Shropshire Magazine

The type of toys that you just don’t see any more!

Stepping into Mynd Art & Toys in Church Stretton is a little like entering a time warp. And all the better for it, finds Neil Thomas

It is an Aladdin’s Cave packed to the gunwales with brightly coloured, very individual toys – the kind you might have found in nurseries and playrooms the length and breadth of the UK in the 1950s and ’60s.

These are solid, quality traditional toys made to last, constructed of wood. What’s more, it’s wood from rubber trees which makes them environmentally ethical, sourced from sustainable forests.

Sarah Yates.

Teacher Sarah Yates opened the High Street business a year ago and combines running the shop with teaching art in primary schools around the county.

Mynd Art & Toys sells a wide selection of wooden and creative toys from a range of specialist stockists including Le Toy Van, Fiesta Crafts, Manhattan, John Crane and The Little Experience to name but a few. All carry the CE mark of quality assurance

“I use my educational knowledge to source toys that are challenging and appropriate to the age of the child, ranging from birth to teens. I have a great selection of craft kits to inspire creativity,” explains Sarah.

“I read the other day that some 40 per cent of toys given at Christmas are discarded within days. What an absolute waste. I’m trying to offer something different to the mass-produced plastic stuff sold in the big chains. This is the kind of stuff that you can’t buy in the big shops.”

So is there a demand any more for traditional toys – wooden trucks and racing cars, skittles, mini-tricycles and so on?

“I had a really good November and December last year, so it is obviously providing something people want,” says Sarah.

“It’s certainly been slower this year, which probably has something to do with the economic climate. I think people are just leaving it a little longer before they take the plunge and spend their money. I hope that’s the case, anyway.”

To try to encourage a little more trade, Sarah is planning a late-night opening event on Thursday, December 4, from 4.30pm to 9pm.

“The shop is full of quality traditional toys for Christmas and I’ve got another order on the way. People can come and enjoy a glass of wine and a mince pie and relive the memories of childhood. There will also be discounts available.”

Luckily Sarah has other strings to her bow when toys sales are slow. The shop sells fine-art materials by Daler Rowney and Winsor and Newton. She also provides a bespoke picture-framing service, which is proving pretty successful. A selection of original works by local artists and craftsmen is on display for sale, including papier mâché and glass jewellery, silk painted articles, hand-made cards, turned wooden items, luxury leather garden goods, pottery, photographs and prints of local scenes and hand-painted mirrors and chairs.

The shop is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, allowing Sarah to teach art on Wednesdays.

“I go into various schools around the county, wherever I’m needed, basically. I taught full time for many years but, in the end, found I wasn’t enjoying it. When I started in the 1970s you simply taught and it was fun. Now, there’s so much paperwork involved that it is taking the enjoyment out of it.

“However, I still get a buzz out of being in a classroom with children so, with my one day a week and the shop here for the rest of the time, I think I have the best of both worlds.”