Safe Toys and Reasonable Measures

Kids need protecting, and stores that sell toys need a good information chain to help in the protection process
It should be a no-brainer to find toys that are trustworthy, but instead this year the whole realm of playthings seems to have settled under a cloud that would put our Michigan winter shade of grey overcast to shame. Anyone who sells toys as I do knows what I mean. While the Consumer Product Safety Commission claims not to need more funding or a more extensive screening program, children are being exposed to things that should not have made it to the shelves in the first place: charming painted toys that threaten kids' health with lead based paints; small plastic dots covered with a toxic coating that emulates the date-rape drug; small pieces that can prove dangerous due to choking.

In fact, in some ways, it seems as though we have returned to a bygone era in which we don't try hard enough to correct for potential harm, even for our youngest and most defenseless consumers. In the early part of the last century, products were not adequately screened and Coke contained cocaine, ladies' “remedies” were often mostly alcohol; and celluloid film caused early movie venues to burn to the ground. Eventually we realized that the problem was to set standards and try seriously to enforce them.

The most vocal critics of this important political intervention (that some would call interference) try to make government regulations seem overbearing. Good luck, moms and dads, with the toxic paint and the choking hazards and the beads that can be lethal if ingested. (And not to put too fine a point on it, Aqua Dots were Australia's Toy of the Year winner in 2007. They were expected to take the U.S. by storm. They showed up in last weekend's Toys 'R' Us advertising circular, written and designed before kids started getting sick.)

So let me reiterate my point of view here and now: kids need protecting, and stores that sell toys need a good information chain to help in the protection process. That is why Cranesbill deals with companies that are interested in maintaining their own testing facilities and that are willing to make this integrity public. Our two main suppliers are Toysmith and Melissa and Doug, and both have gone out of their way to be proactive about safety and standards.

I would never knowingly put a toy into the hands of one of your kids or their friends if I knew it to be dangerous. Following the stories that are out on an almost daily basis now, I have been comforted by the fact that many of the recalls are of toys that we don't really carry-big manufacturers, marketed to consumers of a popular film or TV show, with little play value but lots of glitz. The kind of things found in the Toys'R'Us circular, I guess you could say.

I wouldn't swear to it, but I probably was harmed in childhood by what I didn't know would hurt me: I remember a fondness for chewing pencils that probably has single handedly removed a few million brain cells. Oh yeah, and then there's the red dye #2 cherries, the gas fumes at the old time filling station, the plastic blow-your own-balloon goop that smelled like shellac, the secondhand smoke, burned hot dogs, and on and on.

But that's the very best reason to keep track of what your kids are exposed to. Because if there's no other way to police the toy situation, we have to act. When it comes down to it, I rely on my integrity and that of my suppliers. I hope that the toys that we offer will reflect a persnickety perspective and that you will feel confident about your purchases because we worry about them before you arrive.

What A Bookstore Should Be

I can't quite bring myself to write about Christmas yet. Not that I haven't been rightly accused of blabbing on and on about the end of past years; I have a file of old paper Cranesbill Chronicles somewhere to prove my point. I love what happens in our town, even if I have to admit that it's not always as perfect as it could be.

When I took on the store in 2003, I knew virtually nothing at all about business. But I quickly realized that owning a bookstore is many people's dream. I wake up from that dream daily and realize that however hard I have fought for my own style and vision, the results are far from perfect. Take the stairwell.

The final weeks of getting ready to open the full store in February of 2004 were chaos. Book sections were more like boxed piles of titles we hoped were what they said they were, the drywall was still drying, and little details that had escaped our notice were popping up around us like flying monkeys. As the days moved toward our stated Grand Opening, many things were left undone.

Fast forward to last week. New photos were coming in from Laureen Prophett, whose Graham Henry Design is making beautiful images available on notecards and now as wall art. Who wouldn't want to support a local venture that is gathering steam, even in this shaky moment in time? The guys in the store, wonderful as they are, were not available for painting duty. I can't even remember the decision not to get a finish coat of paint up on the stairwell walls before we opened. But I took down the old show and realized the ugly truth: I needed new paint, and I needed it before Saturday.

So I did what any self-respecting bookstore owner who couldn't afford a painter would do-I dusted off my decades-old painting expertise, and with the help of Laureen's son Graham, got a pretty okay first coat of white where the pictures were slated to hang. The paint was good quality, but this contractor not as good. However, with Graham's assistance and the determination to finish no matter how badly those fumes were getting to me, I managed. (Note to reader: please don't look at the spots on the rug. I did the best I could, okay?)

So the moral of the story may not be what it seems. It's not that you should take up whatever you can't afford to do. I was stubborn and lucky, but the bones and muscles are still aching. It should also be noted that the walls will eventually be properly covered. But the real moral of the story is that it's never as easy to do what you love as the self-help gurus would have you believe. But no matter how scary those flying monkeys may be, you have to keep trying. Come see the photos, but please don't look at the paint job too closely.

Dreaming of Christmas

Maybe it’s because the weather has been so balmy, but it’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away, with Christmas following in its footsteps by only a little. Even though I agree with those in the media who have been complaining about the early appearance of holiday wares in retail stores, for the retailers, it’s been Christmas since August. That’s the point at which we start to prognosticate about what you will want us to have for your gift list, for your own preparations, for making a little merriment in your own style. So that’s what we’ve been up to. And there will be a few new items in the store that you will not have seen here before, but I will leave the surprise for another blog. Sometimes, it’s best not to make too much noise until the goods are in hand.

Meanwhile, lest you think that the shop locally banner is not being unfurled with great gusto by local businesses, please join me in strolling along Main and Middle Streets, downtown Chelsea, a destination that my customers from all over the state never fail to comment upon when they come in. I am grateful to those who come here for the Common Grill and/or the Purple Rose Theater who remind me that I have adopted one of the best places on earth as my home.

The New Chelsea Market is our newest resident, and they are making the block a lot more interesting with special events, interesting food choices, and a staff of really nice folks, with the Flintoff family still powering the meat counter and deli, much to the benefit of all concerned. The block is much better for this great cooperative effort between a Chelsea tradition and the new owners, Francisca Fernandez and Kevin Riley, who bring their experiences and a lot of innovation to the mix, along with a staff that makes coming in a lot of fun. (Note to the crew behind the meat counter: it’s great you are still around too.) Their success proves one of my personal opinions about how things work here: the best efforts involve both “Old” and “New” Chelsea, and groups that understand the viewpoints of both sides of that equation. Get to know them better at their website, www.newchelseamarket.com

Next weekend, on Saturday November 10, for Wine, Women and Shopping, another entrepreneur will be in Cranesbill for a few hours, talking to folks and sharing her expertise. Laureen Prophett is my neighbor and friend, who has launched and made a success of her Graham Henry Design. She has created a wonderful line of greeting cards and notes to send to friends and loved ones. Although many of us who knew her thought of Laureen as a teacher, it has been good to watch her grow her business, and really good to see folks are enjoying her work. Laureen will be at Cranesbill from 1 to 5 pm to meet and greet people, talk to people about her business and the process of getting into business as an entrepreneur, and to hand out some tips for photographing your family and friends in the upcoming weeks to document the end of 2007. Her prints, which are a new addition to her line, will hang in our staircase for the holidays. You can find out more by logging on to her website, www.grahamhenrydesign.com

Well, that was a lot more commercial than I had planned on being, but since I have been silent for several weeks, the catching up has taken priority over some of my other loftier ideals. No clichés for me today: just an invitation to find out what we’ve been up to…