Many of the brands and products that I love have had humble beginnings. I'm a serial side-hustler and always have been, so nothing gets me more energised than hearing how someone turned the thing they were driven to make into the thing that pays their bills.
I'm Andrea, the founder of Mini Marketa, and this is the first post in our Meet the Maker series.
A series where we interview the amazing people in our community who build the toys our kids love, drag around the house, sleep with, fight with their siblings over, and somehow still work years later. I want to introduce you to them.
The first person in this series has set the bar high. It's Duncan Berwick from Imagination Toy Shop in Brisbane.
I found Duncan's work online and couldn't stop looking at his toys. The detail was immaculate, and I got curious. Is this a one man band? Does he have a whole team? What's the deal?
So I messaged him. It didn't take long to realise I'd found our first toy maker for this series.
Here's what got me: Duncan handcrafts every truck, excavator and vehicle himself. A seasoned professional, he's been at it for over thirty years. Without any templates or moulds, he builds freehand. Just himself, a block of wood and a pencil.
I couldn't help but think that in a world of mass-produced flatpacks and factory lines, someone's still making every piece by hand. I had to know more.
I'll let Duncan tell you himself. Here's our chat:
What's the story behind Imagination Toy Shop? What inspired you to start handcrafting wooden toys?
I'm a marine fitter welder, so making something out of wood was a cool challenge. I had two young kids so I started making them for my girls.
I took it up full time after I got crook about 6 years ago and couldn't go back to welding due to my health. I'd spent 14 years doing FIFO mining and dredging. Toy making became therapy for my dexterity issues.
Your trucks and vehicles have such a classic, timeless feel. Can you walk us through the design process?
I make about a dozen stock kids toys: excavators, dozers, trucks. But 90% of my business is actually custom products. Customers send in photos and I work off them. A block of wood, a pencil and a prayer. I do everything freehand. The more angles of pics supplied, the better the detail. I usually make at least 3 of an item and the spares go on the tables at the markets.
What's your most popular product, and what do you think it is about it that resonates with families?
My most popular kids toy would have to be the excavators. They're big, solid and can take a hiding, and I also guarantee my work. They can be used in the sandpit or inside. They have hidden wheels so they won't destroy your wooden floors and carpets.
After 30+ years of handcrafting, how has the process evolved?
Pretty much everything has evolved. All my wheeled vehicles have suspension and tracked gear has hidden wheels. I also put engine bays in most things too. I want as much stuff to work on each toy as possible.
What's one thing you wish more parents considered when choosing toys for their kids?
Maybe getting the toy personalised. Grant (my laser guy) adds all the fine details like door handles and grills with his laser. He can also add a message underneath or the kids' names on the side, like "Bruce's Trucking." Makes it very much their own, and when it comes time to hand it down to their kids it'll have a wonderful history with it.
Anything exciting on the horizon for Imagination Toy Shop?
I have a sales team in South Australia which is ramping up slowly. I'm looking forward to not relying solely on markets, because Queensland weather can be a bit tough to deal with sometimes. Looking for consistency of sales and maybe a 5 day working week instead of the 7 I've been doing lately. The perils of being a one man band and self employed.
Where can people find you?
I have a Facebook page which I add to every week, showing people what I've completed that week and telling them which markets I'll be at that weekend. Usually Carseldine Saturday morning markets and Old Petrie Sunday morning markets. And my website: imaginationtoyshop.com.au
So that's Duncan. A marine welder turned toy maker who builds freehand excavators out of a block of wood and hasn't stopped in thirty years. What's not to love?
This is exactly why I wanted to start this series. People like Duncan are out there quietly making incredible things for kids, and most of us would never know about them without a bit of digging.
If you know a local toy maker we should feature, send us a message on Instagram or email us at hello@minimarketa.com.
