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At 22, Heather Daykin may seem a bit young to own her own business, but Daykin, owner and manager of Pixie Toy Store in the Banana Berry Marketplace, grew up in the industry. Her mother owned Enchanted Elf Toy Store in Hermosa Beach, and later became a sales representative for Toyology.

"My mom says I used to be the little sales girl," Daykin said. "I've been doing it ever since I was little."

As a child, Daykin never expected that she would grow up to follow in her mother's footsteps, but after a part-time job as a clerk at a toy store led to responsibilities ordering inventory, she realized she had a dormant interest in owning her own place.

Daykin has spent years attending toy shows, browsing the brands and helping her mother in the showroom. This year she was excited to attend the Los Angeles Toy Show because it was her first experience as a legitimate buyer.

Pixie Toy Store carries a wide selection of unique and affordable toys, many of which are current reissues of classic pieces by companies like Fisher Price. Their toys range from the newborn-friendly, baby dolls by Carolle, which have vanilla baked right into their ultra-soft skin, to the retro-stylings of Schylling's tin toys.

Although the store is quaint in size, its shelves are stocked with a well-selected variety of toys from which to choose. Also, Daykin welcomes her customers to browse her catalogues for special orders. At a dollar apiece, they're also a great place to shop for party favors.
According to Daykin, feedback on the store has been positive since their official opening seven months ago. Parents appreciate that all the merchandise is handpicked and different than the usual selection offered at other stores.

Although Daykin calls on her past experience working in a toy store when choosing toy lines that are popular with parents and kids, she also picks things she remembers from her own childhood. The advantage to being so young is that Daykin doesn't have to remember that far back to recall the toys and activities that she most enjoyed.

"I really like Alex [brand]," Daykin said. " I remember using a lot of their stuff when I was younger. A lot of the things we have in the toy store are things I had and liked when I was younger."

Pixie is located at 1090 East Wardlow in California Heights. They are part of the Banana Berry Marketplace. For more information, call (562) 426-3586.