2013
Hatch Detroit semifinalist
Spielhaus Toys will pop up as part of
D:hive's PILOT program starting Tuesday, Oct. 22 through Dec. 24 in downtown Detroit.
As we have previously reported, PILOT tenants receive two months rent-free in the 375-square-foot space inside the D:hive space on Woodward. Kurt Spieles, owner of Spielhaus Toys, is confident that there is a market for retail stores aimed at children in Detroit and looks forward to proving it during this pop-up run.
The store will stock a variety of toys, games, and books for kids, and will also have a reading corner for storytimes and an area for coloring, crafts, and a place to play with the store's toys and games. It won't just be a store but a place for parents to bring their kids to play.
Spielhaus Toys focuses on unique, high-quality products. Spieles says they're looking for items made in the U.S., companies that are environmentally-friendly, and also local companies and designers. "We can't overlap with the big box stores because we can't compete," he says. They will also stock items from big manufacturers that focus on specialty independent stores.
They will stock wooden toys from the classic German toymaker HABA Toys as well as wooden toys from Treehopper in Illinois, a family-owned toy company that makes everything by hand in their woodworking shop. They'll also have board games and riding toys for toddlers, single-player logic games, unique stuffed animals and puppets, a wooden rocking horse, and a small selection of children's books. "We're trying to cover it all," he says.
Spielhaus Toys will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays until Dec. 24. Spieles hopes to open a permanent location soon after this but for now is focused on making the pop-up a success.
Source: Kurt Spieles, owner of Spielhaus Toys
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg
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