With Unique Selection, JaZams Brings Holiday Magic To Princeton
PRINCETON, NJ — For 25 years, JaZams has helped community members choose the perfect gift for their loved ones. Located in Palmer Square Princeton, the store has a unique selection of toys, books, and music for people of all ages. And their clientele is loyal and ever-expanding.
"We serve all ages — from little ones to adults. There are satisfying moments with all ages, from people buying for children to buying for parents who are in nursing facilities. Whether buying puzzles, dolls, and so forth they keep us going,” said co-owner Dean Smith.
Founder and co-owner Joanne Farrugia opened the store in Montgomery 25 years ago. A few years later, they moved to Palmer Square and have been in the community for almost 22 years.
During the holidays, the store is packed with shoppers looking for the perfect gift. It's a busy time for the store. “Around the beginning of November to December, during the main holidays, Hanukkah and Christmas, we see probably 40 percent of our sales for the year. So, the volume increases significantly,” said Smith.
JaZams has a well-informed and attentive staff who have lots of background information on all products. The staff undergoes training for three months before they begin helping customers at the store. “We're often asked 'what's the hot toy?’ And our response is — tell us about your child, and then we'll find the perfect toy or book for them,” Smith said.
"We have products from birth through the retirement home. So, we just want to get a sense of who our customer is, and then provide them with the right product.”
Even in an age of big-box stores and Amazon, the brick-and-mortar store offers an elevated experience for shoppers.
What makes Jazams special is that they’re always looking for quality and play value in all of their selections. They buy from over 400 vendors every year, almost twice as much as most specialty stores. And each product is carefully selected.
“We do about a dozen trade shows every year, all the way from Canada to Germany which is the biggest toy show in the world,” Smith said. At these trade shows, Smith meets with manufacturers and people from across the globe and shares details about new products and ideas.
JaZams is also on the advisory boards of a number of different manufacturers. When they meet with colleagues from across the country, they talk about what they're seeing, and products other stores are bringing in that they might have missed.
“We're also committed to working with our toy reps. A lot of buyers now do most of their buying online and don't meet with reps anymore. But we think it's essential to meet with them to give us a sense of the new products that are there and things that we might have missed when we're doing shows.”
The COVID-19 pandemic brought an onslaught of hurdles for this independent business. But JaZams prevailed by continuing to offer online sales and curbside pickup.
“The COVID period has been extremely challenging for us. But we're well supported by our community,” said Smith.
With the supply chain being disrupted across the country, many residents are shopping local this year, and JaZams is finding it tough to stock up on certain items.
“Magna Tiles is a perennial hot toy. This year, they've come out with various themes including the safari tiles and jungle tiles. We went through three orders of those in a very short period of time,” Smith said.
The miniature kits, which take hours to build, are another product the store is finding hard to stock due to its popularity. “I also have to keep reordering the router vehicles, which are big oversize vehicles from Germany. The volume of those is gone up fivefold this year.”
The stomp racer, a variation of the stomp rocket is also popular this year with JaZams going through the stock “like mad.”
The hard work the staff puts in pays off when children come into the store and are left with wonder and amazement, said Smith.
"It's amazing every day to see their responses to the store and knowing that they're going to go home with something that's going to give them joy and happiness,” said Smith.
JaZams is located at 25 Palmer Square East, Princeton, and offers toys, books, puzzles, art kits, and more.
Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com
Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news
This article originally appeared on the Princeton Patch
