TWO business-minded brothers have swapped selling beds and mattresses and embraced their inner child and opened a new toy shop.
Enterprising brothers Paul and Michael Johnson have bounced back from Covid with a new toy shop to delight Teesside’s children and the young at heart.
They spent six months working on a plan after having to close their PM Beds and Furniture store in Stockton.
That business was launched in 2019 but was shut for much of the time because of the pandemic, and when it re-opened after the third lockdown the brothers discovered that their suppliers had either gone bust or hiked their prices.
40-year-old- Paul Johnson said: “We would have like to have kept it going, but we were literally going weeks without seeing any customers.
“We tried to eke it out as best we could, but we knew it wasn’t going to work.
“So we thought we would try something new and something that’s always been of massive interest to us.”
PM Toys and Collectables, which is now open at the Dundas Indoor Market in the centre of Middlesbrough, is a mixture of new and vintage.
It sells all the classic toys and games which generations of children have loved, and for grown-ups, it is offering collectable toys and figures which have a sentimental, ornamental or financial value.
Business is in the brothers’ blood. Their late father ran a string of shops across Teesside, including the Used Furniture and Appliance Warehouse in Stockton.
The whole of the indoor market, could easily fit into the family’s previous outlets but Paul and Michael have applied the same tried and trusted retail principles to their new venture.
Michael Johnson added: “It’s all about knowing your margins, identifying your customer base and picking the right location.
“Kids are always going to play with something tangible rather than being sat at a screen all the time, and at the same time parents will be buying the toys they liked when they were young for their children.
Paul Johnson added: “There aren’t many places you can go now and look at toys. We’ve tried to get a bit of everything for everybody.
“We think the classics are best. They don’t make toys like they used to.”
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn a difficult period for their beds and furniture business into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for Teesside’s children and families.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setbacks of their beds and furniture business into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning and the challenges of Covid, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for children and families across Teesside.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turning the difficult experience of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for families across Teesside.
Great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setback of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for Teesside families and a brilliant example of entrepreneurial resilience.
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the challenges of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for families across Teesside.
Paul and Michael Johnson’s decision to turn six difficult months into a new toy shop is a great example of entrepreneurial resilience. It’s lovely to see them bring something fun to Teesside’s children after the challenges faced by their furniture business during the pandemic.
Great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setback of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a fantastic boost for Teesside families and local high-street retail.
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setback of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh start with a toy shop. After such a difficult year, their six-month plan should bring some much-needed fun to Teesside’s children and families.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setback of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for families across Teesside.
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the challenges of closing their beds and furniture store into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a wonderful addition for Teesside’s children and families.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn a difficult period for their beds and furniture business into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for families across Teesside.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setbacks of their beds and furniture business into a fresh opportunity for Teesside families. Six months of planning to launch the toy shop shows real determination after such a difficult period.
It’s impressive that Paul and Michael turned six months of planning after the pandemic disruption into a fresh start for Teesside families. Wishing their new toy shop every success.
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setbacks from their beds and furniture business into a fresh start with a toy shop. After six months of planning, their new venture sounds like a wonderful boost for Teesside families and the local high street.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turning a difficult period for their beds and furniture business into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a wonderful addition for Teesside families and children.
Paul and Michael Johnson’s decision to turn the setback at PM Beds and Furniture into a toy shop is a creative comeback. After six months of planning, it’s great to see a new destination bringing some fun to Teesside’s children and families.
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the challenges of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a welcome boost for Teesside families.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setback of closing PM Beds and Furniture into a fresh opportunity. After six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a brilliant addition for Teesside families.
Lovely story, two brothers completely pivoting from beds and mattresses into toys takes real courage. You can tell from the way they talk that they genuinely love what they’re doing now.
It’s inspiring to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the setback of closing their beds and furniture store into a fresh opportunity. After such a difficult six months of planning, their new toy shop sounds like a cheerful addition to Teesside’s high street.
It’s great to see Paul and Michael Johnson turn the challenges of closing their beds and furniture shop into a fresh start for Teesside families. Six months of planning sounds like it has paid off with this exciting new toy shop.