JULY 1 • 2021 | 35

BUSINESS

A

fter 10 years in 
business, local 
Jewish-owned toy 
store chain Toyology Toys 
is sticking to the same goal: 
to remain in the Klar family 
and to continue being there 
for the community.
“We want to be a staple in 
everyone’s home,” says Nori 
Klar, 62, founder of Toyology 
Toys. “We don’t want to be 
the biggest company around.”
Launched in 2011 at their 
inaugural West Bloomfield 
location by Nori Klar and 
her sons Aric and Jonathan 
Klar, Toyology Toys now 
includes two more locations 
in Royal Oak and Bloomfield 
Hills. Their fourth location 
in Rochester Hills ceased 
operations during the 
COVID-19 pandemic, unable 
to survive the crisis like 
thousands of other brick-
and-mortar businesses across 
the U.S.
However, this didn’t put a 
dent in the Klar family: They 
kept Toyology Toys going, 
despite the setback. 
“We appreciate everyone 
who supported our business 
over the past few months 
to make sure we’re one of 
those businesses that never 
went away,” Aric Klar, 32, 
says. “We’ve been through 
a lot over the past 10 years, 
but this was the most 
internally rewarding 14 
months for us because of the 
unbelievable support that we 
saw from each one of these 
communities.”
The Klar family will 
celebrate that support during 
Toyology Toys’ 10-year-
anniversary, which includes 
festivities this July. Though 
the Klars can’t yet reveal 

the exact details, Nori Klar 
says customers can expect 
some kind of birthday party, 
goodie bags, discounts and 
other surprises.

PHARMACIES TO TOYS
As they look back on 10 
years in business, the Klars 
never anticipated owning 
toy stores — but it was a 
natural transition. Prior to 
Toyology Toys, the family 

operated a chain of local 
pharmacies. One location 
at 14 Mile and Middlebelt 
Road in Farmington Hills 
carried a toy section with 
four feet of Beanie Babies 
and 3,500 square feet of 
toys for education and brain 
development.
This section inspired Aric 
Klar into his college years. 
While attending Eastern 
Michigan University, he gave 

a presentation for a business 
class about a toy store. The 
idea clicked, and the next 
day Aric called his mother, 
Nori, asking why they hadn’t 
gone into such a business.
Nori Klar took her son’s 
idea into consideration, and 
the Klar family decided to 
make a small investment into 
an existing toy store in West 
Bloomfield, now Toyology 
Toys’ flagship location. “It 
was very outdated, and we 
had to come in and fix it,” 
Aric Klar recalls. “We came 
in with new lights, inventory, 
people and new vibes in 
general.”
For the first 365 days, 
Aric and Nori Klar worked 
at the store seven days a 
week building up their 
business. They learned how 
to capitalize on trends, buy 
the correct products, work 
with the right vendors and 
streamline cash flow. “After 
the first year, it was very 
clear that this could be 
profitable,” Aric Klar says, 
“but also something that 
could be fun.”
After Aric Klar finished 
college, the family chose to 
expand the business. They 
opened a location in Royal 
Oak and built an online 
shopping platform to keep 
up with digital shopping 
trends. “We knew how 
important that was,” Aric 
Klar explains. “Ever since 
that point, we’ve just kept 
evolving the business.”
In its evolution, the Klar 
family says they stick to two 
main principles: putting 
the customer first and 
making sure that everyone is 
comfortable. “When people 
think toys, they think kids,” 

Toyology Toys celebrates 
10 years in business.

for 
Everyone

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

continued on page 36

Aric Klar and 
his son Ezra, a 
certified toy tester.

COURTESY OF TOYOLOGY

