Play

While visiting Chicago, I had the pleasure of finding an amazing local toy store called Play. I knew I wanted to share it with you so I got in contact with Ann, the owner of the store to learn more about it Take a look at my interview with Ann below.

When did you first open Play?

We opened the Logan Square location in September of 2010

How did it get its name?

I liked the simplicity of the name and all that it projected. I also think that a child’s experience is not necessarily about the TOY but the PLAY that they derive from it.

Do you have more than one location?

We have 2 locations. Logan Square and Lincoln Park (in Chicago)

What gave you the idea to open a toy store?

I have been in the toy industry for 23 years. Starting with BRIO as a vendor and also as a sales rep for a variety of companies. Then I started a consulting business (The Toy Business LLC) where I helped companies launch into the specialty market.

You have an incredible selection of the best children’s toys and brands. How do you select the toys that you sell?

I try to do the editing for the customer…so we don’t have 12 stacking toys. We have a few of the best ones available. I want our toys to be visually stimulating, educational, and fun. I also like toys and books that are inclusive (whether it’s the actual product or the packaging.) I search through catalogs, online, and trade shows to find all the best things.

Do you have a favorite toy that you sell?

Wow…that’s hard. I would have to say the BRIO as that’s where I got my start in the industry and there are so many amazing things that can be developed through playing with the railway system.

Do you sell online?

Not at this time. We do call-ahead ordering, local deliver, and shipping though!

Do you do any events?

Our stores are small but we offer weekly story times and music classes. We also have some fun seasonal events like Santa visits and Neighborhood Toy Store Day.

Is there anything else you want people to know about your store?

We do everything with intention. The toys and books we choose, the messages we send to the children and the community, our gift wrap, our services. We are looking to create an amazing shopping experience, a resource for the families that shop with us, and to be an engaged member of the communities that we serve.

Learning all this made me love Play even more.!

Take a look at a few toys that caught my eye during my visit.

Velcro pretend play food toys are always a blast. Plus as an OT, I automatically see it as an excellent way to strengthen hands and encourage bilateral coordination (use of both hands together).

Roly Poly rocks back and forth when lightly touched without ever falling over. It is a great toy option for teaching cause and effect and for use during tummy time.

This was the first time that I’ve seen this Bath Time Baby Tots doll and thought it was adorable. From what I read, the dolls are soft, cuddly and quick drying. Love this concept for a bath toy.

Hope you enjoyed reading about one of my favorite toy stores in Chicago, and discovered a few new toys that you love along the way.

Make sure to stop by Play if you’re in the area, and in the meantime learn more about it on their website.

Camp

Camp is a hidden gem in NYC. From the outside it looks just like a regular building (nothing crazy), but as you enter you find a small store with cool toys and goodies, many of which are camp themed (still nothing too out of the ordinary).

Once inside you are told about a secret door. The door leads to a big camp themed toy store with many activities to do while you are there. It even has a slide and a trampoline! The camp theme changes often and is an incredible experience for kids. When I last visited, it was Cooking Camp. Check this out for yourselves…

Notice the fun “refrigerators” on the left.

How cool?!

They of course have selected the most interesting and educational toys to sell.

There was even a cooking station, where you can find cook books and cooking theme toys for kids.

Camp Expressway down the road!

That Garden Salad looks good!:)

Here are some more of my favorite finds from my trip…

The Aquatic Adventure Kit would make an awesome quiet time craft activity for an older child.

Mega Bubbles are a ton of fun, and also great for encouraging active play and gross motor development.

Here you can dress up super heroes! Love the twist on the paper dolls idea.

I can’t wait to see what their next theme will be and of course share it with you. In the meantime, if you are ever in NYC with kids, Camp is a must see. You can check them out here.

Lakeshore Learning

If you’re not familiar, Lakeshore Learning is a huge educational toy store with 4 locations around NY and NJ. They carry an incredible selection of educational toys, games, teacher resources, and craft supplies that often cannot be found anywhere else. For those that don’t live in the area, they have an online store where you can buy most of their products.

Walking through Lakeshore you’ll find aisles separated by subject (science, social studies, reading) developmental skill (fine motor skills, social emotional learning), crafts (markers, scissors, paints), early learning toys, teacher supplies, and more.

They have creative toys and games for almost everything! You’ll see unique construction toys, toys specifically made to help children learn to count, tell time, form letters, and even design clothes.

