) who has come up with some amazing creations! If you only buy one toy this year, make an investment in these blocks.

Swimming in a sea of new stock

It's been another very busy week here, though to be fair, they are all busy. I can't quite recall a week in which so much new stock has arrived, almost at once. The staff always a have a dig at me letting me know that I have over-ordered, or haven't 'phased' new products in over the year. But honestly, cross my heart etc etc, a lot of the time it is new stock that was ordered ages ago (to make sure we didn't miss out) and then it all seems to pitch at the same time. You can never quite predict when things are going to show up, so you just roll with the punches.

So which of the new items have knocked my socks off? Well I have to say that I just adore this new Janod walker wagon. The colours are divine and would suit either a boy or girl. It includes blocks and an abacus on the front. There were also quite a few other new items from Janod including a stunning pink wooden pram, a magnetic playboard and magnetic dress up sets. From Goki there is a lovely new Kalimba (thumb piano) and wooden castle blocks. We also received another shipment of Fairy Girls dress ups, with a new ladybird outfit that it too cute.

Sparkle T are an Australian designed wooden toy company who make a range of imaginative play sets that are quite unique. We had a HUGE delivery of their products this week. Our favourites are the 'I Love' series. These are sets of building blocks based on iconic cities and buildings of the world (Sydney, London, Paris, Pisa and the Great Wall of China). The wooden tea sets and kitchen role play items are bright, colourful and just a little bit quirky - we love them. Another fav is the wooden medical doctor set, which is the best I have seen in any doctor/nurses range.

We also are now swimming in a sea of Wedgits, courtesy of a whole bunch of items that were not previously available in Australia. A new agent has taken over the distribution of Wedgits, and decided to increase the range available in Oz (good move we say). Wedgits are without a doubt the most versatile construction 'toy' we have. I am using the inverted commas on the word 'toy' as Wedgits are far more than this. They truly are an item that challenge people from age 2-102. You can add to your sets (as all items are compatible) and they provide stimulation for hours of open ended play. The new items in the range include a whole series of mini wedgits that are 40% smaller than regular wedgits. Obviously these are best suited to children a little older, from 5 years. There are also several more accessory packs, plus class packs are now available in both regular and mini wedgits.

Finally, just had to share this pic with you. I try not work after school as Connor normally has things

on I need to take him to. However one afternoon this week he didn't, and I needed to keep working. He is a dino nut, so he grabbed one of the dino fossil digs from the retail store and started excavating away while he was waiting for me in the warehouse. I left him to it and this is the result. His hair had nice 'sandy' highlights and there were hunks of rock everywhere; but he managed to get his precious 'fossil' out. Ah, the joys of childhood.

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

Horses for Courses - Save 15% storewide

July is absolutely the best time of the year up here in North Queensland. I am loving all the events on at the moment, and there are lots of visitors as well. No doubt coming here to soak up the sun. This weekend is the Townsville Cup, which is one of the biggest social events on the calendar. It's an excuse (who needs one) to dress in all your finery and go and check out the fillies. Our retail store will be closed on Saturday; as we know that many of our hip and happening Mums will be getting ready for the races. As long as we are in horse racing celebratory mode, we figure you should be as well. So we have 15% off in the eStore all weekend. You need to enter the code EQUINE at checkout to get your discount. Your goodies will then be packed and sent Monday when we are back on deck. Our regulars know we only have these offers a few times throughout the year, so you better get racing!

Have a great weekend

Deborah