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By Collin Breaux | Twitter: @collin_breaux
Step into Odin Parker and you’ll find a wonderland of non-plastic toys—including music boxes, play “popsickles” and pretend gardening tools.
Odin Parker is another business that’s set up shop in Los Patrones Business Park, a new retail center in Rancho Mission Viejo. The business opened last summer, and is owned and operated by married couple Atila and Blakeslee Lotfi.
“We started this five years ago when we were pregnant with my son, who’s 4 ½ now. At the time, we were just looking for some toys for him that were non-plastic,” Atila Lotfi said. “We were looking at a lot of wooden stuff—no loud colors or crazy stuff. We had a hard time finding the type of toys that we liked but when we went online, we were able to find a lot of them and most of them were in Europe.”
Shipping, though, was expensive—so the Lotfis, who live nearby in Ladera Ranch, decided to buy toys at wholesale price and resell them. Their new foray into the toy world started as a hobby out of their home until they decided to turn it into a full-fledged business.
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Odin Parker, a toy shop in Rancho Mission, sells non-plastic items for kids to enjoy. Photo: Collin Breaux -
Jackson Lotfi, 4 ½, plays with a wooden train toy at Odin Parker, a toy shop in Rancho Mission Viejo. His parents Atila and Blakeslee Lotfi own and run the store. Photo: Collin Breaux
“It was a complete coincidence that we found this place and it kind of worked out really well since we realized how family-oriented Rancho Mission Viejo is,” Atila Lotfi said. “The support we’ve gotten from the community is incredible because a lot of people stumble in here without knowing this place is, and they’re just really blown away by the toy offering. They immediately become so supportive.”
Word-of-mouth has spread about Odin Parker through social media. The shop has a calming air when you walk into it. Gentle music plays, and pretend vegetables are on display. The couple’s young son, Jackson Lotfi, often likes to play with the items—including toy trains.
Many of the toys are homemade and different from what you might find at a big-box store. The goal was initially to just have a back warehouse space to store inventory, but the Lotfis eventually decided to open up the front of the store so items can be displayed.
“We’re mostly an online business. That’s where the majority of our business comes from,” Atila Lotfi said. “Coincidentally, we’ve had a lot of local customers that wanted to pick up their orders in person. At that point if people wanted to come pick up their orders, we wanted to be a welcoming environment where you can see all the toys in person.”
The appeal of non-plastic toys is the “open-ended” play opportunities, Atila Lotfi said. A plastic toy you can buy at Wal-Mart might make a noise or light up after you press a button and that’s it—but with a toy cooking set, playtime scenarios are limited only by a kid’s imagination.
Light non-plastic toys can also arguably be seen as a safer option.
“As parents of a 4 ½ -year old, safety is our number one priority,” Atila Lotfi said. “That’s the thing we were really looking after: toys that were non-toxic and safe and no chemicals.”
Lotfi also praised the neighboring businesses in Los Patrones Business Park, including Evolve Checkmat Jiu-Jitsu and Evolution Swim Academy.
“We only have positive things to say at this point. It’s been really great,” Atila Lotfi said of their experience so far as business tenants. “There are a lot of people that know us that come in, but there are a lot of people that don’t know about us that come in while walking with their kids or dog. Everyone has been so supportive.”
As for the business name, Atila Lotfi said it just came out of thin air. Parker is their son’s middle name, and Odin is one the couple came across while searching for a business name.
Odin Parker has philanthropic program where a portion of purchases goes back to provide foods for kids in need, in partnership with the Children’s Hunger Fund and No Kid Hungry program.
For more information or to order online, visit odinparker.com.
Collin Breaux
Collin Breaux covers San Juan Capistrano and other South Orange County news as the City Editor for The Capistrano Dispatch. Before moving to California, he covered Hurricane Michael, politics and education in Panama City, Florida. He can be reached by email at cbreaux@picketfencemedia.com.
