New Milford Toy Company Featured On Shark Tank Gets Pop-Up Location

NEW MILFORD, CT — A local couple who pitched their unique sand-and-snow castle idea on Shark Tank are now part of the Pop-Up New Milford initiative. New Milford residents Kevin and Laurie Lane are selling their Create A Castle building kits on Main Street through the program, The News-Times reported.

Pop-Up New Milford was established by the town’s Corporation for Economic Development. The program involves small businesses designing, promoting, and launching temporary storefronts before pursuing a lease of a brick-and-mortar store.

Create A Castle will be featured in the back of & Company at 60 Bank St. for at least four weeks, according to The News-Times.

Meanwhile, Create A Castle is also up for the 2023 Toy of the Year Awards in the Construction Toy category with its BuildMaster kit. The local business is up against "titans of the industry like Lego, Pokémon, and Hot Wheels," according to a social media post. Previously, the local company won the award in 2020.

The Lanes pitched their product on ABC's Shark Tank last year. The sharks liked the Create A Castle idea, and investor Kendra Scott paid $350,000 for a 20% stake in the business. Scott outbid co-star Daymond John in a competition to get a slice of the business. Scott said Create A Castle is a great product with incredible growth potential.

The Shark Tank investment was six years in the making. Create A Castle is a split-mold design to allow for both sand and snow castle building, making it a year-round product.

See related: New Milford Couple Featured On Shark Tank Lands $350K Investment