Straight A’s
Many White Plains residents, especially local teachers, will remember the Educational Warehouse that was a familiar sight for close to 15 years in South Broadway’s Westchester Pavilion.
Its closing last March was a shock to many who had come to rely on it for valuable teacher resources, including its former district manager, Kenny Friedman, who, rather than look for another retail management job, opened a brand new educational store on East Post Road called Straight A’s.
Friedman said the store, which he opened on Labor Day, is the quintessential “neighborhood store” that’s not just geared toward teachers, but can be a great resource for the entire family.
After being laid off from the Educational Warehouse, a company that owns several stores in the tri-state area, Friedman said he took two weeks to contemplate his future. He said it was an opportunity to “clear his head and decide what to do.” Friedman concluded that a smaller, more personable store, still selling much the same products, was needed in White Plains, and from there the idea for Straight A’s was hatched.
Working alongside Debbie Gropman, another former employee of Educational Warehouse, Friedman caters primarily to teachers who are looking for classroom supplies. However, the store has also become popular with parents who homeschool their children, and it’s a place where customers can buy gifts, he added.
The store is chock full of interesting items. In one section, shoppers will find different kinds of puzzles, stickers, art supplies, blocks, craft kits, construction paper, Play-Doh, and toys for different age groups. On the opposite end of the store, teachers can browse a myriad of products, including curriculum guides, flash cards, classroom games and supplies, and bulletin boards, to name a few. Educational toys are distributed throughout the store and include favorites like classic board games, Brain Quest cards, chess sets, and more.
Providing customers with a personal shopping experience is what sets Straight A’s apart from the bigger educational stores, noted Friedman. If a parent walks into Straight A’s looking for individual supplies for a science project, Friedman said he will do his best to find the most appropriate items, or he will order them directly from the vendor.
“Parents are making a very concerted effort these days, especially with younger kids, to start them off in the right way,” said Friedman, referring to the interest that local parents are showing in many of the mind-enriching products he sells. While teachers are happy to browse through the teacher aides and other classroom supply products, parents and grandparents are often eager to interact with Friedman and his staff, looking for advice on what to buy and the types of products most suitable for various age groups.
Whether it’s submitting a special order request or helping customers locate the right items in the 3,000-square-foot store, Friedman, a Fort Lee, N.J. resident, said that satisfying the customer is his ultimate goal. “If there’s a product that customers want and we’re not selling it, we want to hear about it, or if they think we should be doing something differently, we want to hear about that, too.”
Some of the more unusual products that Friedman currently sells at Straight A’s include Eeboo toys, a boutique toy manufacturer specializing in beautifully-crafted products that are based on the old-fashioned toy format. He also carries Kid O line products, which makes the versatile magnetic handwriting stylus known as the Magnatab, a great learning tool for kids beginning to write their first letters, and is useful for children with disabilities, too, he added.
Friedman visits a number of tradeshows throughout the year to remain up-to-date on the latest new products in the toy industry. Next year, he is planning to attend several tradeshows in Manhattan, including the Gift Show and the Toy Fair. He will be also be eyeing various new products on display at the National School Supply and Equipment Association’s tradeshow to be held next March in Baltimore, another great opportunity for him to add to this well-supplied store.
“I really saw the need to fill a void in this area with this type of store,” said Friedman, “and I also wanted to give back to those people who supported me in the past.”
Visit Straight A’s, located at 180 East Post Road, or for more information, visit their website at www.straightaseducational.com or call (914) 437-8922. Every Saturday, Straight A’s organizes craft sessions for children of all ages, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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