Hello, and thank you for visiting Treasured Toys – my independent online shop selling toys, games and puzzles, and Ireland’s leading reseller of pre-loved toys.
The idea to start a small business took hold during the Covid pandemic. I realised that the hamster-wheel of my social care management job was costing me my sanity, not to mention my life balance and quality time with my young family.
My children were 6 and 2 at the time, and a couple of years later they couldn’t have been more excited with my decision, of all things, to open a TOY SHOP! Granted, it’s *only* online, it stocks puzzles and games too, not to mention all the pre-loved toys destined for their next adventures… But when I thought about it, it turned out that the entire concept behind Treasured Toys was actually not that new to me at all.
My parents, and my husband’s parents, brought us both up in a very sustainable, waste-minimising way. Of course, we were encouraged to play with and enjoy our toys, but we were also taught to look after them, and cherish them. These values have been strong foundations for our own family, in our approach not just to our children’s toys, but to many other aspects of our lives too.
In general, the toys we had as children, and those our own children now have, are:
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of good quality – made from sustainable materials, such as wood or metal
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durable – withstanding genuine, regular play while remaining intact and in good condition, and
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pass-down-able – purchased/sourced with several children, or even the next generation, in mind.
I am now mother and aunt to a dozen children aged between 12 years and 6 months old, all of whom I have given toys that meet these criteria. Some were bought new and are pushing double-digits, still in regular play. Some were kept for decades by my parents, and given back to me when I became an aunt and a mother, to pass on to all these special children in my life.
Nothing brings me greater joy than to see these vintage toys being played with again – old building blocks mixed with new (for bigger builds!); vintage 20-piece puzzles under construction again after a 30-year hiatus; perfectly sturdy wooden wagons (albeit with a bit of chipped paint around the wheels) carting around new and old stuffed toy animals alike… I have always thought to myself, that this is exactly what toys should be about.
The aim of Treasured Toys is to stock a range of toys, puzzles and games that are beautiful, high quality, and equally long-lasting. I feel truly equipped to curate this range, and to source it as ethically and sustainably as possible. Crucially, this includes sourcing pre-loved toys and games for re-sale. And would it be completely crazy to consider that such pre-loved toys may even be purchased as gifts for other people’s children…? Why not?
Additionally, if you can’t find anything suitable or are stuck for ideas – getting in touch using the Contact us page will mean I can personally help you decide on the perfect gift for the children in your life. Or, by offering a buy-back option on any toys you wish to sell back to the shop if your children or family are done with them, it will mean that these toys can be sold on again too, once they are in good enough condition for re-sale… In all these and other scenarios, I would be delighted to hear from you!
The Treasured Toys vision is for your purchases from us to be enjoyed and treasured, by your children, and by you. This shop is my invitation to you, to find toys and games for your family that have been consciously and sustainably sourced. My hope is that you will find toys that can be enjoyed for years, but that will still last to become heirlooms. I look forward to helping you choose toys and games that will be mementos of many wonderful years (and hopefully even generations) of play. I wish you happy shopping, and even happier playing!
Maria xx
