Phillips Toy Mart charges into the holidays
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Photo: Courtesy of Phillips Toy Mart
The first thing you hear when you walk into Phillips Toy Mart is the whir of a toy train set zooming around a large track.
- That is followed by the musical sound of children's laughter as they watch, howling with joy each time the train comes 'round again and emerges from a mountain tunnel.
"We get these kids in here and they just light up when they hit the front door," store owner Powell Phillips Jr. tells Axios.
- "They've seen that blasted train 1,000 times and they run back here and it's like they never saw it before."
State of play: Phillips' parents opened the toy store in Nashville in 1946. He and his sister Cynthia have worked there since they were children themselves. Now they are the co-owners of the store, which is in the midst of its busiest season.
- They've been at this a long time. It gets pretty tiring, but Powell says those kids reignite his passion every time they run back to watch the train.
- "That's all I've got to do is look over at that," he says. "That's the reason we're here."
Why it matters: Phillips Toy Mart has grown into a local institution in an ever-changing city where institutions sometimes seem few and far between. As the toy industry and the city evolved around it, the store stuck to its roots, selling an array of classic toys that have been favorites for generations.
- "We've grown with Nashville, and Nashville's grown with us," Cynthia Phillips Strinich says.
The big picture: The owners say they are among the biggest independently owned toy stores in the Southeast. The overstuffed aisles hold a sprawling collection of toys for every interest and occasion.
There are rows and rows of board games. A towering display of dolls sits near the front door. They've got wind-up chattering teeth, a jumbo sized Rubik's Cube, retro tin robots, Silly Putty and a Dolly Parton-themed activity book, to name a fraction of the offerings.
- It can be overwhelming. That's where the staff comes in.
Zoom in: During a recent visit employees guided customers through the overstuffed aisles to help them find the right technicolor trinket.
- Phillips chatted with customers about each piece of equipment they'd need for their own trainsets. He had the easy expertise of someone who grew up in the business.
Because it's the holiday season, the line never seemed to get shorter.
"We've got four generations that keep coming in here," Strinich says. "You just can't buy that. That just takes time — and that's where we're blessed."
- "I'm just very proud. My parents worked hard, and they handed it down to us and we work hard."
Details: Phillips Toy Mart is at 5207 Harding Pike. They are offering extended hours until Christmas.
Phillips Toy Mart feels like a portal to the past. Many of the items advertised in their 1957 catalog would fit in on their shelves today.