Shopping at Lakeshore is always a blast. Take a look at some of my finds from my last visit.

These easy grip markers looked like they would be perfect for a toddler to hold and explore with scribbling.

I also thought these Sensory Blocks were a fun idea. They rattle and are slightly weighted. They are great for promoting coordination and attention in younger kids. They would make a good tummy time toy as well.

I was obsessed with these marble mazes. The idea is to use your fingers to maneuver the marble around the fabric to strengthen the fingers. This would make an excellent quiet time toy and helpful to use as a fidget during focusing activities.

The Animal Builders caught my attention because they are great for encouraging young kids to use both hands together. The adorable animal characters make them that much more fun!

Lakeshore Learning is known for selling a variety of interesting magnetic mazes. Magnetic mazes are awesome for developing fine motor control and eye-hand coordination. These types of mazes are great pre-writing tools, and I often use them in my therapy sessions. I particularly loved this magnetic board below because it teaches children to write from left to right and form strokes needed to make letters.

Here is another example of a magnetic board. This focuses on matching colors and counting.

I also fell in love with this Fashion Designer set and couldn’t help but buy it to show you. I thought it was perfect for pretend play and for kids who are interested in fashion. Love how unique it is, and that it was on sale.:)

Last but not least is their game aisle. This is just some games that you would find when visiting Lakeshore.

If you’d like to shop at Lakeshore, they gave me a coupon code to share with you. It is 3104 for 20% off any non sale item until 8/31/19. I’m including the link to their online store here.

Tildie's Toy Box

Tildie’s Toy Box is another amazing toy store in Philadelphia that I stop by whenever I’m visiting. I love the selection of toys that they carry and always leave with new toy, game, and even book ideas (see the last picture for their book section). I wanted you to learn more about the store so I got in contact with Michelle, the owner who shared some interesting insights. Hope you enjoy!

When did you first open Tildie’s Toy Box?

We opened in July of 2016.

How did it get its name?

The name comes from a combination of my daughters' middle names which are Tillie (my husband's grandmother's nickname) and Daye (my mother's nickname). I combined them together to get "Tildie's". The store is for my kids, of course!

Do you have more than one location?

Yes! We recently opened our second location in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia in the Piazza Pod Park. The grand opening is coming soon!

What gave you the idea to open a toy store?

I wanted to open a toy store for 2 main reasons. First, I loved the toy store from the neighborhood where I grew up in Princeton, NJ. Jazams was (and still is!) a magical and fun place filled with loads of great goodies. Its always held a special place in my heart and somehow that feeling of joy that you get when you walk in really resounded with me. Second, after I had my first daughter I stayed home with her for 3 years. During this time I began to really pay attention to how certain toys are great for developing skills at a young age and how others really do nothing and instead act as a screen. I also noticed how gendered packaging can be and how frustrating it is to find toys that encourage both boys and girls to play. I also missed the act of actually going into a wonderful toy store instead of shopping online. All of this together inspired me to start Tildie's Toy Box

You have an amazing selection of the best children’s toys and brands. How do you select the toys that you sell?

I get asked this question a lot! I find toys wonderful toys from a variety of places including trade shows, my sales reps often bring me interesting new things, I also love getting recommendations from other toy store owners, and sometimes I am even contacted directly from companies who are interested in having us carry their product.

Do you have a favorite toy that you sell?

This is always a really tough question for me because since I select everything in here, I love it all so much! I think if I was forced to choose one thing it would have to be the Really Really Big Bashful Unicorn from Jellycat. It's nearly as big as me, its a unicorn, and its a Jellycat plush toy. I mean come on, what more can you ask for! When an aunt came in to buy it for her niece for Christmas, I did need to take a moment and say goodbye to it!

Do you sell online?

We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service so we choose not to sell online at this time. We can always put an order together over the phone or via email!

Do you do any events?

We host regular story times and participate in festivals on our street. We also do bigger events like book signings, our shops birthday, and Neighborhood Toy Store Day! We love having events for our neighborhood families!

Is there anything else you want people to know about your store?

We have a wonderful staff here, the Tildie's Team, without which none of this would be possible. They are awesome, work very hard, and want to be here. They make my job easier and so much fun. I would also encourage everyone to choose gender neutral toys for their kids, and let them choose without an adult's preconceived ideas of what they should be playing with. Or better yet, step our of your comfort zone and encourage your kids to play with something neither you or they would have thought of! You might develop a new skill or find something amazing you never even considered before! Also, of course, shop local!

