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Zac Ziegler: I'm Zac Ziegler, and you're listening to Oregon Rainmakers from KLCC on this edition, I talk with Richard Goosman, the owner of Radar Toys and other toy shops around Eugene.
It's a busy time of year for many retailers, and that's especially true for the remaining toy stores in the US. The industry once thrived under big brands that dominated the local mall, like Toys R Us and KB Toys. Today, with those chains largely relegated to the past, local independent toy sellers are likely more concerned with competing with big box stores like Walmart or online retailers like Amazon. Eugene's Radar Toys started off as a rival to the online retailers and eventually grew to include a retail shop, and then it took over other local shops when their owners were looking to move on with the final holiday shopping rush underway. I stopped by Radar Toys storefront to talk with owner and CEO, Richard Goosman, about the industry. We start with how he got into it.
Richard Goosman: Me and my business partner worked at Toys R Us locally for many years together. That's a ways back.
Ziegler: Yes, it is.
Goosman: Yeah, we worked there till about 2010 and then when we left, we missed toys so much we decided to start our own thing.
Ziegler: How did you get your start in the toy business then?
Goosman: So we didn't have much money when we started. And so we bought one box of toys at a time when we started to rate our toys and sold online. We never bought anything online previous to that. And so, yeah, that's where we started, was online. And eventually put our first store up in 2017.
Ziegler: So, let's start off with where we are right here, in this part of the store, looks like plenty of board games. I see some unconventional, not just your standard six sided die sitting here. Tell me a bit about where we are here.
Goosman: We do a little bit of everything. We have a lot of nerdy type stuff here. And we dabble in a lot of different hobbies and stuff. So, definitely board games, definitely role playing games, D and D stuff. So, and we do traditional toys as well. So we run the full spectrum.
Ziegler: The thing I look around with right here is this, tells me this is probably not the same clientele as you would have had at your Toys R Us experience.
Goosman: Not as much. We did have a lot of different toys at Toys R Us, of course, but it was definitely family oriented, which is great too. And we do have a lot of families walk in, but we really wanted more enriching experience and to offer more unique items than the traditional retail like Toys R Us and, you know, Fred Meyers and target. So we definitely dive a little bit deeper into board games, you know, and a lot of the different collectibles.
Ziegler: Let's mosey around here, over to the other section. I see one item that has become a big collectible here, right ahead the Funko Pop figurines. So tell me a bit about the market for collectibles and how that has gone.
Goosman: Yeah, obviously the generations have been, the younger generations are more into pop culture, and that's been kind of a thing for people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and they've wanted to collect the TV shows and things they watched as kids, and so that's become a very important part of toy stores, as supporting the the adult, big kids out there. You know,
Ziegler: Yes, I see plenty of things from from my childhood here, and I am by no means a spring chicken. I'm looking and I see names that I would definitely recognize, but my my 11-year-old daughter wouldn't, as I see figurines of members of Guns N' Roses and wrestlers from the 90s.
Goosman: And Funko has done a great job of just embracing everybody's interests. So yeah, you have everything from rock musicians to your Marvel characters, your DC characters, so, and all the way to TV shows as well.
Ziegler: Even the show is kind of ranging in that I see stuff from the the Marvel Studios, figurines and athletes here.
Goosman: The toy industry is very interesting, because there's always new stuff that's very fascinating. And being, even being in the toy industry, I'm surprised by how unique some items are. And so right now we're standing in front of, kind of your own DIY miniature kits. And so one thing that became very popular is book nooks. And so these are little miniature sizes of different things, like a kitchen or, they have gardens and bookstores and arcades and stuff. So you can build, like, literally a foot tall by six inches wide, little display that can fit on a shelf or between books. Hence, book nook. And those are super detailed, and people just love these things. These are one of our top sellers right now.
Ziegler: Wow, yeah. So very, very much. So kind of in the what might have used to have been like your little dollhouse figurines just on, on that. Absolute steroids here, as far as the level of detail in there.
Goosman: People dump, 10 plus hours into building these little small sets, and seem to really enjoy it, because they keep coming back.
