WILLIAMSBURG – A growing demand for sensory toys like Needohs and Speks is bringing new customers through the doors of Playful Educator, a small Williamsburg toy store that owner Rachel Salmon said has seen record sales because of the trend.
Salmon said the store has carried sensory toys and Needohs since opening two years ago, but she realized the toys were becoming a larger trend when high school students started regularly visiting the shop after school.
“Every day, when kids would begin to get out of school, we were seeing high schoolers come in,” Salmon said. “And primarily what we see in our store is either teachers, grandparents, people buying gifts, parents with their children.”
The shift introduced Playful Educator to an entirely new customer base.
“For us, it’s been really exciting to reach different types of customers, to get to know more of our community,” Salmon said. “So the Needoh for us has … [let] people know that we’re out there and that not only are we selling Needohs, but we have lots more to offer in the store,” Rachel said.
Salmon said the store recently experienced its strongest sales period yet.
“For us, we’ve had our best months… better than Christmas,” Salmon said. “Our largest month in the store was twice what our Christmas sales were.”
The popularity of sensory toys has also encouraged customers to explore other products throughout the store. Salmon said trending toys like Needohs have helped smaller businesses compete with larger retailers and online shopping platforms by increasing foot traffic.
“I think they’ve brought more people through the door,” she said.
Salmon said keeping up with demand has become increasingly difficult. Needohs are harder to acquire than they were in the past, forcing the business to seek inventory through third-party sellers.
“While we’ve been a wholesale customer for two years, we’re getting in a little box here and a little box there where we used to be able to get, within the next day, 10 boxes of Needohs,” she added.
Because of supply shortages, prices have increased.
“What the hard part has done is a lot of what we’ve had to do for our customers is buy from third parties, which unfortunately, on supply and demand, makes the price go up,” Salmon said.
To keep the toys accessible for children and discourage resellers, the store has introduced community events and online product drops.
“We did bingo last week in the store, we had 50 people show up,” Salmon said. “Our bingo winners won Needohs.”
Rachel said the store also limits sales to ensure products reach children rather than people hoping to resell them online.
“We just try to share the love with everybody,” she said. “We want to make sure that it’s the children who are getting the Needohs and not somebody who’s coming in and buying and reselling them.”
According to Salmon, the toys’ popularity goes beyond simple entertainment. She said sensory toys serve a practical purpose for many children and adults.
“There is a sensory fulfillment that these are giving children and adults,” Salmon said.
Playful Educator uses the growing interest in sensory toys to educate customers about sensory needs and social-emotional learning.
“We are getting adults that come in all the time that say, ‘I’m figuring out I had ADHD,’ or, ‘I have this, but when I was younger it wasn’t recognized,’” Salmon said.
The store, located at 5251 John Tyler Hwy., Suite 7, includes a sensory section with products designed for a range of ages and needs, from children with sensory sensitivities to adults seeking stress relief.
“I think there is a move for the feel-good toy,” Salmon said. “I think there is a lot of talk around social emotional awareness, sensory awareness.”
Rachel said the store’s personalized service helps distinguish it from large retailers.
“They’re always going to be cheaper than us,” Salmon said of big-box stores. “But we hope that we’re providing a service that the big box can’t necessarily provide.”
Employees help customers select gifts, explain products, and provide gift wrapping.
“The only way that small stores stay in business is the community support,” Salmon said.
Although Salmon expects the intense demand for Needohs to settle down, she believes sensory toys will remain important for many customers.
“I think you’ll see that the demand will stay up,” Salmon said. “But I do hope that we get to the point where the playing field evens out supply and demand, so that more people can enjoy them.”
Salmon said the popularity of sensory toys has also helped educate people about sensory needs and stress relief in ways that could outlast the current trend.
“I think it’s taught certain generations what the sensory need is,” Salmon said.
