Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Broussard.
Hi Sara, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’m Sara Broussard and I am one of the owners of the Houston Toy Museum. It all started with my husband Matt’s toy collection. Around the time we got married in 2010, he began collecting toys from his childhood that he’d felt pressured to put away as a teenager. His collection quickly grew to include toys he wished he’d had growing up and, eventually, toys from just about every decade of the last century. We both have a love for old things and, throughout our marriage, have gone to thousands of estate sales and antique stores together. We love the treasure hunt, and back in 2015, we even traveled from Ohio to Alabama for the World’s Longest Yard Sale. Needless to say, we’re collectors, for better or worse. At a certain point, I suggested that one day Matt should open a museum with all the things he’d collected. As a child, I had visited a toy museum in Branson, Missouri, and I thought it was a cool concept. This idea turned into something we daydreamed about, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 and we were stuck at home, just the two of us and our 2-year-old twin girls, that the idea really began to take shape.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t all been easy. The time between when we found the space we wanted to when we finally opened to the public was about 15 months. We launched a Kickstarter campaign that we were really proud of, and unfortunately, we didn’t make our goal. We didn’t see it as a failure, though, because it helped to get the word out and get the community talking about the museum before we opened. When it comes to opening your first brick-and-mortar business there are so many lessons that are learned along the way. We had a vision for how we wanted this process to go and what we wanted the museum to be, and while we’re really happy with what we have to show for it now, we will always look back on certain decisions, wishing we had made them differently. But hindsight is 20/20, and that’s part of growing as a business owner.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Houston Toy Museum?
The Houston Toy Museum is a nostalgic experience where toys, pop culture, and history collide. We have over 4000 square feet of displays featuring toys and pop culture items dating all the way back to the 1890s. Our downstairs exhibit space features the most memorable toys from each decade, and upstairs we dive into the history behind more specific toy categories or brands. We don’t shy away from topics like stereotyping or gender roles in toys, and we celebrate diversity and inclusivity in the stories that we tell.
We believe in bridging the gap between generations, and we hope that our museum has given families a way to relate to each other and spark new conversations. More than anything we love that day in and day out we get to witness visitors’ faces light up with nostalgia at recognizing a toy they once had. The nostalgic experience begins in our gift shop before you have even set foot into the museum. Quite often, visitors are enjoying the gift shop so much that they’re shocked to learn that there’s an actual museum!
We have had just as much fun curating the gift shop as we did the exhibits in the museum. It’s like running a whole other business, but since my degree is in retail management, I was up to the task! There are so many amazingly talented creatives, both local and nationwide, that are making products that fit perfectly with the experience we want to give our guests. From pop culture-inspired stickers and pins to fun handbags, and even a bilingual card game made specifically to help strengthen the bond between family members of different generations, we have discovered so many incredible products that are created by independent artists and small businesses.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
My advice is to not be afraid to ask for advice. Don’t try to go it alone. You can stay true to your vision and your desire for what you’re building while also being open to hearing from those who have done it before you. The other thing I would say is that not everyone will get your vision, and that’s okay. Quite often, we hear from people who don’t understand why someone would pay money to look at a bunch of old toys they can look at on the internet, but for every person who has something negative to say, there have been at least 10 that can’t help but show their excitement and support for what we’re doing.
Pricing:
- Adult Admission $18
- Children Admission pay their age
- Senior Admission $14
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houstontoymuseum.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/houstontoymuseum
- Facebook: facebook.com/houstontoymuseum
- Other: tiktok.com/@houstontoymuseum
Image Credits
Sarah Miller Photography
