Thom Singer had the honor of being the master of ceremonies and a speaker at the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2017 in Philadelphia, PA. ASTRA is the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, and annually the largest gathering of toy store owners and manufacturers. Wow, what a great event. Almost every community has a local toy store, and many of the entrepreneurs who run these businesses are continuing to thrive in a changing business environment.
In this episode Thom interviews toy store owners, and the manufacturers of the products they sell for an informative podcast on what lessons all entrepreneurs can learn from the toy industry.
Founded in 1992, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is an international not-for-profit trade organization that serves more than 1,800 independent retailers, manufacturers and sales representations of the specialty toy industry. ASTRA is a dedicated community of professionals committed to providing children with healthy, quality play materials that have high play value. ASTRA members build their businesses around specialty toys, which are designed with a focus on what the child can do, rather than what the toy can do. ASTRA members are leaders who have a positive influence the economy, culture and creativity of the communities they serve.
ASTRA provides members with access to networking, education, discounts, business products and services to assist our members as they grow their businesses. ASTRA Academy, which houses our education and training resources, was established to provide ASTRA members with on-demand access to up-to-the-minute training in an ever-changing industry. Marketplace & Academy is a four-day trade show and education conference featuring industry leaders and hands-on product demonstrations. The conference draws more than 450 exhibits and includes more than 30 hours of education.
A volunteer board of 14 retailers, manufacturers and sales representatives governs the associations.