MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota-based Creative Kidstuff confirmed Wednesday that it is closing operations by June 30.
“The online computer gaming has just taken over, as well as kids playing on their iPads, cell phones, it's just really a different world and I think we're introducing them to children at a younger age,” said Creative Kidstuff CEO, Roberta Bonoff. “So, if you do that, sometimes children will just disconnect with playing with toys, because they're playing with a different kind of toy.”
The company will begin the process of liquidating its inventory immediately, with several discounts offered at all six Twin Cities locations beginning Wednesday, April 3. The goal is to complete that process by June 30, when the company will shutter operations.
“Our mission has always been making play joyful, educational, creative and inspiring. It’s been our pleasure to be part of such a fundamental experience for all families," Bonoff said in a released statement. “We thank all of the families who have given us countless opportunities to watch you grow, learn and play."
The company says they will continue to sell wholesale Kidsource products on Amazon. Everyone who is involved with those sales is an independent sales representative.
"We know that inspired play will live on in so many ways in the Twin Cities, and we encourage everyone to support their favorite local retailers," Bonoff wrote. “Thank you for the wonder and imagination over these many years.”
Creative Kidstuff has been a go-to for creative toys and games for generations of Minnesota families, since its opening in 1982.
Twin Cities Business Editor-in-Chief, Allison Kaplan, says the company was founded by Cynthia Gerdes when she was a grad student and mom who couldn't find educational toys for her children to play with.
Kaplan says in recent years, the neighborhood retailer tried many strategies to keep pace with changing retail habits including licensed airport stores, and the 2013 purchase of catalog and online retailer Sensational Beginnings to broaden its reach. But it may turn out Creative Kidstuff's greatest foe was the electronic screen, which has lured children away from more imaginative forms of play.
"We're very quick to point a finger at Amazon any time a smaller retailer is struggling, but I think the bigger story here is really about play habits and not just shopping habits," said Kaplan. "The fact that kids are getting screens younger and younger, and once they pick up that iPad, they're not playing with toys in the same way that they used to."
Current locations that will be closing include:
- Edina Galleria
- Mall of America
- Minneapolis-Linden Hills
- Minnetonka-Ridgedale
- St. Louis Park - Shops at the West End
- St. Paul-Grand Avenue