A longtime Walled Lake toymaker has been sliced into separate deals that keep its name alive, save a small-town factory, and still send a chunk of local work out of state. The split sends the company’s brand and molds to a Canadian buyer, while a Mid-Michigan investor fires up one of the injection-molding plants again. For workers and suppliers, it is equal parts rescue and relocation.
Canadian buyer takes the brand and molds
Gracious Living Corp. has acquired roughly 650 molds along with the American Plastic Toys brand and other intellectual property, according to a company statement cited in coverage. Gracious Living, which is part of the Amara Industries group with operations in both the United States and Canada, plans to shift production into its existing U.S. facilities rather than keep the Walled Lake factory running. Those details were reported by Crain's Detroit Business.
Rose City plant gets a local buyer and a restart
In a separate move, the Rose City injection-molding plant landed a homegrown buyer and a fresh name. Investor Sassan Tarahomi purchased the facility and rebranded it as American Playworks LLC, then moved quickly to restart production. Tarahomi, who launched Mid Michigan Plastics & Tooling LLC in West Branch in 2025, told industry press he is running three shifts and rebuilding the workforce at the Rose City site. That purchase and the new operator's plans were detailed by Plastics News.
Walled Lake jobs and operations shift to Kentucky
Even as the brand and tooling find new stewards, the operations tied to Walled Lake are expected to move to Kentucky in the coming months, according to the company president. John Gessert shared that outlook in an email included in reporting on the asset sales and the separate plant purchase. Crain's Detroit Business reported those details.
Smaller pieces, different buyers
The pair of deals underline how brands and tooling can be peeled away from bricks-and-mortar operations, allowing one buyer to scoop up intellectual property while another takes on buildings and payroll. American Plastic Toys had about 200 employees and roughly 45 injection-molding presses at the time of its February 2024 sale, a reminder of how much production capacity and labor were in play, as industry coverage shows. Plastics News reported those figures.
For Michigan manufacturing, the outcome is a mixed bag. The American Plastic Toys brand will keep going under a larger corporate umbrella, and Rose City gets a second shot at life, but the final in-state job tally hinges on how many lines and molds ultimately move with the business. Local officials and company spokespeople did not immediately offer additional public comment in the reporting.
