AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
“Since Toys R Us went out of business, there are very few places where you can buy toys,” said Jack Cook the owner of 2ND CHANCE TOYZ at 6 South Ritchie Highway in Pasadena.
Over the past couple of years Around The Park Again has observed that affordable toys are harder to find, so it was a pleasant surprise to spot the 2ND CHANCE TOYZ shop from the stop light at the corner of Ritchie Highway and East West Boulevard.
Curious, we stopped to check it out and found it stocked with thousands of toys. The exact same thing happened to customer John Pylypec from Odenton who we found browsing the shelves of Matchbox cars.
“I was cruising down the highway and stopped at the light and there it was, 2ND CHANCE TOYZ,” Pylypec said. “I’d discovered the shop on Google maps when it was in Glen Burnie about a year-and-a-half ago and had always meant to stop by. However, I didn’t and thought I’d missed the opportunity. I’m really excited to discover it here and finally have a chance to come in and look around. They have a lot of things I like.”
Pylypec said he’s something of a collector of vintage toys. It was clear from the length of time he took examining every shelf and the full shopping bag he left with that he’d done well adding to his collection.
Pylypec was one of many collectors and hobbyists who frequent 2ND CHANCE TOYZ but customers of all ages and interests visit the shop and keep the staff of six employees hopping.
An interview and tour of the shop with owner John Cook was revealing, in part because of its interesting history, and also because of the extensive selection and price range of toys the business buys, sells or trades. The idea behind the toy business arose from owner’s desire to fulfill a childhood yearning.
“When I was a kid, we were poor, we didn’t have a lot of stuff,” Cook said. “My friends had it though. So, I always wanted the things they had. As I got older, I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got some money so I’m gonna start getting a few things here and there,’ and, before I knew it, I had a mound of toys, games and action figures.”
By that time, he’d started meeting other people who collected similar items and enjoyed helping each other out with tips or trades. Soon, what began as a hobby turned into more of an obsession.
In 2011, as his interest reached an all-time high, Cook sold the landscaping company he’d owned for more than a decade and used the profits to start his toy business with wife Margaret. The couple chose the name “2ND CHANCE TOYZ” to represent John’s second chance to give toys a new life with someone who’ll appreciate them as much as he does.
“We started up at North Point Flea Market where we kept a booth from which we sold toys weekly,” said Cook. “It was a bit expensive keeping the booth, but we started making good money – good enough that we decided to keep rolling with it and move up to brick and mortar.
“I’m the tortoise in business, not the hare, so we began with a three-year contract on a storefront in Linthicum. Sales-wise, we were really moving. We next relocated 2ND CHANCE TOYZ to Glen Burnie and you’d have thought I turned a light switch on. Customers were coming from everywhere.”
Business was good but, still, Cook found the shop’s location a drawback. Situated all the way at the end of a shopping center, the store couldn’t be seen from the road. In spite of having an online presence, people were finding 2ND CHANCE TOYZ primarily through word of mouth. Thus, when the contract was up, the Cooks looked for a new retail space – one where they could be seen – on Ritchie Highway.
“I think I found a good spot here because it’s very visible, the traffic light’s in front of us, there are good neighborhoods around us, and we’re seeing a lot of new faces,” he said.
The location is also spacious enough to hold a voluminous inventory of recent and vintage toys and other items. They range in price from 50 cents for children or those who don’t have much money to spend to a few thousand dollars for high-end collectors. There are shelves and shelves and bins and glass front cases full of toy cars including the vintage metal cars shown in the opening photo.
There are hundreds of vintage and modern action figures including Star Wars characters, X-Men, and other superheroes.
According to Cook, GI Joes are “the hottest thing going now”, particularly the new 6-inch models which he says are midway between the little 3-3/4-inch ones he had as a child and the 12-inch ones owned by his father. GI Joes were always one of the shop owner’s favorite things so he took a calculated risk and placed an order with the distributor the moment they came out.