Momo's Tree House

I took a trip to Philadelphia a few weeks ago, and of course had to stop by Momo’s Tree House, one of my favorite toy stores in Philadelphia. The store is amazing! They carry some of the best children’s products and toys for kids all ages and even have a little play area in the back of the store. I always discover new brands and buy way too many toys every time I visit. I wanted to share with you some of my new finds from my latest trip and also give you a better picture of Momo’s Tree House, so I asked Heather, the owner of the store for some insights. You can read my interview with her below.

1) When did you first open Momo’s Tree House?

We opened our Old City shop in November of 2014

2) How did it get its name?

My last name is Mohorn, so Momo is a family nickname. When I was a child, no place was more fun than a tree house!

3) Do you have more than one location?

Yes, we opened a second location in September of 2017 in the Fitler Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. We also did a pop-up at the Philadelphia Christmas Village last year.

4) what gave you the idea to open a toy store?

I loved working with kids in high school and college, and I have always dreamed of owning my own business. I became an options trader after college, but after a few years I was ready to move on. I was 27 and newly married, and I wanted to become my own boss before having a family. At the time I was living in Old City, the historic district of Philadelphia. It’s a great shopping neighborhood full of independently owned boutiques, tons of local and visitng children, but no kids’ stores. That’s how I came up with the idea.

5) you have an amazing selection of the best children’s toys and brands. How do you select the toys that you sell?

Thank you- there are so many options out there, so I put a lot of work into finding the very best toys for kids. I love going to trade shows. It’s like a treasure hunt for the coolest new toys. We don’t carry anything with licensed characters, we stay away from companies that advertise directly to children, and we don’t sell electronics. That narrows the field

Our guiding principle is that children learn through play, and my goal is to carry the perfect gift for any child. That means a curated variety across different milestones and interests. 

6) Do you have a favorite toy that you sell?

Turing Tumble! It’s a puzzle that teaches how computers work by building marble runs. There are plenty of toys that teach how computers think, but this one shows you how they actually work on a 1’s and 0’s level. I took our demo home last year and played with it all afternoon.

7) Do you sell online?

Yes- you can shop 24/7 at momostreehouse.com.

8) Do you do any events?

We love hosting events.  Right now we have a musical story time series called Baby Beatles that’s been a lot of fun. Last weekend we hosted a workshop called Mindfully Me led by a child therapist. Events with authors or artists are always a hit. My personal favorite has always been our annual Easter Egg Hunt.

9) Is there anything else you want people to know about your store?

Come play! We have tons of toys out for customers to try. My favorite spot is our game table because I love showing kids how to play a new game.  My team is full of fun experts who love to make customers smile.  

Here are a few toys that I haven’t seen before that stood out to me on my last visit.

Also, loved seeing all of these games. So many new ones are now on my radar.

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Make sure to visit them if you’re ever in the area. In the meantime you can check out their website here.

Kidding Around Toys

I’m so excited to be taking you on a tour of Kidding Around Toys; a must visit toy store in NYC. I’ve shopped at Kidding Around for many years and have always been fascinated by their incredible selection of the best brands and toys for all ages. For a NYC store, Kidding Around is quite large and carries a little bit of everything. I always walk away discovering something new whether it be a cool brand, an interesting game or the latest bath toy. I was curious to learn more about the store, so I got in touch with Christina, the owner, who shared some insights that I hope you will find interesting and valuable.

Here is my interview with Christina

When did you first open the store?

We have been open at this location for over 25 years. 

Do you have more than one location?

One on West 15th and one in Grand Central Terminal. We started off with a tiny store on Bleecker Street, then added the 15th Street location, then we opened one in Montclair, NJ and then one in Grand Central Terminal.  The one on Bleecker is long gone, and we gave the store to our wonderful managers in NJ, so we now have two locations.

What gave you the idea to open a toy store?

I worked in a toy store once and loved it, so it was a dream for me.

Your store is beautiful with an incredible selection of the best toy brands and children's products. How do you select the toys that you sell?

 Originally I chose items for their play value, design  and durability, more classic toys.  As my son has come on board he has mentioned that what is classic to his generation differs from mine, so the mix has been evolving.

Do you have a favorite toy or product that you sell?