Ziegler: I lived in a small town in Arizona before this, I couldn't find a toy store there. It was either what I could get at Target or Walmart or I turned online. How do you compete with both the big box retailers and the folks who are just like, well, I can't find it, so I'm going online?
Goosman: Competing with online is challenging, of course, because they can offer a lower price on quite a few different items. What we try to focus on is a couple things, one of them being just the overall experience in the store. You know, it's a, it's a Disneyland like experience here. And so that, coupled with good customer service, knowing what we're talking about, because you're not going to find knowledge in a Target or WalMart, right? You'll be lucky to find someone to even talk to that works there. And so we'll be able, if you come in here, you will be able to help you. Hopefully, you're having a good time, you're listening to music that's usually playing, and we're going to help you find some good gifts for yourself, or those loved ones.
Ziegler: Yes, you were kind enough to turn down the music for me while we're here, because that just absolutely wreaks havoc on audio editing, I will say. So yeah, as we walk around here, I'm seeing a variety of things that, to be honest, a few of them I have bought for my daughter things that are rather educational in nature, or kind of work on those fine motor skills. What has been the evolution of toys lately, from when when you were a kid, or even older, when I was a kid?
Goosman: Well, definitely have more options now, more technology, more just creative thought into how toys are made. What's been really nice, too, especially these last this last decade, is kids are always on their phones. They're always going digital. And so when parents come in here, they're always asking us and struggling with the concept of trying to get their kids off their phones. And so what's nice is we have now, versus, 2030, years ago, very unique toys to offer. We can definitely get kids playing with some of the nice science kits, building robots, easy circuit kits right here in front of us. And it's just, it's a great experience for the kid, and especially you get them off their phones. How much
Ziegler: Does, I guess, like the this idea of being able to show up in person, particularly, I'm thinking, with kids, do you see kind of that same feeling that you recognize from your childhood when kids come into this store?
Goosman: It’s one of the better feelings. I mean, I just love watching people walk in, their mouth kind of falls open, jaw drops down. Be like, oh my goodness, look at this and it's a combination of the decorations we have around the place, whether it's the Millennium Falcon hanging off the ceiling or life size Boba Fett in the corner. But also it's the product selection as well. You know, we carry a lot of unique toys here, just because we love them and we know people want them. But also it differentiates us from that Target, Fred Meyers, Walmart.
Ziegler: Yeah, that uniqueness there may be carrying a smaller selection things that are a little less niche, a little more typical run of the mill, I'm guessing,
Goosman: Yeah, more mainstream. They're buying super bulk, whatever deal they can get on. And we're just looking for unique, awesome toys.
Ziegler: You're looking for the stuff that you're you're kind of like Tom Hanks in Big where you're just like, What? What do I want to play with?
Goosman: Pretty much, yeah, that's what happens.
Ziegler: Our conversation with Radar Toys owner and CEO, Richard Goosman, continues.
Goosman: Our business has changed over the years. Our goal is always to be a toy store traditionally, right? We offer a lot of pop culture items. You walk in here, you do see a lot of displays there pop culture focus, but we do offer a lot of the traditional toy items. And so we kind of let customers dictate whatever they're after is what we're going to try to carry.
Ziegler: It's December. There's a reason that this is the busy season here for folks such as yourself, or really any retailer, what changes in the business this time of year for you, other than you're probably going to need an extra person helping you work the counter or whatever.
Goosman: Well, the toy industry is very interesting, because we spent all your planning and building up to Christmas. So even at our warehouse. Us down the street. We're prepping in September, August, we're bringing in lots and lots of toys just to make sure we can supply the store with all the unique items we carry. And so, yeah, we do plan on extra labor and everything like that. But it's, I don't know, it's just a lot of fun.
Ziegler: So I was talking with someone who owns a toy store elsewhere in the state earlier today, and he said his biggest issue right now is inventory. Is keeping things in stock? Are you having to worry about keeping the hot toy of the season? To once again, show my age, the Tickle Me Elmo of the moment? Or are you less concerned about things like that?
Goosman: It's been 2025 has been a crazy year, and so the industry has changed quite a bit in reaction to tariffs, and then just the economy not maybe doing as well as people are hoping for. So yeah, we've seen product selection change. So if you're, if you're a small toy store relying on certain products, you may not be able to get some of those products. Luckily, we've been in a position to where we can get most of the things we need to get for our customers.
