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Hidden Gems: Meet Annamarie Von Firley of Adventuretown Toy Emporium & Fledglings’ Flight

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Annamarie Von Firley.

Hi Annamarie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
At 54 (eek!), I have worn more hats than most people try on in a lifetime—toy maker, furniture designer, fashion designer, perfumer, app developer, professional dancer, and even flying trapeze artist. I spent my early years zig-zagging across the United States, moving eight times before turning 22. Although most of my childhood unfolded in Missouri, I left at 18 to study Wooden Toy Design and Construction at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. After that came a move to New York City, then the Hudson Valley, and eventually San Francisco at 23 to earn my second degree, this time in Furniture Design at California College of the Arts.

Once I graduated, I eagerly entered my furniture work in competitions around the country, only to discover that my pieces didn’t quite fit anywhere: too utilitarian for art galleries, too sculptural for standard furniture stores. I then shifted gears entirely and joined an all-natural perfume company in Berkeley, where I worked my way up to Chief of Operations. When the company was sold and relocated to Minnesota—somewhere I had no intention of moving—I suddenly found myself between jobs. That gap led me directly into the next unexpected chapter of my life.

In 1998, while swing dancing aboard the USS Jeremiah O’Brien, my best friend and I lamented how poorly everyone was dressed for a vintage event. She suggested we start a reproduction clothing line. I initially refused—I had seen firsthand how start-up founders often didn’t get paid—but eventually she convinced me. That was the beginning of reVamp, which I launched when I was 27. We specialized in meticulously crafted clothing from 1910 to 1957. After our first year, I continued the company on my own and moved it to Los Angeles in April 2001, right as the dot-com bubble burst.

Over the next twenty years, reVamp garments appeared everywhere: on red carpets, in major feature films, on television, in national theater productions, and even for Cirque du Soleil and international opera companies. Our work showed up in films like “The Hateful Eight” and “Baby Driver”, and on shows such as “American Horror Story”, “True Blood”, “Big Love”, and “Saturday Night Live”. Everyone from Dita Von Teese to Alex Borstein, John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Lily James, and Amy Poehler wore our designs. Museums and cultural institutions—including LACMA, the Autry, and the Smithsonian—have our garments in their collections. National parks and living-history museums across the country commission clothing from reVamp.

All of this would have surprised the version of me who started reVamp without even knowing how to sew. I only knew how to handle a bandsaw. But both require steady hands and sharp eyes, so the learning curve was manageable. I hired skilled people, learned alongside them, and eventually mastered the craft myself. After eighteen years, however, I felt as though I was living out someone else’s dream. I kept wondering when I would get to return to my own.

In 2016, I finally did. I launched Adventuretown Toy Emporium—an online toy store born from a successful crowdfunding campaign—and for two years I ran both companies simultaneously. But at reVamp’s twenty-year mark, I chose to step away from fashion and devote myself fully to the world that first sparked my imagination: toys.

During the pandemic-related lock-downs in 2020, I created Fledglings’ Flight, a child development app and monthly customized subscription box. for parents of children 0-3 years old to help optimize their child’s development. Fledglings’ Flight grew out of the same impulse that first led me to study toy design: the belief that play is not merely entertainment, but the engine of early learning. After years of watching parents struggle to interpret milestones, manage delays, and sort through contradictory advice, I realized there was a profound need for a resource that blended developmental science with real-world practicality. Fledglings’ Flight became that platform—part milestone tracker, part educational hub, part celebration of the messy, magical early years. The podcast, “A Parent’s Guide to Child Development”, followed in 2024. It gave me a way to bring experts, evidence-based guidance, and compassionate conversations directly to families, creating a space where parents could feel informed, supported, and far less alone as they navigate their child’s first years.

