Exploring Life & Business with Terry Taylor of 1313 Mockingbird Lane Toys & Collectibles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Terry Taylor.  

Hi Terry, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was a touring musician most of my life and bought toys all over North America, Canada, and Mexico. Once I stopped touring and realized how much stuff I had accumulated, we decided to do something fun! We started doing conventions (comicons, oddities, horror, etc) about 10 years ago. We enjoyed doing those so much we decided to try our luck at a physical store. We started in a very small 200 sq ft space in downtown Lawrence to test the waters. After a few years, we decided to try our luck and move a few doors down to a slightly bigger space, which is where we are now. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Beyond the struggles of balancing finances, bills, and the stress of owning your own business, we found our shop smack tab in the middle of a pandemic in 2020. We were lucky enough to be featured on an Amazon Prime TV show called “A Toy Store Near You” in June of 2020. We were on Season 1, Episode 2. Once this show came out, we had people from all over the world reaching out to see what they could do to keep us open. With the help of an increase of online sales fueled by the Amazon Prime show, this helped get us through the real tough time frame of the pandemic. 

As you know, we’re big fans of 1313 Mockingbird Lane Toys & Collectibles. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We buy and sell vintage to modern toys and collectibles from 1980s to now! We sell everything from horror, Transformers, GIjoe, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Funko, Oddities, T-shirts, stickers, vinyl, patches, and so much more! 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
We absolutely love Lawrence. It’s one of the most accepting and culturally diverse places in the area. I don’t think our crazy little store would survive anywhere else. Lawrence is a college town, so it does empty out in the summer, which does get a little problematic with the decrease in sales during the summer. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.1313mockingbirdtoys.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/1313mockingbirdks
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/1313mockingbirdks