Shop Owner Interview- Apricot & Ivy- Safe Toys for the Holidays
Designer on Shop Owner Interview – Apricot & Ivy
By Tracy Rains of Pumpkin Noodle
1.) Tell us the story behind creating Apricot and Ivy?
My greatest joy in life is spending time with my daughter, Ivy. She deserves the best that I can offer as a parent. The quality and safety of the toys that I allow her to play with are a reflection of the love I have for her.
When my husband and I began searching for toys after her birth (in March 2006), we were continuously disappointed. The mass-market toys that we found were of poor manufacturing quality, bad design, and they were primarily plastic. I had also read an article online that debated the safety of certain types of chemicals found in many plastic infant toys and bottles (phthalates and Bisphenol-A). I was concerned that the amount of time a plastic toy was typically in my daughter’s mouth rendered her exposure levels higher than what might be considered safe.
After spending countless hours searching for toys that I felt were completely safe to give to my daughter, I realized that other parents were probably going through the same process. I wondered how they would find safe and appropriate toys for their infants and young children. And the idea for Apricot & Ivy was born.
I have loved every minute of running this business and hope that all the hard work will bring as much joy to the families that it touches as it has brought to my own family and me.
2.) What is your philosophy?
Above all else, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of honesty and integrity in every aspect of how Apricot & Ivy is run. We strive to provide consistently outstanding customer service.
To our littlest customers, we seek to provide fun toys that are completely safe, are well designed and manufactured, and provide old-fashioned educational value.
3.) Where are your toys made?
We are proud to carry toys from manufacturers located all around the globe: USA, Germany, France and Thailand. The toys are physically manufactured in factories located in the USA, Germany, France, Thailand, Romania, Spain and China. The description for each toy specifies both locations.
4.) What is your process in choosing a manufacturer for Apricot and Ivy?
This is the most important and most difficult task Apricot & Ivy faces. First and foremost, we seek manufacturers whose philosophies are similar to our own. We require each manufacturer to provide us with written quality and safety standards. We do not carry any manufacturers whose products have, at any point in time, been recalled for any reason. We maintain a constant dialogue with each of our manufacturers, primarily to inquire further about their quality and safety standards.
5.) What age range are Apricot and Ivy's Toys for?
Apricot & Ivy focuses on selling toys for infants and young children ranging in age from newborn to five years. Although, we do carry a small selection of toys for children slightly older.
6.) As a parent, how can we be sure that Apricot and Ivy’s Toys are safe for our children?
We take the question of safety very seriously. We want all of our customers to feel completely comfortable purchasing toys from Apricot & Ivy. We have done, and continue to do, a great deal of research concerning the safety standards and records of each of our manufacturers. We are unable to test each of the products that we sell for lead or other toxins, but we have letters from all of our manufacturers attesting to their toys? safety. These letters can be viewed on our website in the Resource Guide. Our manufacturers all have extensive histories in the toy making industry with no record of recalls.
7.) It looks like Apricot and Ivy donates part of their proceeds to Autism Research; Tell us a little about that?
We recognize that families with Autistic children have many heroes. We have a deep appreciation for the love and nurturing Autistic children require and give back.
Apricot & Ivy hopes to make as much of a difference as possible in the fight for a cure to Autism.
8.) What does the future hold for Apricot and Ivy?
We hope to grow to become a premium name brand for safe, quality toys. We would love to be a notable donor to Autism research. Lastly, we hope to open retail stores.
designer:: apricot & ivy
hurry and order by 12/18 for Christmas delivery and remember that giving is just as nice as receiving- a % of your sale will benefit Autism.
interview by Tracy Rains of Pumpkin Noodle- checkout their "i believe" shirts and outfits and make this holiday even more magical
