euroSource LLC was founded in 1999 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by two stay-at-home dads combining entrepreneurship with child-rearing, teaching, and play. The idea began simply: finding quality European toys for our own children. At the time, there were few sources in the U.S., so we ordered by the case and launched one of the earliest toy e-commerce ventures, euroToyShop.com, to share these unique brands with other families.
Over the next several years, euroSource grew steadily, importing classic wooden and educational toys from small manufacturers across Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. We built relationships directly with family-run workshops that emphasized craftsmanship, safety, and sustainable materials — long before “eco-friendly” became a retail buzzword.
Advocacy and the Handmade Toy Alliance
When the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed in 2008, it changed the landscape for small toy businesses. Though intended to protect children, its one-size-fits-all testing requirements nearly eliminated small-batch and handcrafted toy imports from the European Union as well as those domestically produced.
In response, euroSource became a founding member of the Handmade Toy Alliance (HTA), joining dozens of small U.S. toymakers, retailers, and importers to fight for fair, practical rules. Working with Congress and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), we helped secure the small-batch exemption and material determinations that protected natural materials like wood and wool from needless testing — essential victories that kept some small businesses alive.
Unfortunately, hundreds of specialty toy stores across the U.S. still closed during the 2010s as unintended consequences of the CPSIA took hold.
New Challenges in Trade and Supply
Today, small importers face a new set of obstacles. Recent tariffs on European goods and the elimination of the U.S. de minimis import threshold have disrupted long-established supply chains. Every small shipment now faces full customs processing, new fees, and delays that threaten the very model of transatlantic specialty importing.
Once again, euroSource is actively engaged — working with representatives and federal trade officials — to ensure that small-scale importers are not lost in the unintended consequences of global trade policy.
Our Mission Continues
Through every challenge, our mission remains constant: to connect families, educators, and collectors in the U.S. with the finest European building and play materials, preserving a tradition of quality, imagination, and learning that began more than a century ago.
Your purchases directly support small businesses — both here and across Europe — and help keep access to these unique and wonderful products alive for future generations.
— Randall Hertzler, President & Founder
Who We Are
