Flatwater Toys Q&A

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Tucked away in the Haymarket is Flatwater Toys, a vintage toy shop where memories of youth are saturated in each trinket. The store has become Lincoln’s hub for classic toys for years and it all started with a small, personal collection from owner Larry Small. DLA spoke with Larry to find out more about what makes his hallowed shop tick.

• Where is Flatwater Toys located?

Larry: 105 N. 8th St. in the ‘bin 105’ wine store.

• What have you enjoyed most about being located downtown so far?

Larry: Love the Haymarket area; it’s the only place I want to be. Farmer’s Market is a great attraction to bring people to the area. It helps to be in a wine store too!

• For those who have never been to Flatwater Toys, what kind of toys/collectibles do you have to offer there?

Larry: Primarily toys of the 50’s but some from the 20’s to the 70’s. Emphasis on Western theme toys: cap guns, holsters, pony saddles, clothes. Also marionettes, record players, radios, pressed steel, guitars, race cars, airplanes, electric trains and so on.

• What’s the inspiration behind the name of the store?

Larry: The Indian word Nebraska means ‘flat water’.

• What was your toy collection like as a kid?

Larry: Model cars, airplanes, windups, trains, and of course, cowboy stuff.

• How did you get into the toy business?

Larry: Love to build theme displays using my toys. From there I did a web site showing the displays I had built which lead to cataloging the toys to finally selling them.

• Can you talk about the different types of displays you have in the store?

Larry: I did a display showing various ways manufacturers added animation to children’s records. Part of this display was in a show at Modern Arts Midwest. I do various cowboy theme displays – Roy Rogers, Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy as well as displays of trucks, cars, trains, Howdy Doody, anything in my collection. I used to change the display every month but my job has limited it to once every 2 or 3 months.

• What is your favorite type of vintage toy?

Larry: All-time favorite is a Nichols Fury 500 cap firing machine gun. That is an awesome toy!

• How often does Flatwater Toys get new inventory in?

Larry: Occasionally, but almost all items are from my collection.

• Can people sell their vintage toys there?

Larry: No, but sometimes I’ll buy something someone brings in.

• Anything else you want to let people know about Flatwater Toys?

Larry: I’m usually not in the store. People see something in the display or the website and contact me through Flatwatertoys.com (although it really needs to be updated; a result of having a full time job).

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For more information on Flatwater Toys, visit their website.