I don’t know what the next twenty years will bring, but I’m certain they will involve children, creativity, and play—because that’s where I’ve always belonged.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been smooth. Every road block provided an opportunity for reinvention. When I earned my toy design degree, the toy industry was not ready for wooden toys centered child development so I studied furniture design. When I got my furniture design degree, my furniture was too sculptural for showrooms and too functional for art galleries so I join a perfume company. When the road came to an end for my perfumery career, I pivoted to fashion. When I felt that my fashion career had run its course, I returned to my roots by opening a toy store. When the pandemic closed off opportunities to sell toys in person, I developed the Fledglings’ Flight app. Now with tariffs impact on the toy industry, there may be another reinvention in my future.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Adventuretown Toy Emporium

Adventuretown Toy Emporium began as my return to the world of toys—a world I first studied formally in college and never stopped loving. It is an online toy store built around a simple philosophy: children learn best when they are curious, engaged, and surrounded by objects that invite exploration. We specialize in thoughtfully designed, developmentally rich toys sourced from makers around the world, with a strong emphasis on craftsmanship, open-ended play, and materials that respect both children and the planet.

What sets Adventuretown apart is not just the assortment—it’s the curation. Every product is hand-selected with a designer’s eye and a developmental lens, ensuring that parents can trust that anything they purchase supports growth, imagination, and skill-building.

Brand-wise, I am most proud of the integrity behind every choice we make. We do not chase trends; we champion tools that help children thrive. I want readers to know that Adventuretown is more than a toy store—it is a resource for families who value purposeful play and want to fill their homes with objects that spark wonder, connection, and joy.

Adventuretown features over 3200 toys from 38 countries selected for their uniqueness, innovation, and educational value. Our website divides the toys into 6 categories: Fledglings – Developmental toys for children 0-4 years old; Makers – Engineering, tinkering, and construction activities; Scientists – STEM activities; Thinkers – Games, puzzles, and brainteasers; Designers – Arts and crafts activities; Directors – Imaginative play toys. We invite parents to observe their child’s passions and feed their curiosity in order to create life long learners who continue to nurture a sense of wonder.

Fledglings’ Flight

Fledglings’ Flight emerged from the realization that parents needed a clearer, kinder roadmap through their child’s earliest years. As the companion brand to Adventuretown, it takes my lifelong commitment to child development a step further by giving families research-backed guidance they can understand and trust. Fledglings’ Flight specializes in early developmental surveillance—milestone tracking, play-based exercises, parent education, and personalized subscription boxes for ages 0–3. We are known for translating complex developmental science into practical, compassionate tools that fit real family life.

What sets us apart is our customized monthly subscription boxes that are tailored to each child’s unique developmental needs whether they are delayed, on-track, advanced, or asynchronous. Every child develops differently. Our belief that early intervention begins with knowledge, not worry.

I am most proud of how the brand empowers parents: not with fear-based messaging, but with clarity, confidence, and joy. I want readers to understand that Fledglings’ Flight is here to support them, whether they are celebrating milestones, navigating delays, or simply trying to understand their child a little better. It is a brand built on expertise, empathy, and the belief that every child deserves the best possible start.

Fledglings’ Flight features 4280 play-based exercises in 6 developmental categories for free. All of the exercises can be done with items that you already have in the home. In addition, it boasts a resource library of over 1200 articles and research papers about child development so parents have a curated list of research materials to educate themselves. Basic membership allows parents to track their child’s 812 milestones that they should achieve by their 4th birthday. Premium members receive a monthly customized subscription box tailored to their child’s unique developmental needs. Fledglings’ Flight has done the research for parents so that they can focus on helping their child become the best version of themselves.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I actually do the opposite. Instead of looking for a mentor, I am a mentor. I provide opportunities for undergraduates, recent graduates, Master’s students, and recent graduates from Master’s programs to learn about the expansive field of marketing. They get hands-on experience in a real world company. Unlike other opportunities from other companies, they can tailor their experience to either bank more hours honing a particular skill or to learn a new one to add their CV in order for them to get the training that they need to get jobs in their desired field. I host 3 cohorts per year: Spring, Summer, and Fall. Each cohorts range between 10-20 people.

Instead of traditional networking, I teach younger people how to start their own networking journey by introducing them to Adventuretown’s own LinkedIn Group for people that I have mentored. I let them know that the best time to begin networking is now because you don’t know who in your circle will be the next Steve Jobs… Or maybe it will be them.

Pricing:

  • Fledglings’ Flight Basic Membership: $2/month
  • Fledglings’ Flight Premium Membership $60/month

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Fledglings’ Flight photos: Ashleigh Bostic

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