New Sudbury toy shop Ray's Retro keen to rekindle people's love of vintage and modern collectables

A businessman is hoping to rekindle people’s love of vintage toys with the opening of a new store in Sudbury.

A treasure trove of vintage and modern collectables will be on offer at Ray’s Retro in North Street.

The new venture is in memory of Tony Byfield’s father, Ray, from Sudbury, who was a passionate toy collector.

“He had always dreamed of opening a small shop with me but, at the time, I was employed and I didn’t want to take the risk with a mortgage to pay,” he said.

After being made redundant, Mr Byfield, from Great Cornard, took the bold decision to open a store.

“Because of the heart break of losing dad and my job, I realised it was possible to try to set up a shop,” said the father-of-four.

Mr Byfield has fond memories of his father’s enduring love for vintage collectables.

“Ever since I can remember, dad always collected things,” he said. “We would go to a lot of toy fairs and he used to look around charity shops.”

Due to his parents’ modest income, Ray Byfield did not have many toys growing up.

“I think that’s why he was so passionate about them,” said Mr Byfield. “Because they couldn’t afford them, he used to look in shop windows and yearn for the toys he couldn’t have.”

Aware of the family’s hardship, Mr Byfield and his siblings were all the more grateful for their gifts.

“He always brought us classic toys. Christmas was fantastic; we never had much money, but he always found a way.”

After unveiling his plans for the new store, Mr Byfield has been left humbled by the support of his wife, Marie, who is a learning support adviser at Pot Kiln Primary School in Great Cornard, and his mother, Linda.

His four children, Nathan, Hazel, Maisie and Luke, are keen to lend a hand in the store once it opens on Saturday.

Expressing his gratitude to his father-in-law, Keith, who has helped to decorate the shop, Mr Byfield added: “I couldn’t have done it without him.”