Spotlight: Rewind Toys and Collectibles
Rewind Toys and Collectibles is a toy store specializing in vintage toys. Owner Joseph Sharps opened the store earlier this year. “We are an ’80s and ’90s collectible toy store.” Joseph shared, “It is similar to a vintage store. I find toys and bring them back to how they were when they were first purchased.” The store brings back feelings of nostalgia for customers, whether they had the toys growing up or always wished they had.
How do you feel Portland shapes or influences your business?
Joseph: Portland shapes it in a positive and a negative way. There are a lot of people in Portland. For example, compared to Vermont, where I had my previous business, there are more people in the city than in the entire state of Vermont. There is also a huge love of retro, whether it is clothing, records, movies, or toys. However, there is so much going on and so many people, it can be hard to connect with others.
If you could go back to the beginning, what would you have done differently?
Joseph: I think knowing to contact the Office of Small Business first would have been helpful. I spent a lot of time trying to find a good place that I could open at a reasonable cost. It took forever to finally find this place. The rents are a little on the exorbitant side. They seem to have gone up after COVID and have not gone back down.
What is your favorite part about owning a small business?
Joseph: What I enjoy most about this business is when parents come in with their children and they are both enjoying themselves at the same time. It is rare to have a store that both parents and children enjoy. The parents see the things that they played with as a child. I also have a dollar dig bin that allows children to buy a toy for $1. Families can come into my store and buy a toy without having to spend $60.
What has been your biggest success to date?
Joseph: I think that the biggest success of the business is that I found a business that does not take away from other businesses in the area. Instead, it brings people to the area.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Joseph: Advertisement! There are so many people and so much going on, it is hard to be heard or seen when thousands of other companies are yelling at you for your attention. And, to be honest, I am not really interested in joining the chorus of yelling.
What's your best advice for someone who wants to start their own small business?
Joseph: Spend some time doing the work you want to build a business around. If you have never run a bar, learn bartending and cooking. For your first year, you live at that business. It isn’t something that you hire people and stand back and watch. Go see other businesses that do what you want to do. Don’t steal from your next-door neighbor – but if you see something an hour away and it works, keep it in mind. Be willing to pivot. When I started a bar, I wanted healthy food, and my customers all wanted fried food – tater tots kept the lights on.
