News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

Sandy and Kendra are part of the team from Wiseowl Toys, where classic, quality toys delight visitors from around the world. Wiseowl was the 2009 winner of the Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for customer service

By LeRae Haynes

When visitors from other countries come to Williams Lake, one of the unique shopping experiences they enjoy is at Wiseowl Toys at 190A Oliver Street. The friendly staff and the classic, quality toys are only part of the picture: there are all also the rows of postcards from around that ring the walls throughout the store.

“Visitors from Rome were the first guests to send us a postcard,” said owner Sandy Fehr. “No matter where our visitors are from, if their postcard has a return address we always send them one back from Williams Lake.”

In the past few weeks, she said that she has had shoppers who are visiting from England, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil and the US. “International visitors love us,” she continued. “The Schleiki toys we carry are far less expensive here than they are in Germany, and visitors are thrilled with the type of store we have and the type of product that we carry.

“We apparently resemble toy stores in Germany,” she said. “We carry a lot of wooden items, and all our toys are eco-friendly, including a tea set made from recycled milk jugs.”

At Wiseowl Toys one sales girl speaks French, the rest speak English and there is a German dictionary at the till. “Between the three languages, we can talk to almost anybody,” Sandy explained. “People love to talk about where they’re from and about how much they love Canada.” 

Wiseowl Toys was started 7 years ago when Sandy and Jim Fehr saw a need for a classical toy store with quality games, puzzles and toys that would get played with for years.

“We get toys in from Israel, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US and France. We sell baby toys, construction toys, puzzles and games for adults and for all ages in between, as well as science toys, educational toys and crafts for kids. We have an enormous range of puzzles, from two pieces to 18,000 pieces,” Sandy said.

She said that a fair number of shoppers from Prince George and Vancouver and many from Kamloops visit Wiseowl. “We have shoppers from Ontario who have families here, and who get all their Christmas gifts from us: we know what the kids in their families like, what they have already, and what’s new that they might really enjoy.”

Wiseowl Toys was the 2009 winner of the Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for customer service. “We have the best employees at the store---Kendra, Gwynn and Chantal, and they help us make sure that customer service comes first,” she said. “We don’t sell: we help people buy.” 

She said that the most important thing parents can do is play with their kids. “As a parent, you are your child’s first toy: you are the first thing they reach out for. Playing games and spending time with your kids is a great way to initiate great conversations and keep dialogue going,” she explained. “It’s the best gift you can give your kids.”

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