A new store aims to give customers a way to a healthier brain.
Marbles: The Brain Store is not a toy store, but a place where shoppers can purchase games, puzzles, books and software.
A diverse customer base includes caregivers, educators, parents, students and therapists, who all try to keep their own brains fit and encourage it in others. Sales associates, known as Brain Coaches, encourage shoppers to test products and “play their way to a healthier brain” at demo stations placed throughout each store. Each item has a sample to try, with an explanation card nearby explaining the game, and comments contributed by a credible physician.
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“Our target audience is really broad,” said Rebecca Caddell, Director of Stores for Marbles: The Brain Store. “It’s all for strengthening the brain and having fun."
Marbles: The Brain Store, which had its grand opening at Garden State Plaza on Aug. 23, was founded by CEO Lindsay Gaskins in 2008 with the aging baby boomer population in mind.
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“Our product offering is based on the revolutionary principle of neuroplasticity, or how you can generate new brain cells and form new connections by stimulating the brain in different ways,” Gaskins said. “We believe that game play and other types of cognitive stimulation can impact how your brain works and may even be able to ward off cognitive decline.”
Marbles' product selections are reviewed by health experts, especially neurologists, and the store divides its products into sections in the store based on how they benefit the brain. The five categories are Coordination, Critical Thinking, Memory, Visual Perception and Word Skills.
“This store brings to Paramus a new concept in retail,” Caddell said. “We’re not just targeting one specific customer demographic. We have products for kids, seniors and in between. The best thing that we do is give each part of the brain a workout. You don’t want to get caught in a rut.”
“I got in a cab this morning," says Bianca Irving, a graphic designer for Marbles. “The driver said a lot of older people live in the area. We hope the store gets elderly people excited. You don’t have to settle for forgetting things and loved ones.”
The BrainCoaches on-site at Marbles are trained to pass their knowledge along to customers. BrainCoaches in Chicago received the 2011 Celebration Media U.S. Talk of the Town Customer Satisfaction Award for customer service and research.
"Every day a customer writes and tells us how knowledgeable our Coaches are,” Caddell said. “For their training, they learn about the brain and its fundamentals, and then about the products.”
Marbles: The Brain Store, 1 Garden State Plaza (Lord & Taylor wing), Paramus, gardenstate@marblesthebrainstore.com, www.marblesthegamestore.com
