Toy Story: Business owner abandons corporate life to open a toy store

Bill Sartane had an epiphany while walking through a New Jersey mall around Christmas time in 1985 when he entered a toy store.

“It was like someone hit me in the head and said, ‘This is it,'” Sartane said.

abandon corporate america

Prior to this shopping mall epiphany, Sartain worked for a division of the Sunshine Biscuit Company as General Manager of North American Operations.

In his corporate career, Sartin oversaw 3,000 employees, a $350 million segment of the business, traveling three weeks out of the month to travel across the United States to perform general supervision. I traveled to various offices.

Things were going well for him, but he missed his family.

“My kids were growing up, but I missed their birthdays, I missed their wedding anniversaries, and most of all I missed my family,” Sartane said. I decided it wasn’t the path I wanted to take, so I took a risk and basically jumped out and saw where I was going.”

Ultimately, he was taken to a mall in New Jersey.

He and his family had been discussing starting a business together for several years, but weren’t sure exactly what they wanted to do.

Standing at the toy store that day in 1985, Sartain knew he had found something to do.

Open your own toy store.

Bill said the toy store was perfect because of the skill sets he and his wife Diane could carry on from their previous careers.

“Diane was an intensive care nurse, so she had experience in child development, and I had business experience, so it seemed like a good fit,” Sartane said.

Sartain’s inspiration led to the opening of Tutoring Toy in 1988 at 1400 Foothill Drive, No. 108 in Salt Lake City. The store has been a staple for those looking for the perfect gift for the past 34 years.

family relationship

An epiphany has come to Sartain, but he does not emphasize the importance his family, especially his wife, has played in the success of the business.

“We really need to give Diane a lot of credit.” She’s a wonderful person.”

“Without any question,” Sartane said, he would not have been able to open Tutor Toy without his wife.

“We are sincere in front of our customers and they appreciate that,” says Sarttain. “But no animosity. It’s just, you know, let’s get the job done together, and we just love each other.”

Having been in business together for 34 years, it’s easy to assume that there has been at least some discussion between Bill and Diane Sartane.

But it’s not.

“I don’t even remember arguing. We understand each other. We have clear roles and there’s no mistake. She’s the boss,” Sartane said. “Because she wants to be her”

Additionally, their eldest son, Casey Sartain, joined about 15 years ago and handles most of Tutoring Toy’s purchases.

“If you want to see a toy expert, talk to Casey,” Sartane said. “He can tell you more about toys than you might think. He’s a great guy (and) he makes great purchases.”

unique choice

Casey Sartain’s toy expertise is reflected in Tutoring Toy’s product selection.

Inside the store are toys from all over the world, including France, Italy, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, China, and Ukraine.

The toys themselves are meant to inspire children’s creativity and imagination.

As a child, Sarten’s family was not “the richest people on the street.”

This forced him to use his imagination and play with some of the things he wanted that his family couldn’t get.

“We used to make our own slingshots, we made our own bows and arrows, so we had those things when we were kids,” Sartane said.

“What sets our store apart is the expertise we seek to offer our customers regarding child development,” said Sartane. We don’t know, we have specific areas to go for that age group and we can tell you what that toy really does for development.”

Sartain’s premise is to enable children to develop left-brain and right-brain focused toys (or both) to aid their development and learning.

Additionally, the learning toy method helps alleviate buyer regrets.

“The toy category is a much more emotional (buying) category than tires, oatmeal, etc. You are buying for someone you deeply love and care about, so you don’t want to disappoint that person. I don’t want to,” said Satan.

Tutoring Toy’s product mix and the expertise of Bill, Diane, Casey, and other employees give shoppers the confidence that their choices will be enjoyed by everyone and will have a meaningful and positive impact on their growth. .

“It’s nice to have people come back and tell us that our recommendations were solid and that they worked,” Sartane said.

A “highly personalized” environment

Beyond Tutor Toys’ impressive product selection, Sartane hopes to promote a positive and welcoming shopping environment for shoppers.

“We’re proud of what we’ve established. I think it’s a highly personalized environment,” says Sarttain.

It’s clear that he, his family, and the rest of Tutoring Toy’s employees love helping shoppers and helping them find the perfect gift.

“People are more important than what they spend. They are not a commercial entity to us,” Sartane said. “We always say, ‘Look, you don’t have to buy anything. Come on, let’s make your day better.'”

Having been in business for 34 years, Sarttain knows many of their customers by name and encourages everyone to ‘have fun’ while shopping.

“We have customers who bring their own children who used to shop here when they were kids,” says Sartane. “So they’ll say, ‘Remember me? My mother brought me here.'” And now they’re standing there with a child in their arms. It’s great that they remember us and trust us. ”

Part of creating the welcoming environment that made Tutor Toys a Salt Lake favorite is the familial aspect of the store, and luckily, Sartane has his son take over the store and, when the time comes, his parents wishes to carry on the legacy of

However, it is unclear when that time will be.

“People ask me when are you going to retire,” Sartane said. I mean, why are you retiring?”