ASTRA Cuts Staff Amid COVID-19, Marketplace & Academy Cancellation

The impact of COVID-19 and its related closures is taking a massive toll on retailers, particularly independent toy stores and those in the specialty realm. Now, the damage is hitting at the association level.

Following the cancellation of its 2020 Marketplace & Academy, the American Specialty Retailing Association (ASTRA) has implemented staffing cuts.

“Over the past few months, all of us in the ASTRA community have felt the impact of COVID-19 on a number of levels both personally and professionally in our businesses,” says ASTRA President Kimberly Mosley. “The impact of COVID-19 stretches far and wide … we are no longer able to operate in the way we had. We have taken actions to reduce expenses across every level of the organization. After considering all of our options and in light of an uncertain economic outlook after COVID-19, it is with a heavy heart that I share that we are having to say goodbye to talented members of our ASTRA family.”

The departing members of the ASTRA team include Cora McCarron, education administrator; Clare McKeown, meetings and events administrator; Dina Velasquez, meetings and events director; and Robyn Foster, membership coordinator.

The Toy Book continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation and how it is affecting the toy industry. For the latest updates, click here.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.