Today we’d like to introduce you to Faith Bench.
Hi Faith, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was a local public school math teacher. I was passionate about making my classroom a welcoming and safe place for everyone and providing tools to help students learn in the best way possible. I found that fidget toys reduce anxiety, boredom, anger, and stress, and improve fine motor skills. I have used fidget toys in my math classroom since 2013.
When schools went virtual during the first COVID lockdown in March of 2020, I wanted to find a way to keep learning fun and engaging for my students, so I joined TikTok and began making teaching videos. Some of my videos showed how I incorporated fidget toys into my classroom.
Those videos were met with lots of interest and excitement! As I made more fidget toy videos and they continued to go viral, many people started collecting them and by late 2020 it had become a worldwide trend. I wanted to provide high-quality, affordable fidget toys for everyone!
With that goal in mind, I created an online store called FidgetToysPlus.com! Now, thanks to the incredible support of my 6 million followers, I have been able to open an in-person retail store, as well! We just had our Grand Opening in July 2023!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We’ve been lucky that so far everything has gone very well and as our business grew, the next step always seemed pretty clear.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Fidget Toys Plus?
We specialize in sensory items, fidget toys, and slime! We also offer birthday parties and host fun events! I am known for starting the fidget toy trend! I have even been on a Billboard in Times Square because of that! Kim Kardashian has even shared about my business in her story!
My business is an extension of my skills as an educator. While in the field of education, I received numerous educational awards, including being named Teacher of the Year for Manatee County and being mentioned in front of Congress for my work in education! I use my extensive educational background to guide me when choosing the products in my store.
Something else that sets me apart from others is that I not only have my online store, but I have also gotten my products into many of the largest retailers! My products are in Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, Big Lots, Aldi’s, Macy’s, 5Below, Claire’s, and more! It is so exciting for me to walk into these large stores and see my cartoon face on the boxes of my toys!
My passion for and knowledge about these sensory tools started a worldwide trend in 2020! Fidget toys and sensory tools have many benefits! Just to name a few, they can help improve learning, and coordination, and reduce anxiety, stress, and boredom. They can enhance dexterity and fine motor skills development. They can bring you joy, and the list goes on! They are appropriate for all ages.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success for me is actively looking for and pursuing new opportunities to grow. Learning new skills, challenging myself, and becoming a better version of myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: FidgetToysPlus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrs.bench_fidgettoysplus/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/fidgettoysplus/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDbXKcdUuuvsDKVQuuqJeOA
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrs.bench?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