There is a vast collection of comics which take up most of a back wall, part of a wall on the left side of the shop and appear in a special glass case. To keep them in good condition and preserve their value, the comics are encased in see-through plastic sleeves and/or kept in cardboard bins according to series. Cook took pride in pointing out the glass showcase where valuable vintage or special edition comics are kept. He called our attention to a first edition of “The Crow” which is priced at $1,800 and an “Ultimate Fallout” edition selling for $1,000.
Another collection Cook is particularly proud of is strictly vintage. He finds he’s touched every time he turns on the Mickey Mouse lamp seen below because of what it represented to generations of kids.
A bust of Batman, an early 20th century merry-go-round, a metal barn circa 1950’s and a statuette of Donald Duck grace the top shelf of another section of older toys.
“I never thought 12 years ago when I started this that it would ever blossom to what it is,” said Cook. “But a lot of things have happened. Toys R Us going out of business makes it harder for people to buy toys. The Targets and Walmarts put out what’s easily available. But, if you’re looking for something from a toy series five years ago, your only option is to look for it on the internet, in which case you never really know what you’re getting. With us, you get to see it in person, see the value. You can see it, touch it and smell it.”
One of the most enthusiastic store owners we’ve met, Cook finds great satisfaction in carrying such a vast array of products that there is something for everyone. You might see a father and his son come in. The father might be a collector looking for something special that costs a lot. Meanwhile, the son may be looking to spend his allowance and can shop by himself for something fun but inexpensive – something with which to start a collection of his own.
Though the shop also carries merchandise for girls and women, that is not what Lane Heline was looking for.
“I’m here buying some wrestling figures for my son. He and my husband come here to 2ND CHANCE TOYZ on Saturdays to see wrestlers in person as do some other family members who are wrestlers. This is a great place and we come here for many occasions.
The shop often hosts in-person appearances by wrestlers who sit for autographs or pose for photos and also hosts live auctions viewed on Whatnot.com every Tuesday night and Friday night.
“One night we’ll do GI Joe and one night we’ll do wrestling, another night we’ll do Pokemon and people tune in,” Cook said. “The auctions have been one of several benefits we’ve enjoyed thanks to the internet. But actually being here at the shop in person is the real deal.”
A particular joy for Cook and his staff is helping kids like Lincoln Gaither find what they are looking for. Lincoln was all smiles as he was able to locate several boxes of his favorite Marvel Funko Pops heroes.
Lincoln’s younger brother Alex came to look for a video game but his imagination was temporarily captured by a bright green motorcycle nestled among the cars.
If there’s still a measure of the toy-loving child in you, or if you merely channel your inner sense of play through getting hard-to-find toys for your own little ones, we recommend checking out 2ND CHANCE TOYZ at 6 South Ritchie Highway in Pasadena or visiting them online at 2ND CHANCE TOYZ – HOME PAGE or on Facebook or Instagram.
An old-fashioned Pancake Supper at Baldwin Memorial United Methodist Church
Save your appetite for an All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Supper at Baldwin Memorial United Methodist Church, 911 Generals Highway, Millersville on Tuesday, February 21 from 4:30 to 7 pm. Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee, tea, orange juice and lemonade are on the menu.
The price for adults is $6.00, for students 13 and up $5.00, for children 6 to 12 $3.00 and for children 5 and under free. For information, visit Baldwin Memorial United Methodist Church – At the Crossroads of past and future in witness for Christ.
Anne Arundel Branch of American Association of University Women hosts ERA exhibit
The Anne Arundel Branch of the American Association of University Women, Maryland will be one of six hosts for “Artists4ERA, an art exhibit to bring renewed awareness to the Equal Rights Amendment, on March 3rd at the Baltimore County Arts Guild at the Catonsville Clubhouse from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. The clubhouse is located at 10 St. Timothy’s Lane in Catonsville. The work of iconic artist Shepard Fairey, Chuck Sperry and Tracie Ching is being presented along with that of 27 other artists.
Around The Park Again would like to welcome aboard Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services which joins Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi as a sponsor.
Thus, the column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress.”
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee.
