Francis Martin, the artisan behind the creations of Martin’s Wooden Crafts, will be delivering a healthy dose of nostalgia to this year’s Bloomin’ Festival as he proves that — at least as far as he is concerned — the best toys don’t require batteries.

Those choosing to visit their local department store’s toy section can expect to be greeted by a sensory bombardment of lights and sounds as they browse the multiple aisle selection of today’s modern playthings. But, as Martin can attest, this wasn’t always the case. He remembers how, before tablets and portable video games found their way into children’s hands, toys required a bit more imagination.

“Back then toys were simple. You had marbles, slingshots and those little balsa wood airplanes you could buy for 10-15 cents,” Martin said. “The toy aisle in a store might have only been just half an aisle, really. Back then kids at that age were outside running around, there wasn’t anything electronic to do. If you were lucky you might have had a tv that had three channels, everything was outside.”

The now 63-year-old Martin had only just hung up the rubber band guns of his youth when, at 13-years-old, he joined his father and grandfather’s woodworking business. At the time the business consisted of items ranging from cypress furniture and taxidermy plaques to plywood jon boats, but Martin remembers when a family outing shifted the business to a more child friendly direction.

Martin said during a visit to the Historic Westville in Lumpkin, Ga. 50 years ago, they entered into a store selling an array of handcrafted wooden toys from Pennsylvania.

“They were all fairly expensive, and my grandfather and my dad just started talking to them about making some of those folk toys, and the next thing you know we’re in the toy making business,” Martin said.

For the last 50 years, Martin has continued crafting high quality wooden toys by hand in the wood shop located at his father’s home in Florida. He said his current inventory consists of more than 70 different types of toys, both of his own design as well as several updated versions of the staple toys from yesteryear.

He said his most popular toy is what he considers an improvement on the classic “pop-gun,” which features a plastic cap over the original cork version and comes in an assortment of colors and patterns.

Staying true to his nostalgic methodology, Martin said he has chosen to not have a website. So, those wishing to browse his selection will need to look for his booth this weekend.