‘The American Toy Factory' to offer toys only made in the U.S.A.

A new store has opened in the 900 block of Manitou Avenue. The American Toy Factory, specializing in toys that are made in America, opened quietly this week with about a third of its inventory in stock. Owner Kendall York said the store should be fully stocked by Black Friday and that he’s thinking of that day as his grand opening.

York moved to Manitou Springs about three weeks ago with his son, Zack, 8, and Maggie, 7. York said his kids have been helping him figure out which toys and games to buy for the store – as well as helping test out the wooden rubber band guns in fun family fights in the space, which is a little less than 1,000 square feet. York said 700 feet would be dedicated to retail, and behind American flag curtains at the back of the store, he’s got 300 feet of space to hold tables and chairs to support the game nights for various age groups he plans to begin soon.

“It gives the local kids here something to do,” York said. “Once kids come home from school and the sun’s gone down, there’s not a lot to do in Manitou. And we’ll have some adult game nights, too.”

York, a veteran of the Army and former program manager at Lockheed Martin, also owns another company inDenver called Active Innovations. That company manufactures toy robots that can play football, which he stocks in his store. Through his time running that company, York got firsthand experience in the difficulty in finding electronics that are manufactured in America.

“With our robots, we couldn’t make the electronics here. They’re made overseas and we do the assembly here,” York said. Though it inspired him to start an American toy store, tracking down the smaller companies that make those toys has been no easy task.

“I’ve had to work with toy manufacturers to find out what they still made in America,” York said. “Even Hasbro makes some things in America, but they don’t advertise what is and what isn’t. It took a lot of research to track down what’s still made here.”

York said he and his kids had taken a weeklong road trip around Colorado earlier this year and that they had liked Manitou Springs best of all the places they visited. It also seemed like a great place to open a patriotic store.

"One reason we picked here is the patriotic nature of the area,” York said. “There’s a lot of military, a lot of bases, and a lot of retired people. There’s people who appreciate America and it seemed like it’d be a good fit for this kind of store.”

The American Toy Factory
906 Manitou Avenue, Unit 4
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.