PLAYTIME. ChildTrek owner Miebeth Bustillo-Booth shows 15-month-old Joshua some of the all-natural, environmentally friendly toys at her store in Freighthouse Square. Joshua’s family has become regulars at ChildTrek since the store’s soft opening in July.
ChildTrek is a new store that has taken the health of children, as well as the world, as seriously as they take playtime – which is pretty serious.
Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, owner of ChildTrek, offers environmentally friendly, child-safe and engaging toys and books.
The former teacher and mother of a 2-year-old decided last year to let her entrepreneurial side shine when she created ChildTrek, an online toy store.
Bustillo-Booth had not planned on opening the ChildTrek storefront until 2009, but the success of the online site and the high demand for natural, sustainable toys prompted her to set up a physical shop at Freighthouse Square in July.
And she is glad she did.
Since opening ChildTrek at the Square, her business has doubled. And not only is she living every child’s fantasy by actually working in a toy store, she gets to see her customers’ reaction to the products offered at ChildTrek, something she misses in online sales.
All the toys sold through ChildTrek meet high standards in quality and safety, and must fit a system of requirements for their “green” aspects.
Many of the toys at ChildTrek are wooden, coated with beeswax and painted with natural dyes. The few plastic toys the store offers are made from recycled materials, such as old milk jugs.
“Any toy you walk out of here with, it’s going to be good for kids and the planet,” she said.
The Bustillo-Booths had their first daughter when Miebeth was 37 years old, which is what inspired her to create a business revolving around sustainability and healthy child development. She realized her daughter could witness the decay of species and the environment, and that inspired her to take action.
“When I held our baby in our arms…it really saddened me my child would see that disappearing (nature) in her life time,” she said, adding that she hopes it is only a matter of time when her products will no longer be a sort of specialty.
“It will expand, the market will change, it has to change,” she said. “I have in mind that in five to 10 years from now, this is the market that has to be out there. Hopefully people will stick by us…and really become believers, and green consumers.”
And as a former teacher, Bustillo-Booth requires that all ChildTrek toys promote learning through play. “They have to be toys that engage the imagination – there’s something more than the two opposing thumbs…a lot of those toys are that way here.”
ChildTrek offers more than 150 book titles, which Bustillo-Booth said are carefully selected to be highly engaging and educational.
The store also offers a loyalty rewards program, gift registry, book club and early education discounts.
Find out more of what ChildTrek has to offer at http://www.childtrek.com, or visit them in person at Freighthouse Square, (253) 534-8825.
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