Huxley Briggs, 5, makes, sells toy wood blocks in Whitehorse - Action News
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Huxley Briggs, 5, makes, sells toy wood blocks in Whitehorse

Five-year-old Huxley Briggs is making his own childrens blocks and selling them at a toy store whose owner is donating the profits to a charity of his choice.

'I thought, OK, I could use these blocks for something good'

Huxley Briggs, 5, makes and sells wooden blocks he makes himself in his dad's shop in Whitehorse. (submitted Betty Stoke Burns)

Five-year-old Huxley Briggs says he got the idea to make his own wooden blocks when he saw some wood in his dads shop.

I thought, OK, I could use these blocks for something good, he says. I thought of something for them and started planning it.

Huxley poses with Betty Stoke Burns, the owner of Angellinas Toy Boutique in Whitehorse. (Sandi Coleman/CBC)
Huxley got to work, using his dads sander, table saw, chop saw and a thickness planer mostly byhimself.

Im doing about 10 per cent and thats the really fine cut on the chop saw, say Bernard Briggs, Huxleys dad. He does everything with the planer and he does 100 per cent of the sanding. It makes me nervous as a parent but hes got good focus.

The next step was deciding where to sell the toys.

Huxley settled on Angellinas Toy Boutique in downtown Whitehorse.

He came to counter and said, 'Can I speak to the owner?' And right away I kind of teared up,'" says Betty Stoke Burns.

The finished product. (submitted by Betty Stoke Burns)
It kind of took my breath away just seeing this little child standing there with a bag of blocks with a homemade sign. This is just everything my store stands for.

A mom and a Grade 1 teacher, she immediately said yes.

Next they settled on a price. Huxley proposed $6a bag. Burns talked him up to $10.

We talked about what it meant to write an invoice. He brought in an invoice a week later and I wrote him a cheque.

The bags retail for $20 and Burns decided to donate the $10 profit to a charity of Huxleys choice. He selected Big Brothers Big Sisters.

We sold all the blocks in one day and had tons and tons of inquiries, Burns says. Our supply and our demand is a little bit out of sync right now.

Huxley already hasplans for his profits.

"Iput halfof it onto Legoand put half on some knitting (supplies) for mysisterand put the other half on mybank account."