Calday Grange Grammar School students run West Kirby toy shop as young enterprise project

Feb 10 2010 by Matt Hurst, Heswall News

Among other sidelines, the group have established links with a Sri Lankan fair trade manufacturer and stock their products, alongside the more traditional Lego and Airfix.

Over Christmas, they split the shop in two and used half as a Santa’s grotto, with that space now devoted to an art gallery run by international baccalaureate students.

Each student works a weekend every month, while parents and friends have been drafted in to keep the shop open during school hours.

And Ollie hopes the summer will bring bumper trade to the outlet, as beach-goers search out bucket and spade sets, shorts and outdoor games.

But in the meantime, the students are proactive about improving the quality of their stock in a tough retail sector.

Ollie said: “We’re going down to Birmingham this week for a toy fair at the NEC, which will be pretty good.

“That’s funded entirely by the proceeds from Toy Box.

“Any money we’re making we’re using for other ideas, as well as stock and overheads.”

Ollie and his friends will continue to run Toy Box until summer 2011, when it’s anticipated it will pass to the next group of business minded students.