Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Martinez
Hi Connie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I opened TOAD General Store in Frogtown in April 2024 after having worked in corporate fashion for over 25 years. In the summer of 2023 I was experiencing burnout and disappointment and was feeling like I needed a break. Maybe it was time to branch out on my own and create something that felt meaningful to me.
In my career I’ve served in roles as Buyer/Director to Vice President in Merchandising, Product Development and Design for some big brands. When I started out as a buyer for the brand Rampage, I thought I had arrived and was having more fun than I thought I could ever have at a JOB! It came very natural for me. I loved fashion, I loved trends and I even loved the numbers. I was fortunate to have worked for global brands which allowed me to work abroad and see the world.
One highlight in my career was working for a Womens Plus Size start up. It was here where I became “scrappy on steroids”. This experience heightened my sense of entrepreneurship and true ownership. Sadly, the pandemic happened and I had to pivot and go back to corporate retail fashion in order to be financially self supporting.
Not just during this time but many years prior also, the retail apparel business started to change from this energy of passionate creators and collaborators, trusting your gut instincts to a world of board rooms and overpaid, questionable experience leaders. I was not having fun anymore. I wasn’t on board with the greed and layers. I definitely was not on board with the mantra of, “we need to make more money so buy more so we can sell more”. Because the sad truth is, just because you buy more doesn’t mean you are going to sell more so what happens is, we WASTE MORE. It was time for me to move on.
In the summer of 2023 I was introduced to the area along the river by a friend who owns the property where TOAD sits. We call the property The River LA. I immediately felt connected to the area even through I had never really spent time there in the 10 years I’ve lived on the east side. And only 3 miles away!
TOAD’s vision came to life by taking a used 20ft x 8ft shipping container and building out a tiny store and a unique experience. I wanted to build a tiny general store which would offer unique gifts, books, beauty and home accessories but also be the place where you could go to pick up a cold beverage, some non alcoholic wine or spirits or a snack.
I focus for the most part on small batch, privately owned, direct to business creators for product that I can curate in a pleasing, meaningful way. I want to cut out the middle man wherever I can so that creators can get paid directly for what they make. This is not 100%. YET. But hopefully we can get there sooner than later.
Even though I wanted to swear off apparel after my last career experience, I couldn’t help myself in creating some Frogtown merchandise. Half of what we carry are iconic Frogtown and TOAD sweatshirts and caps. These are premium classics that don’t get thrown out and hopefully become favorites. The other half are upcycled pieces that have been saved from going to landfills. A local Frogtown guy saves these garments and prints them for us to sell. We have quite a few local Frogtown creators in our store and we love to support and grow our community.
I am so grateful when someone comes in and tells me that we have a beautifully curated store. I’m so happy when they find something they didn’t know they needed because they were drawn to it’s beauty or the story behind it.
Everything I select has a story or a purpose for why we carry it. We have a small space, so it needs to be good or we don’t put it out. Small batch products that you find at TOAD will feel like a trip around the world sitting next to your favorite pieces from a local artist or business.
When I was leaving my corporate career feeling a little soul crushed, I needed to flip my inner narrative. I asked myself, what could I draw from this 25 year experience and share with others? I think you will need to come visit and see for yourself.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
For the most part it has been smooth in the sense that people have a positive response to what we are doing. We sit on a beautiful property right off the bike path so people are naturally drawn to come in and be curious. We are able to serve different types of customers. We have the local residential community, professional community, weekend traffic and we also host and participate in different events for the Frogtown Arts and other non profit organizations.
Because we are in a converted shipping container and are an indoor/ mostly outdoor model, we can be affected by weather. We have gone through our first cycle of seasons for the year and the summer was brutal with the heatwaves and temperatures in the 100’s that we all experienced.
The holiday season was very good and it was amazing to see people come by that we’ve met through the year and do their holiday shopping with us.
As we grow, we will explore ways to construct an opening to the store that isn’t open all the time during operating hours.
This was our 1st year and a year of learning.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
TOAD General Store is a small business which sells gifts, home goods, accessories, beauty, beverages, snacks and Frogtown branded merchandise. We are a tiny store that was designed and developed to operate out of a converted shipping container. We are the first ( and hopefully only ) general store in Frogtown along the bike path. We are convenient for people walking by or biking along the path to come in and grab a drink or snack. We are a convenient and quick “go to” for locals to shop or pick up a gift.
We are probably most proud of our Frogtown merchandise and how the community and visitors alike have responded to it. We carry some beautiful candles that always sell fast from LA based Roen Candles and Flamingo Estate. The one thing people should know is that if they really like something and want to think about it, think quick because we sell out fast. We are quick to replenish our stock but we are a tiny store so we don’t have back stock to store a lot of excess so if it’s gone, it might take a couple weeks to get it back in.
We have a nice offering of crystals and stones which people are drawn to. Our prices are not high. As previously mentioned, because it is important for me to go directly to makers and creators, we do not have a lot of mark up in our pricing. We do not have a beer / wine license but we sell non alcoholic beverages extremely well.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I love the Opera and go every time a new one is in town.
Pricing:
- Frogtown T shirts starting at $28.
- Frogtown Sweatshirts starting at $40.
- We have candles for everyone. $18, $34, $58.
- Crystals starting at $3.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://toadgeneral.com
- Instagram: toadgeneralstore
- Facebook: toad general store
