MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A former Manatee County educator of the year has decided to retire from the classroom and open her own toy store emphasizing education. It’s called Fidget Toys Plus and officially opens this Saturday in Sarasota.
Faith Bench introduced fidget toys on social media to keep her students engaged during the pandemic.
“It was really hard to connect with my students; they were home, I was home,” said Bench. “I had no aspirations of anything; I was just trying to think of ways to engage with my own students like I always had.”
Faith started making and introducing her fidget toys through the videos. The Math teacher found her popularity multiplying by the day.
“They’d have five million views, 10 million views, 15 million views; every time I would make a video about fidget toys, everyone was so interested,” said Bench.
Even the big box stores came calling, wanting to stock her Fashion Fidgets on their shelves.
“So it’s like a little doll that has fidget features in it, and the first time that I actually walked into a Walmart and found it on the shelf, it was just such an amazing experience,” said Bench.
She was even featured on a billboard in Time Square, leading her to retire from the school district and open her store, Fidget Toys Plus.
“It’s been so amazing because it took me from teaching seven periods a day with 30 students; now I have millions of kids that I get to interact with,” said Bench.
With her husband in the backpacking and shipping, and her son covering the front desk, it’s a family operation. They aren’t just selling toys but tools.
“There are so many benefits for stress, for anger, for anxiety, but also they’re just fun,” said Bench.
You know when you are buying a fidget toy designed by Faith when you see her picture on the box.
The grand opening is Saturday, July 29, at noon. For more information, go to www.fidgettoysplus.com.
