Kidz On Earth Retail Store has partnered with Blessing Christian Resource Center and is now located in the old Christian Supply Division Store location 10290 SE Division St. Portland Oregon Our new Phone number is 971-533-7670.
Click here for a map to the store.
Beaumont Village Business
Focus Portland, Oregon
 Kidz On
Earth Opens New Store
by Janet Baker
December 1st, 2001
This
tiny shop seems to attract the young at heart. First there
was Angel Face which evolved into a wholesale operation. Then there was
Zipadees which now is located in a much larger store on NE Broadway.
Now
David Almgren brings us Kidz on Earth. David, who was a children¹s pastor
for eight years, started Kidz on Earth as an online store (see
http://www.kidzonearth.com).The
success of this website and his desire to work with kids led him to open the
shop on Fremont. He wants to sell kids products that are educational as well as
entertaining. But not just any kid products. The products sold at Kidz on Earth
are designed to make a positive impression on kids. As he explained, "kids are
like wet cement‹you need to imprint them at an early age."
The
primary branded products sold at the store are from VeggieTales. Big Ideas
Production, creator of VeggieTales, is now one of the leading brands of
children's videos. The video series teaches kids about honesty, kindness,
forgiveness and other values. I had to admit I knew nothing about Bob the
Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. But according to Newsweek, these are "the
veggies kids actually like." I¹m intrigued and may actually take David up
on his offer to loan me a video. You can also see new releases of Big Ideas
videos at Hollywood Theater. Check out the schedule for the shows at Kidz on
Earth.
In addition to the VeggieTales products, David also stocks
children¹s items from 3-2-1 Penguins, Bibleman, Rev Kids, Wiggles and much
more. He also carries some products from previous tenants Angel Face and
Zipadees.
Looking Out for the Little Guy
Stores birth kid-friendly incentive
By Rhonda Sholar
Christian Retailing Magazine February 7th, 2005
Retailers Nationwide are targeting parents who dread dragging their
children through stores and fighting adolescent fits of boredom by
investing in family-friendly initiatives that give a competitive edge.
From grocery stores that provide truck carts, free cookies from the bakery,
sample cold cuts at the deli and free balloons, to IKEA's supervised Smaland,
which allows parents to check in potty-trained children ages 3-8 to
experience a ball pit, a rock wall, movie and puppets theaters while
parents shop, retailers have learned that the way to successfully woo
parents is by winning the hearts of their children. Smart Christian
retailers - like the ones profiled below have created family friendly
services and events designed to cater to busy parents and entertain
energetic children. The result is a win-win shopping experience for
everyone.
Kidz On Earth: Portland, Oregon
Pure Silly Stuff for Kidz
---------------------------------------------
It doesn't take much space for David Almgren to think big.
The former children's pastor has turned his 500-square-foot
Portland, Oregon, Kidz On Earth store into a destination
stocked with educational and entertaining products for kids.
It started in 1999 as an Internet site (http://www.kidzonearth.com)
that was an extension of his ministry to his church's families,
which featured games, cartoons and an online store. The store
expanded to a physical location in 2001 in a storefront outgrown
by two previous children's stores. During the first year, sales
increased from $25,000 to $160,000. Last year, sales plateaued
as Almgren ordered more deeply and spent more on marketing.
Kidz On Earth - with its primary -colored walls, indoor outdoor
carpet and a draped blue cloth on the ceiling - was named as
such to attract all children. "We didn't want to put a name
on it that would scare people away." Almgren said. "people come
to the store that would never go into a Christian bookstore."
He says his store's success has come as a result of community
and church involvement. He has booked a VeggieTales premiere
at a local theater for 1,400 people, used Bob and Larry
characters to attract spectators during a annual parade whose
route crosses the store's threshold and sponsored a Bibleman
Live event with a local church.
Almgren said there is an "insurgence of creativity swelling
up" from a few years ago, when Big Idea produced the only
top-notch kids products, and now others such as Wacky World
Studios ("The Roach Approach"), Wet Cement Productions
("Auto-B_Good") and TeleStory Productions ("Angel Wars")
are showing signs of potential.
But Almgren advise stores to reach beyond Christian-only
products. "There is good family product out there like
'The Wiggles,' 'Angelina Ballerina,' 'Madeline and cranium games."
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