Origin
Nile Ernst could not find a play table he was willing to put in his own house. His kids were 2 and 4. The tables on the market were particleboard, undersized, or the wrong height for blocks and trains. So his wife Leigh told him to build one. He did.
Leigh sized the recessed tabletop to fit Lego and Duplo baseplates. Nile added accessory holes around the frame so the table could hold construction toys and train trestles. The first version had everything we still build today: solid hardwood frame, single-piece tabletop, recessed border for blocks and track, and a finish that could survive a decade of kids.
Timeline
Nile builds one table for his own kids. By that Christmas, 40 tables ship out of the garage.
Nile leaves a 13-year career in real estate and finance, leases a workshop, and buys machinery.
Nilo tables move into specialty toy catalogs and stores across the country. The same recessed-top design is still in service.
Connor Ernst is on the floor. Same family. Same Vista, California shop at 3125 Scott Street, Suite B.
Decades later, the same design is still in service in homes and daycares across the country. We hear from customers whose tables have been passed from one child to the next, and from grandparents buying for grandkids on the same table their own children played on.
The shop today
Nile and Leigh raised three kids around this business. Their son Connor Ernst is part of the second generation in the workshop today. Final assembly, finishing, packaging, and quality check all happen at the Vista, California shop at 3125 Scott Street, Suite B. Tabletops, packaging, and final assembly are all done in-house.
We are not a toy company that subcontracts manufacturing overseas. We are a small hardwood furniture maker that happens to build tables for children, and we have done it in the same town since 1992.
Why Nilo
Solid hardwood frame, dado-jointed assembly, single-piece melamine tabletop. The Nilo logo is carved into the wood and hand-painted, not stickered. Every table is inspected and cured before it leaves the shop.
“As sturdy as the day they were shipped to us.” Quinn, 12-year owner
Drop in double-sided baseplates and it is a Lego or Duplo table. Pull them out and it is a flat surface for trains, art, or puzzles. Add the dining topper and it is a coffee or full-size dining table. Swap in longer legs as the child grows.
“Upgraded the legs to make the table taller so it can be used for puzzles.” Tim Lindhorst
Customers regularly tell us they bought one for a 3-year-old and are still using it for puzzles, homework, or dining a quarter-century later. The cost per year of use is a fraction of what a plastic table runs over the same span, because plastic tables do not last that long.
“You will get your money’s worth.” Quinn
Still here
If you have a question about a table, an accessory, or an idea for a new product, we want to hear from you. Email support@nilotoys.com or visit our contact page.
The Ernst Family
