Latest news with #DonKipper
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Tariff hike puts pressure on LA's Kip's Toyland
Listen to article Kip's Toyland, the oldest toy shop in Los Angeles, may be forced to raise prices or reduce stock as it faces tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese imports — a major blow for the nearly 80-year-old family-run store. Around 80% of toys sold in the United States are manufactured in China. Owner Don Kipper says the store has been receiving letters from suppliers warning of sharp price hikes due to upcoming trade penalties. 'We've been getting letters and other communication from our suppliers that say, 'Fasten your seat belts, this is on the way,'' Kipper told. Some suppliers urged bulk orders before tariff pricing begins, while others warned of halted production ahead of the holiday season. The development highlights renewed pressure on the US toy industry amid President Donald Trump's ongoing trade dispute with China. In 2023, the US imported \$13.4 billion worth of toys from China, according to Commerce Department data. Kip's Toyland sources most of its inventory from China. Kipper said he cannot afford to buy in bulk or store large quantities, unlike bigger retailers. 'It's a hostage situation. If we have to, we have to,' Kipper said of potentially paying higher prices. Founded in 1945 by Irvin 'Kip' Kipper, a former World War II pilot and prisoner of war, Kip's Toyland began as a small shop selling flags and dolls. Today, it remains a nostalgic haven of unplugged, classic toys. While most items on its shelves are now made in China, a few — like the American-made Slinky — are still sourced domestically. Toy analyst Chris Byrne said rebuilding US-based toy manufacturing would take at least five years and still lead to higher consumer prices due to domestic labour and regulatory costs. Parents visiting the shop said higher prices may force them to cut back. 'It's a real treasure,' said Aeri Schwartz, who visits with her toddler. 'Not being able to come here and buy something would be pretty unfortunate.' Chelsea Kwoka, another parent, said she would likely shift spending to local experiences or buy second-hand toys if prices soar. Kipper said he hopes loyal customers will still come in for birthdays or special gifts — but said he would have to 'buy smart' to keep the shop going.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oldest toy store in Los Angeles fights to survive in face of tariffs
Kip's Toyland has sold toys to children in Los Angeles for almost 80 years, through wars, recessions and a pandemic. But now tariffs of 145% on most Chinese imports threaten the livelihood of the city's oldest toy shop, considering that nearly 80% of toys sold in the US are made in China. 'We've been getting letters and other communication from our suppliers that say, 'Fasten your seat belts, this is on the way,'' said Don Kipper, the store owner. In letters that Kipper read to CNN, suppliers announced price increases and urged bulk ordering before tariff pricing kicks in. It's another sign that President Donald Trump's tumultuous trade war — and China's retaliatory tariffs — have left the American toy industry reeling. The US imported about $13.4 billion worth of toys from China last year, according to US Commerce Department data, not least because of the toy manufacturing infrastructure that was created and strengthened there over the last 25 years. For Kipper, whose inventory mostly comes from China, tariffs mean prices will inevitably increase — and he's not sure what he'll do. He said a small business like his can't afford to stock up, nor is it able to store a large amount of inventory. Other suppliers wrote to Kipper about halting their production lines, which would have supplied that would supply toys for holidays sales in the United States. 'Please know this decision was not made lightly,' Kipper read from one letter. He looks up. 'So nobody's happy about it.' Kip's Toyland was started by Irvin 'Kip' Kipper, Don Kipper's father and a pilot during World War II. Kipper said that when his father's plane was shot down in Bologna, Italy, he was captured and taken to Germany as a Nazi prisoner of war. Kipper said his father 'decided if he ever got out, he was going to do something happy with the rest of his life.' Nearly a year later, in August 1945, the elder Kipper was liberated by George Patton's troops. In October of that year, he purchased a small store selling flags and dolls, the beginning of Kip's Toyland in Los Angeles. 'When he opened the store, there were very few toy stores,' Don Kipper said. 'Toys used to be sold in hardware stores and department stores. There were no standalone toy stores.' That same year, the first Slinkys were sold in the United States. They were made in Pennsylvania and continue to be produced there. The Slinky is one of the few US-made products still sold at Kip's Toyland. Most of the items on the store's shelves are now manufactured in China. Kipper said many board games once made in the US are now made in China, and some American toy manufacturers like Marx and Ideal have shut down or been acquired by other brands. Lower labor costs in China led to a vast infrastructure of toy manufacturing there over the last several decades, Chris Byrne, independent toy analyst, told CNN. Bringing that infrastructure to the United States is not impossible but would take a minimum of five years, he said. Even then, prices would rise, due to American labor and regulatory costs. While the manufacturing location has changed, the type of toys sold at Kip's Toyland has not changed much. The store doesn't sell anything that needs to be plugged in. It is a haven of classic toys - a place where children can roam the small aisles, seeing and touching the variety of puzzles, trucks and dolls, an experience largely lost in the internet age. Aeri Schwartz, a mother who comes to the store with her toddler once every few months, looked at a toy fire truck that cost $20. But if it suddenly became $30 under the weight of tariffs, Schwartz said they'd have to scale back on what they buy. 'Coming to a store like this in person is really special,' Schwartz said. 