As they prowl the big box stores for mega-brand toys like Lego sets and Hot Wheels this holiday season, many parents will eventually feel the tedium of seeing the same items everywhere.
Those seeking a more unique, homegrown shopping experience have an option, however. Since 1973, Westminster Inc., a wholesale distributor of toys, gifts and novelties based in Midtown, has been selling novel products including the Tumble Buggy, the Potato Gun and the Happy Hamster through an eclectic mix of retailers ranging from Walgreen's drug stores to the Smithsonian Museum to independent toy shops such as Richards Variety Store in Atlanta.
Privately-held Westminster doesn't release revenue figures, but it employs 36 and, as co-founder Max Ker-Seymer said, its success can be gauged by its longevity.
"We have been around for 37 years, so that should speak for itself," he said.
That's especially true in the toy business, which has changed greatly over the years. Ker-Seymer, who started the company with John Richardson, said that while "mass merchandisers control the basic toy business ... there are niches."
Westminster operates in a non-traditional niche, both in its retail outlets and its novelty products.
"Kids have become much more sophisticated and have less time for traditional playthings," Ker-Seymer explained. "Our competition is cell phones, video games."
Ming Yang, co-owner of Richards which has two stores in Atlanta, said, "They come up with some very unusual toys. Some are very popular." One example, she said, is the Screaming Monkey.
Westminster had an unusual start. It was launched by Ker-Seymer, a former 1960's British band member, and a fellow United Kingdom native in Atlanta, hardly a center of the toy industry. They started by selling housewares and kitchen gadgets, but in 1979 moved into toys.
The first product, a giant Styrofoam glider, didn't pan out, but the follow-up, a battery-operated Tumble Buggy discovered in Hong Kong, sold 1.7 million pieces in two years.
"We never looked back," Ker-Seymer said.
One change the company made since the recession was to add more items that sell for under $10 at retail because customers are looking for value.
Most of Westminster's toys are made in Asia, although design ideas originate in Atlanta. Some products are found at international trade fairs.
Christmas, not surprisingly, is the big season for Westminster, but the company's products aren't meant solely for children.
Said Ker-Seymer, "I'd like to say that a lot of our items cater to [people] 10 years to 70 years."
