BY LYNNIE NGUYEN
Sunlight shoots through the window of a Flagstaff studio, casting a spotlight on Gregory Hill – specifically on his hands. They’re burned and worn from carving toy tops.
Hill, who is part Hopi and Quechan, often works on his trade 19 hours a day to keep up with demand for his tops.
“A top is one of the few toys that has the same method of play around the world,” Hill said. “All I need to do is spin the top to draw people in.”
The tops started in 2008 as a project for his 8-year-old daughter. He now makes an average of 50 tops a month for his business, Hilltops, and he sells them for $30 to $250 a piece...