……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Today I am very pleased to introduce you to new online toy store Oola – Fun Toys That Teach – www.oola.com.au – and it’s vivacious owner, Kelly Brough. Kelly lives with her husband Andrew and children Leila, 8.5 years, Korben 6.5 years and Ilyana, 4 years in Elsternwick, Victoria.
Read on, to find out more! – Angela
P.S. Oola provide free gift wrapping with all orders. Orders are shipped Australia wide for a flat fee of $7.50, or spend $50+ for FREE delivery Australia wide. Don’t miss Oola’s sale section, with up to 45% off a lovely selection of quality toys – you’ll score yourself free postage in no time!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Tell us a bit about yourself: what makes you tick?
I really believe in stay at home and work at home mums and want to make the lives of these women – women like me – easier and happier. From providing quality, friendly communication through my store, and making my business a ‘mum friendly’ workplace, I aim to in a small way contribute towards the wellbeing of mothers. Recreationally I really love performing arts and the theatre. Half a dozen times a year we get a babysitter and head off to small scale and independent theatre productions which always replenishes my energy and creativity stores.
How did Oola come about?
I’ve always had a passion for high quality, educational toys, and in my professional life I worked in the online space heading up Lonely Planet’s digital business where I was dedicated to providing high quality service in an online environment. The catalyst for creating Oola came from being a working mum and finding it difficult get out to buy presents and loving the flexibility of online shopping. Voila – Oola was born!
Oola – it’s an unusual name: what’s the story?
Besides being a fun sound, Oola is a result of my personal connection to France; a shortening of ‘ooh-la-la’ which I say to my kids all the time.
What are your favourite things to do as a family?
Our favourite things are the simple things: getting outdoors, walking, discovering new adventure playgrounds, climbing, running. The more active the kids can be the happier they are. My husband and I love travelling. I’m originally from the US and my husband, Andrew is Australian – we met when we worked together in Batimore, USA. We then moved to Europe for 10 years and travelled everywhere. The year we spent in France was particularly memorable. We’ve already started and we can’t wait to show the kids more of the world.
What are your favourite products for kids right now?
Ooh, that is a hard one!!! Here’s a short list. I tend to document the toys I find that I absolutely love on the Oola blog – there’s something for everyone.
- I adore logic games that help kids figure out problems – the Thinkfun Block by Block multidimensional puzzle really keeps the kids occupied for a long time.
- For early primary school ages children I love Djeco’s origami and kirigami products. Kids love paper folding and Djeco’s attention to detail helps make them beautiful.
- Feed The Woozle is my favourite game for pre-school kids. It’s a boardgame specifically designed for younger kids and it lots of fun.
- For older kids the Robotime wooden dinosaur models that have a remote control centre are brilliant – they fuse construction, technology and fun – the models respond to hand claps, for example.
- My favourite product for older girls is the Style Me Up range. It offers a lighthearted entry into cosmetics, something that a lot of young girls are curious about, and shows them how to make their own products so they don’t need to buy in to advertising.
What have been the high points so far in running Oola?
Discovering new products and getting to play with them – a dream job, really! Getting spontaneous positive feedback from customers telling me how much they and their kids have loved something is really gratifying, and keeps me striving for excellence.
What’s the future for Oola?
In the short term to meet our first birthday with gusto. Long term, to build Oola into an iconic toy shopping destination.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Top kids toy brands stocked at Oola include Djeco, Melissa & Doug, Mudpuppy, Orchard Toys, Peaceable Kingdom, Ravensburger, Robotime, Thinkfun, Style Me Up and Zoob.
