Toy Store Launches Website, Sees Big Holiday Turnout Amid Pandemic

LEHI, Utah – A toy store in Lehi has a website up for the first time this Cyber Monday. Still, most customers are sticking with the brick and mortar store which is seeing its best year yet despite the pandemic.

“We’ve got a lot of things to offer shoppers,” said Wes Gardner, owner of Teton Toys. “Big online retailers are doing really well in this pandemic. I’m here to tell you we’re doing really well.”

Success has come despite a rough Spring. Like so many other businesses, Teton Toys closed its doors at the start of the pandemic.

“In March, everything kind of came crashing down… very quickly,” he said.

For nearly two months, customers were shut out, forcing Gardner to do something he had not done. He started a website to sell his toy inventory online.

“We built the website in response to what was at the time catastrophic,” he said.

The website had a slow start. But it was just enough to offset some of the damage from the pandemic. But it didn’t matter that the website wasn’t getting a lot of traffic because when Gardner opened his shop’s doors seven weeks later, customers flocked back inside.

“I can tell you we’re busier than we’ve ever been,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Gardner said shoppers came in to buy Legos, board games and models. He attributed it in part to people being “stuck at home.”

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, Gardner is optimistic about what the rest of the holiday season holds.

“There’s no reason for me to think this trend won’t continue right through Christmas,” he said.

But, if by chance something were to interrupt the in-store shopping experience, Gardner is more prepared with an online shopping option.