All Aboard the Learning Railroad

A few years later when she was teaching in Goose Creek, SC, Wyatt became interested in the school supply business and decided to leave her teaching career. She visited Educational Wonderland, another teacher resource store, spotted a copy of Educational Dealer on the counter and asked for the subscription card. Once she received her first copy of the magazine, she sat down at her dining room table and began planning her own educational supply business.

More than 30 years later, her store, Learning Railroad, is still a fun and welcoming place for teachers, parents and kids of all ages.

The wheels start turning

Wyatt built Learning Railroad by reaching out to advertisers in the magazine and attending an EDSA trade show in Charlotte. The owner of The Learning Center in Charleston, SC gave her advice on which brands to start with and encouraged stocking high-quality toys.

In fall 1992, all the while raising her young son and teaching, Wyatt began finalizing her plans. She got her business license, lined up vendors, ordered products and set up the store. She acquired the first store building in Peducah, KY over spring break. “I knew it was a good fit, and Peducah was my home,” Wyatt stated.

Learning Railroad opened its doors the following July, just in time for the back-to-school season. “We had a line around the store the day we opened,” Wyatt said.

The store’s location was ideal. Paducah is a regional shopping hub, located halfway between Nashville and St. Louis. There were few other teacher resource stores nearby.

“It’s not uncommon for us to have customers from three states on any Saturday and five states during back to school and Christmas,” Wyatt said.

Function junction

After the highs of the first back-to-school season passed, Wyatt realized she needed to slightly redirect the store and added toys to her roster. “Being in a semi-rural, suburban-like area, we really had to cater to a broader audience,” she said.

Learning Railroad’s current 3,700-square-foot sales floor is comprised of two units, providing a natural divide to separate the toy and gift items from classroom décor and games. Wyatt strives to provide a magical atmosphere all around. “It’s cute and fun in here, for sure.”

Customers enter on the toy side and can peruse the themed tables before making their way to the teacher resource area. Wyatt is aided by six staff members, most of whom work part-time. On the toy end, collectible brands including Jellycat, Maileg and Breyer are top sellers along with educational toys from tonies and Learning Resources. Smaller toy companies account for 50 percent of sales.

“We didn’t limit our brand to skill-based games and puzzles,” Wyatt stated. “We embrace the philosophy that children learn through all play – even if ABC’s and 123’s aren’t part of the activity.”

When stocking teacher resources, Wyatt trusts and relies on Teacher Created Resources and Creative Teaching Press. “They have consistently upheld MSRP/MAP,” Wyatt explained. “Many other vendors are constantly discounting. Those vendors quickly fell to the bottom of not only our vendor list, but industry ranking as well. Teacher Created Resources and Creative Teaching Press are very supportive. I’ve been on CTP’s dealer advisory committee before, and they really listen to dealers.”

On track with trends

In addition to whether a product is likely to be discounted online and if the vendor holds true to MSRP, Wyatt looks at other factors when purchasing. Criteria include are shoppers requesting the product or brand, does the product have a cute or trending aesthetic, how will the product be used and is the product self-explanatory?

Wyatt looks at several sources for curating inventory. Educational Dealer and print catalogs continue to come in handy. She looks forward to sample boxes sent out by manufacturers and appreciates the face-to-face interaction with sales reps. “We do still find some Easter Eggs at trade shows,” Wyatt added. She has attended EDSA, NSSEA, Astra Marketplace & Academy, Toy Fest, ECRM, WeConnect and the Atlanta Gift Show.

“We keep a close eye on departments, categories and brands, and try to react to upward and downward trends,” Wyatt said. “Our best advice on toys comes from parent and upper elementary kids’ requests; we also have social groups where we chat with other owners and managers to spot trends.”

While kidulting and sensory continue to be strong trends in the toy department, the approach to classroom décor has shifted. Wyatt has seen more examples of teachers redecorating whole rooms – rather than just a bulletin board or doors. Social media influencers have promoted spaces that are color-coded, with a statement piece or phrase located above the door. “It’s really home décor,” Wyatt said. “For several years, we’ve seen home décor trends appear in classroom trends.”

Taking the local line

Learning Railroad maintains its fun and charming atmosphere with a range of in-store events. Wyatt has hosted meet-and-greets with “Frozen” royalty Anna and Elsa, Sir Topham Hat from “Thomas the Tank Engine” and local authors. Members from the Carson Center for the Performing Arts stop by to lead story time. The store offers adoptions of Llorens and Adora dolls. “It is a good profit center, as well as a memorable experience, promoted organically by posts on the socials,” Wyatt said.

To foster and maintain relationships with area schools, the store drops off manufacturer catalogs and flyers. During back-to-school, Wyatt and her team will deliver door prizes of products. She further forges connections by attending nonprofit meetings with school administrators.

“I’m proud of building the relationships we have made with customers and employees,” Wyatt said.

Make the grade

Direct-to-consumer discounts from manufacturers and Amazon pose a challenge to Learning Railroad. Instead reacting with discounting, Wyatt understands that she can respond in ways to advance the store in other ways. “We don’t respond with, ‘Customers don’t support small business,’” she observed. “Our response is, ‘How can we create that desire for customers to continue to support small business, and make a profit?’”

Wyatt is careful to work with manufacturers who don’t undermine retailers’ prices with online markdowns. She also makes a point to not offer discounts on new items or conduct storewide sales. She explained that coupons and seasonal promotions condition customers to wait for a sale before buying, and they won’t pay full price. Instead, she offers a teacher supply clearance area in the back-to-school season and a Black Friday clearance event. “If we have faith in our products, they are worth the price we put on them and we don’t have to discount them,” Wyatt stated.

Customers remain eager to bring their business to Learning Railroad. “A sense of pride does swell at back-to-school and Christmas, when the lines are long and I see returning customers, those that have been hand-in-hand with our success since our first day,” Wyatt commented. “Just the other day, a retired teacher came in to shop for grandchildren.”