We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathy Gray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathy, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Twenty-three years ago, our daughter experienced an amniotic fluid embolism while giving birth to her daughter. It was life-threatening and terrifying for her family. When it became clear, though, that she was recovering and that she and her daughter would be well, we were all impacted. My husband and I, and our daughter and son-in-law decided that we wanted to work together to create a life that honored the joy of being together, having encountered the fragility of it, and to use our best gifts and skills to contribute to the love and joy of others. We looked around for awhile and then learned that LARK TOYS was for sale by a family who wanted to sell it to another family. Though we weren’t wealthy, we were convinced that LARK was a terrific fit for us and for our intentions. We put everything we had into a down payment, and with the support of a rural bank, we sold our houses and began a risky and delightful journey. This was in 2008, and 19 years later, though we’ve weathered the economic downturn, COVID, and other challenges, we are so glad to still be here.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

LARK TOYS began in the 1980s when two teachers began making wooden toys in their garage and selling them to retail stores. Interest grew, so they opened a small factory and continued wholesaling the toys. Local customers began asking to purchase them, so a small retail room was opened. It began to make more sense to sell these handmade toys out of the store, so eventually, LARK stopped selling them to other stores and enlarged the retail store in Kellogg. Additional toys, games, and books were added, and then one of the owners decided that he wanted to make the biggest toy he could imagine: a wooden Carousel. With the help of his chief toymaker, who blocked layers of wood together, and a local carver named Bill Stark, and in-house artist Mary Eversman, he began the 9-year journey of creating a unique Carousel. Once the animals were carved and stained, Carousel engineer Todd Goings created the mechanism that allowed these solid wood animals to carry people of all ages on a delightful ride.
Our family purchased LARK TOYS from the original owners in 2008. We continued the process of making heirloom wooden toys, and the Carousel still runs every half hour. When we came, there were a few cases of antique toys. We separated them and created storefronts to display the old toys in a fun way, and we love watching grandparents point out their favorites to their grandchildren.
Early on, we had “fudge school,” and learned how to make our own beautiful and delicious fudge at LARK. It was proven to be very popular. Currently our granddaughter is the chief fudge maker.
The 18-hole miniature golf course continues to attract visitors who love to enjoy the surrounding beauty of southeastern Minnesota. They often follow a game with lunch in our café and some delicious Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream.
Kathy and Miranda (mom and daughter) do the buying for the store. We choose very few toys that have batteries and lots of bells and whistles. Rather, we select items that inspire imagination and creativity in play. We are conscientious in curating the items we offer throughout the store, with the intention of respecting and valuing individuals and families.
One of our highlights is offering free rides on our Carousel to anyone 90 or older, along with a picture (posted on our wall) and a certificate declaring the rider forever young. Some nonagenarians get on the Carousel with a walker, a cane, or a wheel chair. Others step up, fling a leg over an animal, and ride as if they were 30. Most all say they haven’t ridden a Carousel for decades and smile a lot as they ride.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

We made the decision early on that we will only sell the toys we make in our wood shop through our retail store and our our own online store. We stand behind each toy and will repair or replace any that encounter mishaps (such as the dog chewed the wheels or it fell down the stairs). The energy of LARK, which is filled with wood and happy play, enhances what we do here.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Like many others, we were stunned and frightened when we had to close the store for several months in the early part of COVID. We decided to offer jigsaw puzzles and later kites on our Facebook page. Daily, we posted pictures of our stock. People called and emailed, and we either put them outside on a purple bench for pickup or shipped them all over the country. We were grateful for the support, and we too spent some hours putting together puzzles to interrupt the worry of the moments.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.larktoys.com
• Instagram: LARK Toys
• Facebook: LARK TOYS
• Yelp: LARK TOYS

Image Credits

All photos are our own