A nan-of-10 from Bootle who started off selling shoes now makes “insane” figures on TikTok. Jane Hastings, who owns Toys Toys Toys on Crosby Road in Waterloo, has been listed on this year’s “TikTok’s Discover List 2026″. After starting the business with just £100 worth of toys, Jane is in disbelief to be recognised among some of the world’s most successful creators.

Jane, 56, runs daily TikTok LIVE sessions and sells toys to thousands of customers across the UK. She has been included in TikTok’s Discover List 2026, which is a showcase of 50 creators to watch who are described as “inspiring, innovating, and trend-setting”.

In an interview with the ECHO, Jane said “it’s unbelievable” to be included in the list of creators to watch globally. She told the ECHO: “It’s madness, my head has fell off.

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“It’s unbelievable that I’ve been picked for this out of one billion users and thousands of huge global creators, I can’t get my head round it. I can’t believe our little toy shop in Crosby and the community is on the Discover List, I keep getting emotional.”

Jane explained to the ECHO how TikTok has truly changed her life. She originally owned a shoe shop, but one day she decided to buy £100 worth of toys and before she knew it, she decided to transform her premises into a toy store.

She said: “Within the the first 12 months I’d sold 100,000 items.”

Jane said she has now sold more than 162,000 items, racking up “insane” money from the platform to give back to her business, having accumulated in excess of 40,000 followers.

She started off doing “TikTok LIVES” around two years ago, which helped her build a huge community of people online.

Explaining how she earns money from the platform, she said it takes two clicks for someone to buy an item.

She said: “I go live, do the demo and show what’s new today and within two clicks it’s paid for. I pack it up on the live for them, while our TikTok shop is also kicking in the background as well.”

Jane has now become a well-established brand on TikTok, with toy companies sending her items exclusively to promote, up to six weeks before their actual release.

She said: “I now do event lives and teaser videos, so huge brands send me their products early.” She gets a “full itinerary from every major brand” wanting to showcase their products, giving her exclusive access.

Jane has thanked TikTok for changing her life. She said: “TikTok has totally and utterly changed my life, I’ve ended up on This Morning, the BBC and in every top toy magazine. I got nominated for Toy Retailer of the Year last year, up against Smyths and The Entertainer.

“I couldn’t believe it, our little shop in Crosby. To have been nominated for that, and the TikTok Discover list, I’ve done nothing but cry, it’s very emotional for me.”

Jane said her 10 grandchildren, aged from seven to 14, are “so proud” of everything she is doing.

Despite appearing confident in front of the camera, Jane shared her initial concerns about posting content online. She said: “I’ve got quite a strong accent, and there’s no way I could’ve listened to myself back.”

She explained she tried hiring people to do the TikTok videos for her in the beginning, but it didn’t work out. She said: “In the end, I thought ‘sod it I’ll do it myself’, so I just pressed go and it went from there. I’ve just built it up and I’ve ended up with the best community.”

When she learned she had been listed as one of TikTok’s top 50 creators, Jane said she thought they had added her by mistake. She said: “I thought they had got it wrong. I had a look at the other people on the list and they’ve all got millions of followers and they’ve got blue ticks. So I messaged back and said: ‘Are you sure?'”

Jane is part of the “Originators” category, which focusses on creativity and storytelling. Jane believes her personality is a huge part of her success on the platform, as she continues to make a difference to the community.

Her shop is also major supporter of local toy appeals, such as The Mayor’s Christmas Toy Appeal for Sefton and Merseyside.

She told the ECHO her TikTok page has “just gone insane”, and she feels as though her success will never fully sink in. She goes “live” on TikTok almost every day, and has had visitors from Ireland, Scotland, Denmark visit the shop in Crosby.

She feels privileged to have been listed in the TikTok Discover List 2026, telling the ECHO she “can’t thank TikTok enough” for changing her life.

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