Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Karen Holland

The Wooden Horse rode into town 25 years ago

By Bob Aldrich

When Karen Holland opened her first Los Gatos Wooden Horse Toy Store in Old Town on June 1, 1971, some customers came in wheeling babies in carriages.

"Now some of those babies are coming in with babies of their own," said Holland, who on June 8 is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Wooden Horse, located since 1988 at 798 Blossom Hill Road in the King's Court Shopping Center.

Close familiarity with her clientele and their tastes and desires is one of the factors in her success, Holland believes. For about 10 years she had stores in Carmel and Santa Cruz, but finally decided she wanted to concentrate on one store where she could know children and their parents.

The June 8 celebration, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., will feature some nationally known children's recording artists, with Tim Cain singing at 11:30 and Linda Arnold at 2:30 p.m. Pony rides, with photo souvenirs, will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Party games and drawings are on the program.

You won't find heavily advertised commercial toys at the Wooden Horse, nor would customers look here for pint-size assault weapons or any other violent toys. Instead, the emphasis is on toys that help children grow and develop, using their imaginations in constructive ways.

Longevity is another aim. Holland points to one of her most enduring sales items, the Brio wooden train. "Kids keep playing with it year after year," she said. Other toys and games permit youngsters to construct things, paint and otherwise express themselves.

Holland also suggests toys and tools associated with nature, for example, gardening tools and gloves designed for the young. "There is a great interest in nature," she said.

The King's Court Wooden Horse increased in size by 35 per cent in 1994, after B. Dalton's bookstore moved out and the toy store moved into half its space.

Four years ago, Holland helped to organize a national organization of 550 independent toy stores, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, of which she is vice president and will be president next year. The group met this spring in Scottsdale, Ariz. Part of its mission is to show owners how contributing to their communities can help business, a philosophy Holland believes in.

Among her community projects was a campaign to assist building of a Peace Statue dedicated last year in Los Alamos, site of the first atomic bomb tests. Based on a book by a Japanese youngster about paper cranes bringing good luck, the store encouraged school children to make paper cranes to raise money for the statue.

Holland is frequently asked to speak to retailers. She stresses the idea that doing good in their community and for society is ultimately beneficial to the cash register. She also feels a responsibility to children and families.

"Business shouldn't exploit children," she said. "We encourage them to explore nature and to be creative. We want to be part of the solution, not the problem." Though she doesn't mention any chain stores by name, she clearly feels some products could be psychologically inhibiting or harmful to youngsters.

"I want to encourage children to discover and develop their unique selves," she said. "By helping them develop their imaginative powers, we empower children. We let them try things on their own, not have everything done for them.

"Children are learning to listen to themselves."

In addition to activities like story writing and face painting, Holland sometimes invites speakers to talk on parenting. There are special children's entertainments.

Holland publishes a quarterly Wooden Horse Newsletter in which suggestions to parents and families go beyond toys to offer tips on nurturing and education. Last fall's edition asks, "Is your child a genius?" and answers "Yes, and in some very special and unique ways." The article mentions a theory popularized by Howard Gardner of Harvard University that details seven major intelligences. It adds, "But Gardner has recently identified an eighth and believes there are actually infinite intelligences. "Just as each child is born with a unique combination of physical characteristics, so each is born with unique array of latent capacities, or intelligences," it says. "Such capacities bloom only when they are encouraged."

For more information about the anniversary celebration, call 356-8821.