'There aren't a lot of places like this in Los Angeles. It's a real treasure – and so not being able to come here and buy something would be pretty unfortunate.' Chelsea Kwoka, another parent who has purchased toys from Kip's, said she would not be able to buy as much if toys suddenly cost significantly more. 'I would see the opportunity of pivoting toward purchasing things like a membership to our local zoo or the aquarium,' Kwoka said. She said she also likes to buy used toys on Facebook Marketplace or pass down toys to other families in parent groups. 'I think it's a rough time for everybody in a lot of ways, and if I'm being real, buying less stuff is not a problem I want to solve,' she said. Kipper is aware his store could struggle. But he still expects there will be a parent here and there who runs in, looking for a last-minute birthday gift. Other than hoping customers continue to buy, his only strategy is to 'buy smart,' choosing cost-effective toys people can still afford. But if the classic toys at Kip's Toyland suddenly become more expensive to acquire, he will have to pay more. 'It's a hostage situation. If we have to, we have to,' he said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNN
11-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Oldest toy store in Los Angeles fights to survive in face of tariffs
Kip's Toyland has sold toys to children in Los Angeles for almost 80 years, through wars, recessions and a pandemic. But now tariffs of 145% on most Chinese imports threaten the livelihood of the city's oldest toy shop, considering that nearly 80% of toys sold in the US are made in China. 'We've been getting letters and other communication from our suppliers that say, 'Fasten your seat belts, this is on the way,'' said Don Kipper, the store owner. In letters that Kipper read to CNN, suppliers announced price increases and urged bulk ordering before tariff pricing kicks in. It's another sign that President Donald Trump's tumultuous trade war — and China's retaliatory tariffs — have left the American toy industry reeling. The US imported about $13.4 billion worth of toys from China last year, according to US Commerce Department data, not least because of the toy manufacturing infrastructure that was created and strengthened there over the last 25 years. For Kipper, whose inventory mostly comes from China, tariffs mean prices will inevitably increase — and he's not sure what he'll do. He said a small business like his can't afford to stock up, nor is it able to store a large amount of inventory. Other suppliers wrote to Kipper about halting their production lines, which would have supplied that would supply toys for holidays sales in the United States. 'Please know this decision was not made lightly,' Kipper read from one letter. He looks up. 'So nobody's happy about it.' Kip's Toyland was started by Irvin 'Kip' Kipper, Don Kipper's father and a pilot during World War II. Kipper said that when his father's plane was shot down in Bologna, Italy, he was captured and taken to Germany as a Nazi prisoner of war. Kipper said his father 'decided if he ever got out, he was going to do something happy with the rest of his life.' Nearly a year later, in August 1945, the elder Kipper was liberated by George Patton's troops. In October of that year, he purchased a small store selling flags and dolls, the beginning of Kip's Toyland in Los Angeles. 'When he opened the store, there were very few toy stores,' Don Kipper said. 'Toys used to be sold in hardware stores and department stores. There were no standalone toy stores.' That same year, the first Slinkys were sold in the United States. They were made in Pennsylvania and continue to be produced there. The Slinky is one of the few US-made products still sold at Kip's Toyland. Most of the items on the store's shelves are now manufactured in China. Kipper said many board games once made in the US are now made in China, and some American toy manufacturers like Marx and Ideal have shut down or been acquired by other brands. Lower labor costs in China led to a vast infrastructure of toy manufacturing there over the last several decades, Chris Byrne, independent toy analyst, told CNN. Bringing that infrastructure to the United States is not impossible but would take a minimum of five years, he said. Even then, prices would rise, due to American labor and regulatory costs. While the manufacturing location has changed, the type of toys sold at Kip's Toyland has not changed much. The store doesn't sell anything that needs to be plugged in. It is a haven of classic toys - a place where children can roam the small aisles, seeing and touching the variety of puzzles, trucks and dolls, an experience largely lost in the internet age. Aeri Schwartz, a mother who comes to the store with her toddler once every few months, looked at a toy fire truck that cost $20. But if it suddenly became $30 under the weight of tariffs, Schwartz said they'd have to scale back on what they buy. 'Coming to a store like this in person is really special,' Schwartz said. 'There aren't a lot of places like this in Los Angeles. It's a real treasure – and so not being able to come here and buy something would be pretty unfortunate.' Chelsea Kwoka, another parent who has purchased toys from Kip's, said she would not be able to buy as much if toys suddenly cost significantly more. 'I would see the opportunity of pivoting toward purchasing things like a membership to our local zoo or the aquarium,' Kwoka said. She said she also likes to buy used toys on Facebook Marketplace or pass down toys to other families in parent groups. 'I think it's a rough time for everybody in a lot of ways, and if I'm being real, buying less stuff is not a problem I want to solve,' she said. Kipper is aware his store could struggle. But he still expects there will be a parent here and there who runs in, looking for a last-minute birthday gift. Other than hoping customers continue to buy, his only strategy is to 'buy smart,' choosing cost-effective toys people can still afford. But if the classic toys at Kip's Toyland suddenly become more expensive to acquire, he will have to pay more. 'It's a hostage situation. If we have to, we have to,' he said.
