For the love of toys: New store ‘Kid Stuff!’ opens

As owner Robert Hunter simply puts it, “Who doesn’t love toys?”

However, setting up the newest toy store on island is not about—or at least not only about—his love of toys.

Opening up “Kid Stuff!” at the USL Building in Middle Road, Gualo Rai just last Saturday comes with a promise from Hunter.

In his “little toy store,” Hunter hopes to bring to the community quality but cheaper priced toys. He said he wanted to prove that marking up toys three or four times high is not necessary. (Frauleine S. Villanueva)

Kid Stuff! owner Robert Hunter and his “consultants” in what toys to sell in Saipan’s newest toy store. (Frauleine S. Villanueva)

“After years of trying to find reasonably priced toys on Saipan for our own kids, and feeling a bit guilty when we’d order online, we decided that we wanted to open a toy store with the goal of keeping prices as close to Internet prices as possible, making on-island shopping for toys a bit easier for parents, and keeping more money on the island,” Hunter said.

Toys for everyone

“We also did not want to sacrifice the quality of toys that we sell for price.  We have worked to source the best toys possible, the most popular brand names, and in a wide variety,” he added.

Right now, Kids Stuff! has an assortment of toy offerings from Monster High to Lalaloopsy Dolls, to Marvel and other action figures, to Legos, to Imaginext, to Bigwheels, even skateboards and quadcopters and a whole lot more. 

According to Hunter, kids in his family, which are mostly girls, are his consultants in what toys should they sell but he said he’d be willing to take requests from customers as well.

“We have a Facebook page, where some of the Kid Stuff! merchandise can be viewed and we invite people to let us know what items they would like to see in the shop,” he said.

Of museums and childhood

But the love of toys runs more deeply in Hunter’s blood, too.

For the community, Hunter is known as the executive director of the Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History and Culture. But it’s not the first museum he has worked in.

As a kid, he grew up visiting his grandmother’s toy museum and eventually, working at her toy store as well.

“My grandmother also had a toy store and toy museum for over 40 years. My mom had run the store for a time when we were kids, and I’d worked there when I was in high school and before heading off to college,” Hunter said.

“I had the opportunity to go on buying trips with her, visiting manufacturers and placing orders.  It was something I very much enjoyed,” he added.

Because of this experience, even though he never thought he’d be opening a toy store, running one didn’t become much of a problem.

Hunter hopes for the store to become a part of the community in the long run.

“We hope to see growth over the months and years that includes an area for storytelling and crafting, and game nights, a used toy sales area, and that we are able to help with seasonal toy drives to get toys to kids who might not otherwise get toys,” he said.

Kids Stuff! currently operates from 5pm to 9pm on Mondays through Fridays, and 10am to 8pm on Saturdays. Hunter says they will be expanding weekday hours soon.