Stroudsburg, PA - Joann Cartiglia, President of the rapidly growing toy line The Queen’s Treasures, always lived by the old adage “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. She had her share of ‘lemonade-making” through her life and with a successful product design and sourcing business, thought those days of -making seemed well behind her.
When a shipment of vintage style ornaments, developed by her company exclusively for a national retailer, arrived with damaged packaging and was refused – she looked at her over-filled garage and decided to try her hand, once again, at “lemonade-making”. She repackaged the ornaments and started selling them on eBay. The ease of online selling intrigued her and she started looking for more “stuff” to sell as a revenue-producing pastime.
With a family filled with sisters, nieces, great-nieces and a having a daughter herself, she knew that there was a need for affordable, high quality doll furniture, clothing and accessories that could be sized to fit the growing trend towards 18 inch dolls started by the popular Pleasant Company Dolls years ago. She did some research on toy development, came up with a few designs of doll trunks and gambled a container load of her designs after securing a corporate name and web address.
The line was an instant success with direct sales on eBay, her website and later on Amazon. The line grew in popularity and scope with quality and refinement increasing with every design. The company added clothing and unique accessories concentrating on creating products that had a nostalgic feel and quality – while insuring products were properly testing to meet up-to-date toy safety laws. “Our company focuses on the kind of items Grandma and Grandpa would make. The kind of items that are put in the attic to save for grandchildren”, says Cartiglia. “Our favorite comment from Mom’s and Grandmothers is that they say our items look like Santa’s elves made them”. Sales continued to skyrocket with shipment and the line continued to evolve.
Since receiving her shipment of “lemons” – Cartiglia has grown The Queen’s Treasures into a highly regarded and respected, award-winning line of uniquely designed toys known for quality & affordability. The company has expanded and will soon be moving to a much larger facility allow it to efficiently expand further. The Queen’s Treasures has been recognized by Lehigh Valley Business as one of the 30 fastest-growing businesses in the greater Lehigh Valley for the last 3 consecutive years. Cartiglia feels certain they will, again, be on the list with growth, during 2015, of over 30%.
Cartiglia, who proudly states she has no formal education – but has a Master’s Degree from the “School of Hard Knocks”, has truly realized the “American Dream”. “In this country – hard work and determination can pay off. I started this company with absolutely no seed money. I had ideas and the tenacity to make this happen. A “smart” person can look at what they are doing wrong and figure out how to make it right. Being self-deprecating is not a fault; as long as you have the willingness to change what you see is wrong. Having too much self-esteem works against you, in my opinion” states Cartiglia. When asked about her success Cartiglia states “A true sign of my success is when someday my granddaughter (if I am blessed to have one) looks at one of my toys and truly wants to play with it. We’re all about the longevity of our products and using old-fashioned imagination in play”.
The company expanded sales into Canada and Europe in 2015 and plans to concentrate efforts during 2016 to greatly expand its export activity abroad.
You can learn more about the amazing products The Queen’s Treasures offers at www.thequeenstreasures.com. Or visit TOY FAIR Booth #1067 at the Jacob Javits Center Feb 13-16, 2016.