Disclaimer: Jason did not want to be recorded, so I have typed up a paper on what we covered.
This week I met with Jason Stephens of Crowemag Toys in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jason is a long-time employee of Crowemag toys and was very knowledgeable in the history and the operations of the store. In the beginning, Crowemag Toys started as a flea market toy shop, open during limited hours, but gaining a loyal customer base. They were always stocked with great items that people wanted to buy or collect…so naturally, they became the “go-to” place in Raleigh for collectible vintage toys. During the interview, I learned that vintage toys become “vintage” if they were made in the year 1994 or before. Crowemag Toys focuses on re-selling vintage toys…and they have a large inventory! It may be hard to believe they have as much inventory as they do, but they manage to find people wanting to sell their vintage toys on a monthly basis. In fact, while interviewing Jason, he said, “90% of the inventory they have walks in the front door.” To me, this says that they have done something right when advertising themselves as the place to go to sell vintage toys.
Jason Stephens has been a long time collector of vintage toys. He is especially proud of his vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection…and even has big plans with his collection in the future. He was a customer of Crowemag first, in the beginning, and he ended up in a position where he needed to work, he joined Crowemag Toys, and has been there over 5 years now. He has seen 3 owners of the store so far. The original owner sold the company to the current owner, where the new owner has had control since then. The current owner did not take any investments and funded his store on his own. Right now, Crowemag Toys continues to run its’ flea market location, and has a brick-and-mortar store in northeast Raleigh.
Crowemag Toys uses their vintage toy “specialty” to their advantage. They attend Comic and Toy conventions within North Carolina and the surrounding states. Jason stated, “We go anywhere we can load up the trailer, attach it to the truck, and drive there.” The exposure to the local conventions can draw in new customers, since they are still a local business. Going to California to sell toys would not be too wise because they have no locations in California right now. Jason contributes much of their success to word-of-mouth marketing, holding contests for customers to win prizes, and utilizing Facebook and Facebook ads.
Crowemag Toys uses its local resources to source inventory. From places like the flea market and people calling/walking in…they manage to keep an inventory of thousands of vintage toys. They do advertise that they buy, sell, and trade…so this brings in customers looking to do more than just buy. When the extra customers come in, there is a new audience to reach and they can spread the word that Crowemag Toys is the place to go to if one wants to sell their vintage toys.
