This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alex Kessler, founder and CEO of Kess Toys and Entertainment, and Brian Kessler, chairman of the board at Kess Toys. It has been edited for length and clarity.
My grandfather’s career started in a junkyard. He was a kid coming out of the depression in Ohio, scrapping junk to make money. Eventually, he began playing with those scraps and inventing things in the back of his junkyard.
He ended up with many patents. He made most of his money off weatherstripping (material that’s used to seal doors and windows), and even invented a type of water bottle cap that’s still popular today. But the product that gets the most attention in our family lore is a toy hoop he made in the 1950s.
The family story goes like this: my grandpa invented the toy hoop in the early 1950s, but couldn’t give it away. Then, a hoop dancer appeared on Art Linkletter’s variety show. Demand for the hoops boomed, and my grandpa sold thousands of them. Still, construction was booming faster, so my grandfather decided to focus on weatherstripping. By the time the Hula Hoop hit the market in 1958, my grandfather’s hoop was just family folklore.
I learned business from being immersed
Then, 30 years later, my dad brought back the hoop. He opened Maui Toys in 1988 and grew it to become a major supplier of toy hoops. Growing up, I was the play-test dummy for all the toys my dad invented. I broke many prototypes, but I like to think the toys that made it to market were better for it.
When I was 8, I attended the New York Toy Show with my dad. It was like Halloween for my cousins and me, walking around and picking up sample toys when the conference ended. By the time I was 12, I visited my dad’s Hong Kong factory with him.
I was learning business through osmosis. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was gaining knowledge most people have never been exposed to.
I was terrified of having my dad as my boss
If you asked me in college, I would have said I wasn’t interested in getting into the toy business. After graduating, I worked in video production. I enjoy creating stuff, and ultimately that’s what drew me back to toys.
I love “Magic: The Gathering” and created video content about the card game. I wanted to create more products rooted in geek culture, like tabletop games. Yet, the idea of having my dad as my boss was terrifying.
Then, my father decided to sell Maui Toys. I helped him with that and took on a marketing role at the toy company he sold to. By 2016, I felt I had enough experience to start my own business, and I launched Kess Co. It was initially focused on the tabletop games I enjoy, and has expanded from there.
There’s a family connection, even through different businesses
I’ve started a company based on my interests, and I’ve also been able to tap into my dad’s industry knowledge and our family history.
Today, my dad is the chairman of the board at Kess Co., so we still work closely together. I’m a child of divorce, and have always been a bridge builder. My default is to mitigate conflict, and my dad is very good at helping me run the company.
Even though my grandfather, father, and I ran different companies, there’s a through line connecting us. Kess Co. still sells hoops like the ones my grandfather created, and my dad helped popularize. We have warehouse and distribution facilities in the same Ohio community where my grandfather had his junk yard. It may not be a typical third-generation business, but it’s a legacy we’re proud of.
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