Rolly's grows with niche appeal

Winston-Salem, N.C.— Located in historic Reynolda Village, on the grounds of the R.J. Reynolds estate, is Rolly's Great Kids, a 4,400-square-foot juvenile specialty shop that features unique, high-end baby furniture, linens and gifts.

Reynolda Village was built in the early 1900s by the founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., and the buildings were designed to resemble a quaint English village. Today, the Reynolda House is a museum, and Reynolda Village is home to shops like Rolly's, located in the charming former cow barn. Other Village shops include specialists in fine linens, Appalachian crafts, hand-crafted fishing rods, jewelry, antiques and gifts, as well as a salon, spa and three restaurants.

Originally a Kaplan's educational store, Rolly Frazier bought the space and inventory in 1987, added clothing, furniture and bedding to the mix of educational and developmental toys, and changed the name.

When Frazier retired in June 2004, new owners Eric and Amy Vore stepped in, and they have spent the past year fine-tuning the product mix and getting to know their customer base. While Eric has a background in retail at big-box stores, the Vores were new to the juvenile specialty store world.

"We wanted to feel the customers out, and give it a good year till we made any changes," Amy said. This proved to be a good move; while Amy and Eric had originally thought they'd add in walls to break up the store, they found that the customers really like the open feel of the layout.

But the Vores did tweak the merchandise mix a bit, adding to the mostly white selection of furniture and bringing on new manufacturers. "We're trying to weed out anything that Babies 'R' Us has, and trying to bring in some more hip designs," said Eric. Bratt Décor, Corsican, Serena & Lily, Paneé, Gordonsbury, Silver Cross, Bugaboo, Maclaren and Fleurville have all been added during the past year.

Many of the employees stayed on after Frazier's retirement, and several have been there for more than a decade, which helped in the transition. These employees, who often know customers by their first names, are invaluable; they were able to facilitate the learning process, Eric said.

Rolly's is part boutique, part toy store, part comprehensive baby store and part gift shop. Customer service is very important, and the store caters not just to parents, but to friends and relatives looking for a unique gift or toy, so gift-wrapping, cards and shipping are all available.

"Rolly's was built on word-of-mouth," said Amy. "People know of it, and have been coming here for years."

New parents often come to the store to buy their furniture and bedding, and then register for additional smaller items like mobiles, strollers, carseats, apparel, toys and accessories. And many customers originally visit the store to buy gifts, but return when they're in need of toys as a child grows. "It's not just a store for when you're having a baby," said Amy.

About 2,500 square feet of the store is devoted to infant products, including cribs from Morigeau-Lepine, Legacy, Art for Kids, Corsican and Bratt Décor; gliders from Dutailier and Little Castle; and crib linens from Serena & Lily, BananaFish, Gordonsbury, PineCreek and Peacock Alley. Most of the showroom is dedicated to cribs, with only one twin bed on the floor, though that's something the Vores said they hope to expand as they move forward.

Gear from Britax, Silver Cross, Bugaboo, Peg Perego and Maclaren; accessories from Kelly B. Rightsell Designs, Green Frog Art, New Arrivals, Little Giraffe, Gund, North American Bear Co., M&M Designs and 3 Marthas; and apparel from Zutano, Sarah Louise, Kushies, House of Hatten and Robeez shoes complete the infant mix.

The rest of the store features educational toys from companies such as Manhattan Toy, Small World, Learning Curve, Alex, Brio, Melissa & Doug, Playmobil, Radio Flyer, Corelle, International Playthings, Mamas & Papas and more.

The Vores shop High Point and the Atlanta Gift Market for most of their products, and hope to attend the All Baby and Child Expo in Las Vegas in 2006.

"You constantly have to search for unusual stuff," said Amy. "You buy something new and the customers gobble it up, but then it slows down."

Amy and Eric have two boys, ages 3 and 1, and their role as parents of young children help them in sales and customer service. Their kids test many of the products themselves, and either parent can speak with authority and say, "My son loves that toy," or "That product really stands up well to wear."

Being contemporaries with their customers helps, especially when it comes to things like picking out hip designs and relating to customers as peers, said Eric. But older employees are often seen as mother-figures, and, Amy said, often mothers-to-be are drawn to their help, especially if their own mothers are far away.

Being busy young parents themselves, Eric and Amy know first-hand how important the Internet is, and developing a new Web site for the store was a priority for them. Moving forward, said Eric, it will include gift registry options for both registering, viewing and purchasing, as well as special coupons for free gift wrap or free shipping.

The Vores do acknowledge that the Internet is a double-edged sword, though. While they feel it's necessary to have a presence on the Web and bite the bullet on e-commerce, they know the best way for stores like theirs to win is with customer service — something that's much more easily imparted to the customers in person. Still, said Eric, "You have to make yourself stand out."

Rolly's is expanding its brick-and-mortar presence with a new 2,500-square-foot store in neighboring Greensboro, N.C. this fall.

"We're going to do it how we want to, not how we stumbled into it," said Amy. This means more limited lines that will represent the cream-of-the-crop of all the products Rolly's carries, with a concentration on bedding, furniture and accessories. Because Greensboro has several specialty toy stores, the Vores will keep that category in the Winston-Salem store only, said Eric.

"In the back of our mind, we always wanted to do something like this," said Amy. Eric agreed. "We love it," he said. "We've had a great time over the past year."

Rolly's offers themed vignettes along with a wide range of accessories, toys, gear and apparel.

Kelly Rightsell sold some of her first prints at Rolly's, and she continues to be an important vendor, along with new companies like Silver Cross.