Family opens Military Toy Shop after a succesful five years online

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By Sue Moning, Contributing Writer 5:53 PM Wednesday, December 23, 2009

BEAVERCREEK — For generations, boys played with toy soldiers, weapons, tanks and military vehicles instead of an animated version on a video game.

Some have a chance to revisit that era at the Military Toy Shop, where retired soldiers may outnumber the youngsters on a given day.

Owner Isaiah Jones said the month-old shop has developed a steady following in the local area rich with military history and service.

“We’ve had a huge outpouring of interest from the base and surrounding area,” Jones said. “We have people say, ‘Thank you for being here,’ every day.”

The family-owned business, at the corner of North Fairfield and Dayton-Xenia roads, involves Jones, his parents, Carmen and Kent, and his wife, Jennifer. After five years of online selling, the family decided to open the retail shop, Jones said, and already is planning to expand its toy offerings.

The merchandise line is focused on military aircraft models and accurate historical replicas, Jones said. He proudly displays his showpiece offering, a 41-inch by 41-inch F-14 Tomcat fighter like the planes in the movie, “Top Gun.” The 1:18 scale model comes pre-assembled. The store also carries die cast aircraft, with an emphasis on World War II vintage aircraft, with models produced by Corgi, Hobby Master, Model Power and Revell.

The Military Toy Shop also carries a line of radio-controlled vehicles, including planes and helicopters, as well as non-military cars and boats. Finding many young girls visiting the shops with their brothers and families, Jones’ wife and mother put together a small area of gifts for girls, including Care Bears.

Another evolving area is an assortment of law enforcement, public safety and construction vehicles. Aircraft carriers have proven popular, as well, Jones said.

“We’re not limited to just military,” he said. “People come in here and go nuts. They go, ‘There goes the paycheck.’ ” His family has relatives who are retired military, but his interest in military aviation grew from frequent trips to air shows while growing up.

“Our main customer base is retired military — retired Air Force and retired Navy,” Jones said.

Veterans come in hoping to find models of the planes they flew or ships they served on, he said. Younger boys, fueled by interest from the news and video games, are interested in soldier sets, toy guns and radio-controlled vehicles.

The Military Toy Shop is located at 1291 N. Fairfield Road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (937) 320-1428, or visit www.militarytoyshop.com.

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