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IQALUIT
Stuff 2 Do Toys and Games shop is like nothing Iqaluit-born Ooleepa Ekho ever had as a child, and everything her husband Jerry Winford dreamed of as a child.

Jerry Winford, his wife Ooleepa Ekho and two children Jacob, 8 and Viola, 6, are settling into their new toy shop, Stuff 2 Do Toys and Games, in Iqaluit. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

The couple opened the toy and games shop four months ago -- at a busy corner in Iqaluit across from the Navigator -- after years of offering toys and games from their Iqaluit home, as a hobby.

"Since I was a little boy I've been into the comic books, hockey cards, sports cards -- that's where I started," Winford said. "The collectibles side.

"Since I was a kid, this is my dream job."

After years of hosting Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game tournaments in their home, Ekho -- who is the daughter of late musician Jimmy "Arctic Elvis" Ekho -- insisted that the couple move forward with opening the toy shop, because of the lack of quality toys and games available in town when she was growing up.

The family's 22 by 12-foot toy store, with 18 shelves full from floor to ceiling with board games, trading cards, gaming memorabilia, Lego sets, and other kids toys, is what Ekho thinks people in the North deserve, Winford said.

"I knew everything available down south and she had never seen things like that up here," he said. "She thought that people deserve to have what we had down there too."

Ekho said the toys in town when she was growing up were cheap quality with expensive prices, so she wanted to change that for her own children, Jacob, 8 and Viola, 6.

"It's mostly about my kids that are excited so I'm excited about the store," she said, adding she enjoys seeing all the kids who come by the store and gather for gaming tournaments. "That's a good feeling that kids come here and hang out," she said.

On any given day, upwards of 40 people will visit the new toy shop, Winford said, adding he is happy with how business is going, although he would like to draw more attention from the public.

"We're doing really well, just, it seems a lot of people don't recognize that we're here," he said. "It's the way Iqaluit business is too."

The new business is also facing competition from major retailers, that are not standalone toy shops, but have toy departments.

Because of rates negotiated with distributors for shipping, Stuff 2 Do is able to offer competitive pricing for its products, Winford added, joking that the customers are often surprised by the prices and the money left in their pockets when they leave.

As the store continues to be established, Winford and Ekho are hoping to add more inventory, particularly for babies and children under age six.

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