Growing Through Arts® Retailer: Movin' Easy
For more than 30 years, Movin’ Easy has been at the hub of Austin’s dance community. Owner Tim Hurst has made it his mission to be not only the go-to location for pointe shoes and ballroom shoes, but also to be the source for news and information about dance performances and classes through his blogs and monthly newsletter.
“My wish when I first got started was that I’d like to have a pub for dancers,” explains Hurst, who opened the store in 1981.
Movin’ Easy is located in downtown Austin, a progressive city with a thriving arts scene. It’s the kind of place where parents put an emphasis on exposing to their children to the arts at a young age. That’s one of the reasons that Movin’ Easy carries the Growing Through Arts® line of books and toys from Aleksandra Enterprises.
“It’s been proven that education in the arts helps academically and socially,” says Paula Sansom, an employee at Movin’ Easy. “I think it opens your mind, it opens your heart, it can lead you to a different path to see things in a new way.”
Movin’ Easy began carrying the Ballet Series of books and toys from Growing Through Arts® at the end of 2012, and the store recently ordered additional books and toys to keep up with the demand throughout the fall back-to-school shopping season. “We’re hoping we’ll get it into their consciousness so come holiday time, the parents will say ‘Oh, I wanted to get her that set,’” Sansom says.
Hurst says the Growing Through Arts® books are the perfect gift for young dancers. “I thought it was a really great addition to give that little young one who’s so excited about taking ballet… and giving them that opportunity to gobble it up,” he says.
Sansom remembers one little girl, about the age of 5, who got one of the books and the next day, came into the store with her parents and ran to the back room to get two more. “This little kiddo was very anxious to get another one,” she says.
Hurst remembers another little girl who was eager to get one of the colorful Nutcracker books. “She got here too late for the Nutcracker one last year, so I’m saving her one,” he says.
Currently, the Growing Through Arts® books are displayed in the children’s section of the store with a few copies up near the front register as well, but Hurst believes the books will be even more popular once they find a better way of displaying them.
“It’s a matter of display and talking to people about it and getting it into people’s hands,” he says.