Ziegler: So okay, you said the T word. As a business and economics reporter, I'm pretty sure I'm doomed to, like, take a sip of my beer when, when someone says that, it's said so frequently. How are tariffs affecting your business?
Goosman: Well, it's pretty straightforward, as we unfortunately have to pass the cost on to the customer, and so we're operating in an extremely low single digit profit industry. As toys are unfortunately, as much as we love them, is directly related to prices like we've had to raise prices.
Ziegler: How much do those price rises range? I mean, sitting to our left is Legos made predominantly in Sweden. I believe it is sitting to our right some smaller plastic figurines and stuffed animals, stuff like that often comes from Southeast Asia. You know, China, Vietnam. How do the differences in tariffs end up showing up in in your spreadsheets and your QuickBooks?
Goosman: So tariffs show up in different ways. We work with over 150 different companies, and I bet you, every company does something a little bit different to take care of tariffs. It's been crazy. It's literally, literally crazy. But yeah, most items have gone up anywhere from five to 20% on the other side, we're seeing those prices for customers.
Ziegler: So, are margins thin enough for you that you just there isn't a way to eat it or do you like, try and eat a little?
Goosman: We do the best we can to eat where we can, right? You know, so if we were making a little bit more on one item or another, yeah, we'll, we'll decrease those margins on those items. But across the board, it's been very impactful. And so it's, it's very worrisome for this Christmas holiday season.
Ziegler: I was reading up on the website, on one of the other shops that you own, it talked about how it was a long time family shop, but when it came time, they decided to hand it off to someone that they could just see the love in the industry and the want to do this kind of thing. How much anymore is being in the toy business a labor of love and not something that you're going into it because, oh boy, there's money in it?
Goosman: From my perspective right now, I would say 100% of it is a labor of love. We, we don't make a ton of money really. We do it for the smiles and the joy of it. And so when you have a store like Eugene toying hobby that was going to potentially close if they didn't find a buyer, a purchaser, it was just a perfect fit. We we love toys, we love hobbies. It just made a lot of sense, and we didn't want to see a store that's 93 years old close. And so it made a lot of sense for the family to pass it along to us.
Ziegler: What's been the big item this year? What's the thing that you were just struggling to keep around what are, what are kids, or big kids, like like you and me into right now.
Goosman: Slime is always a big thing for the smaller kids out there. Oh, slime, yes, yes, yes, popular and different iterations over the years a big thing, though, for the big kid collectors actually has been blind boxes. Obviously, with the Lububu situation, we have lots of other blind boxes, though, that aren't pop Mart, which is the company who makes Lububu.
Ziegler: So basically, those are ones that you're purchasing something, you just don't know which which iteration it is, right? That's the blind box, correct?
Goosman: They'll usually have a picture on the side saying, Hey, these are the one of six or eight or 10 options. And so when you purchase it, you don't know what you're getting, but you're getting one of those.
Ziegler: So I was just in a meeting earlier with the folks at one of the malls here in town, and they were telling me how there is beginning to be a resurgence in people interested. Buying stuff in person, they're seeing a rise in interest in in mall space. Again, I'm curious if, if you're feeling that same thing, if people want that tactile experience, again, if they're starting to value the coolness that is coming into a shop that looks like this over the convenience of pulling out their phone, hopping on Amazon, eBay, whatever, and just buying that way,
Goosman: I think we've seen a big trend towards people who want an experience. I think you've seen experience spending growth, obviously with different like cruises and go on vacations and different things, especially after pandemic. And I think, yeah, people want tactile items. They want to come in, see, feel the items. And so, yeah, we have definitely seen people more excited. And we've seen some numbers reflect that for sure. Obviously, with the economic situation, and tariffs have kind of dampered that, but generally, people are more excited to come in and shop in person, which has been great.
Ziegler: Well, thanks for taking some time today to chat with me.
Goosman: Yeah, thank you.
Ziegler: That was our conversation with Richard Goosman, the owner and CEO of Radar Toys.
