Largest toy store in Seychelles open to the public |03 December 2019
Opened just in time for the Christmas season, the ‘Kids Factory’ is a toy store promising a great variety of high quality toys for all ages.
The largest toy store in Seychelles, according to its founders, is located at Paradis des Enfants playground, in the same building which once housed the skating rink.
Owners Loréa and Vivian Rassool, and Jonas Dewals, have filled the 250m² areas with a wide selection of educational toys, DIY Kits, arts and crafts kits, babies and toddler games, board games, skateboards, superhero action figures, skim-boards, kites, among others.
The ‘Kids Factory’ is a dream come true for young kids who will definitely be impressed by the Disney, Marvel, Harry Potter, Barbie, Paw Patrol, Lego, Star Wars, PJ Masks, Ninjango and How To Train Your Dragon assorted items.
Meanwhile teenagers, and even adults, are more likely to be interested in the Scrabble, Monopoly, Uno and Twister games.
Mrs Rassool also observed that they had tried to stock the store with some toys that brings back the nostalgia of their childhood.
What sets this toy store apart from other similar shops is the fact that all of the toys and products are brought in from France.
“We decided to open just in time for Christmas, because if we do not open for Christmas we might as well not open at all,” Mrs Rassool told Seychelles NATION.
The shop is usually open from 9.30am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 5.30pm on Sundays and is closed on Mondays.
However the store will be open every Monday as from now up to Christmas so as to allow the public to purchase their Christmas goodies.
When asked why she chose to venture into the toy business, Mrs Rassool replied: “I go to a lot of birthday parties with my kids and I used to find it difficult to find nice toys. I used to go searching for stores that sold the right products but most stores did not cater to every age so then you have to go to find another store to find what you are looking for – so this is where the concept of having toys for all ages under one roof started.”
She noted that she, her husband and brother jumped on the opportunity when they heard of a vacant spot at Paradis des Enfants and thought it would be an ideal place for the ‘Toy Factory’ since children and their parents could easily come to have fun on the playground and then check out the ‘Toy Factory’ – or vice versa.
Understandably they had to fix up the place, remove the balustrades and the flooring as well as partition the building and fix the roof, but these were all do-able projects in order to gain a prime spot in the centre of town which has parking.
“All the products are from France, even the wrapping papers and the bag,” Mrs Rassool highlighted, noting that this plays a significant role in the final cost of the toys and games.
“People who have come here have not complained about the quality of our products. I do understand that the prices of some toys might be steep for people with a limited salary but these are toys that you will not necessarily get in other places in Seychelles. We provide better quality items that are certified and also good service,” Mrs Rassool stressed.
For those who prefer using their debit or credit cards, the store provides payments via card machine.
Elsie Pointe
