It’s an age-old story: a child eagerly wants a certain toy, gets the toy and then quickly moves on to wanting another.
As a mother to two children herself, it’s a story that Anjali Chelluri has seen play out many times. The result, she said, often turns into too much money spent and too much clutter around the house.
“Even if we have enough money to buy (new toys), clutter is going to form in the home,” she said. “Every day, it’s a very big job for any mom or parents to clean up everything, because every mom wants to see the home so neat by the time they wake up in the morning.”
So she set out to create a solution. Her new business, KidsTrove Rentals, recently began renting toys to kids.
KidsTrove offers rentable toys for kids
At KidsTrove, families can find toys for a wide range of ages — from babies and toddlers up to 10 year olds.
That includes items like toy cars, electric scooters, swing sets and swimming floats.
KidsTrove also offers some special event items, including party rentals and Halloween costumes.
How can people rent toys?
Though KidsTrove Rentals technically operates out of Chelluri’s home in Olathe, parents have multiple options to acquire their toys once they rent.
After parents reserve or rent their toys online, they can pick up their toys after they’ve been cleaned. KidsTrove has two pickup spots: one off K-10 and College Boulevard in Olathe, and another off 135th and Metcalf in Overland Park.
Once parents have the toy they’ve rented, they can keep it for up to four weeks.
“They can try (the toy) for one week, and if they feel that it is working then they can always extend,” Chelluri said.
The mission of the business rang true for Chelluri
Though she made a career in the IT industry, Chelluri said the idea of one day creating something more customer-facing — something that directly helped society, she said — was always at the back of her mind.
Then after becoming a mother herself (her children are now 3 and 7 years old), she said she began to see the familiar dynamic of a revolving door of toys unfold.
Ultimately, she said, her business aims to bring excitement to kids’ lives while also easing the burdens on their parents.
“With (my business,) I’m trying to hit two things,” she said. “One is kids’ enjoyment — we shouldn’t compromise on their joy. But also, I should address the parents’ concerns on the toy-collecting cost.”
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