TAMPA, Fla. — One thing is for sure, there’s no shortage of toys at Big Redhead Vintage Toys in Tampa.
“We have a little bit of everything,” said Charles “Red” Fenech, owner of Big Redhead Vintage Toys.
Watch full report from Larissa Scott
On every shelf, in every corner, even in the back rooms, there are toys as far as the eye can see see.
Fenech started selling vintage toys more than 10 years ago.
If you’re looking for a unique, nostalgic gift— he’s likely got it.
“I will tell people we are heavy in Transformers so if you like Transforms that’s like the main thing we do. We have He-Man, G.I. Joe, Voltron, robots, Star Wars, pretty much any of those major toy lines that have some of those marketing capabilities we definitely carry in store, said Fenech.
With more people shopping secondhand these days to save money, people can come in to get a toy at a discounted price for the holidays.
“You can buy a lose figure here, like a lose action figure like a Spider-Man or something like that between like 5 and 10 bucks… Having those figures that are already opened for a person to buy, saves them probably 10 to 20 bucks versus a brand new one that’s still in the box,” said Fenech.
Tampa Bay 28 also visited Once Upon a Child on North Dale Mabry Highway.
“We buy and sell gently used kids' stuff,” said Jodie Whitehead, owner of Once Upon a Child.
Clothes, shoes, baby equipment, and toys— they’ve got it all.
Whitehead has noticed more people looking to shop secondhand.
“Especially this time of year, yes very busy,” she said.
Renee Mayr has been shopping at Once Upon a Child for years.
“I like the value. I feel like there’s no other way to shop,” said Mayr.
She understands why more people are turning to used items this holiday season.
“It is not surprising at all especially with rising prices on everything across the board,” said Mayr.
Whitehead believes shopping at a secondhand store for the holidays is a great way to save money and potentially even make some.
“This is good for both ends of that spectrum. Because people that are needing cash for the holidays can come in and bring in their items to sell and get cash. And they can spend it here or not,” said Whitehead.
For Mayr, buying gifts from a secondhand store is a no-brainer so you can get nice items at a discount.
“So many of these clothes and toys and things here they are essentially new. A lot of them have tags, a lot of them are unplayed with, new in the box,” said Mayr.
“I feel like we really do offer a great service to the community in a lot of ways. I love to see people being able to save money on what they’re buying, get money for what they’re selling, it’s just such a cool niche in our market right now so I love that," said Whitehead.
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