Local Toy Seller Calls It Quits After 27 Years

“We knew that this was a make or break Christmas.  We didn’t make it.”

– Don Snyder, owner Carousel Toy & Party 

After a 15 percent drop in revenue in 2007, Don Snyder, owner for 27 years of Sacramento toy store Carousel Toy & Party, a mainstay of the Town & Country Village shopping center at Fulton and Marconi, is calling it quits (“Changing economy brings end to retailer’s 27 year old toy story”, Sacramento Bee, Tuesday February 12, A1).

Competitions from big box and discount retailers, the web and last summer’s toy recall all hurt the business.  But it appears as if the housing bust and consequent slowdown in consumer spending was the straw the broke the camel’s back.

Sign of the times.  Seems like the kind of personalized small business that knows its customers by name and truly cares about them.  Too bad.

Also see: “Pick Up Stix Closes All Sacramento Area Restaurants”, Top Gun FP, January 20, 2008