I have a new favorite toy once a week.  I get a huge amount of pleasure to hear the squeals of my staff or customers upon first seeing an exciting new toy.  It is holiday time all the time around here with new toys, games and crafts and dolls coming in daily.

Do you sell online?
We do sell online, but have less than a third of what is in the store on our website.  

Do you do any events?
We just had a staff meeting about doing events, and will be having a craft or game table set up which will be ready for kids/caretakers to play and learn from.  This should be happening very soon.

Is there anything else you want people to know about your store?

Our customers, and neighbors have made this a wonderful way to spend a work day, and we appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts.  As a long time independent retailer we know you can grab it easily on Amazon, so we appreciate your supporting us and keeping us viable.  Thank you again!

Walking through Kidding Around Toys is always a blast. Here are some toys that caught my eye on my last visit. You can click on the pictures to learn more about the toys.

Here is their game section,

and their science section,

and craft section.

Check out Kiddingaroundtoys.com to see more of their toys, and make sure to stop by if you’re in the area. I’ll be visiting again soon as well, so keep on eye out on my Instagram stories for future visits.

Teich Toys & Books

Teich Toys is located in the heart of the west village in NYC. The store’s beautiful design and an incredible selection of children’s toys and books have caught my attention quite some time ago. When I decided to add toy store tours to my blog, I knew I wanted to feature Teich toys, so I got in touch with Allison, the owner who was kind enough to provide some background info about how the store got started and how she selects her toys.

Read all about it in my interview with Allison below.

1) When did the store first open? 
June 2014

2) What gave you the idea?

I had a small gift store nearby on 8th Ave that sold gifts and accessories (for grown-ups) with a small area with toys and gifts for kids. That area became very popular and the feedback was always positive. Since I’m also a mom who lives is the neighborhood, I agreed with my customers that there was a need for a toy store. What really sealed the deal was when the perfect retail space became available: on a nice stretch of Hudson Street, lots of window frontage, and across the street from Bleecker Street Playground. 

3) Your store has a beautiful design. How did you come up with it?

We were inspired by the shape and layout of the store. My mother had the idea to build a life size wooden toy train that would wrap around the interior of the store. She envisioned the train engine protruding into the store, which would also serve as a place for kids to sit and play while parents shopped. The shelves already existed from the previous tenants so we built train car frames around them to make it appear like the shelves were inside the train cars. We hired a talented up-and-coming architecture firm, Hunt Architects, who took our vision to a new level. They worked with 2 teams of local craftspeople to build the train, the train depot (our book and reading nook), the cash wrap, and the movable merchandise tables that fill the store. We wanted it to feel open and not over-crowded.

4) You have an incredible selection of the best children's toys. How do you select the toys?

Thank you! Our toys come from all over. Some are independent designers and craftspeople who I find though the internet and social media, word of mouth, or who contact us. Often our customers recommend stuff they really like. We carry a bunch of things made by neighborhood moms, like bracelets, hair accessories and cards. I attend a few big trade shows throughout the year where I stock up on some of the more well known brands. I do try and stick to brands you won’t find everywhere, and that are more special. Quality is also very important to me. I look for toys that will be treasured, and that will last a long time. I also focus on things that will keep kids occupied and away from screens, such as DIY kits, science experiments, puzzles, board games and art supplies.

5) Do you sell online?
Yes, we do: www.teichtoys.com

6) Do you do any events?

We host a story time every Tues at 11:30. We do hold other events and initiates thought the year. This coming week we're hosting an Earth Day recycled toy drive for Second Chance Toys. People can clean out the old toys that their kids no longer play with, and they will be distributed by the organization to kids in need. We always do something fun here for Halloween and Pride (big holidays here in the West Village:).

Visiting Teich toys is always a lot of fun as I tend to discover new and interesting products. Here are a few toys from my last trip that caught my eye (that I think you will love as well).

Sweet Tooth is the cutest sweetly scented baby teether. The shape of the cone is easy for a baby to grasp and hold, and the different surfaces allow for exploration of different textures. Sweet Tooth would make a great baby shower gift or Easter Basket stuffer.

These Paper Dolls are artists and musicians that come with a Tri-fold studio where they work and play. They also include two sheets of reusable clothes and accessories to inspire imaginative play and creativity.

I was immediately drawn to this Bongo Kit because it’s a craft activity and musical instrument in one. The set comes with drums and decorative accessories for kids to personalize their own instruments. How cool?!

There were of course many more amazing toys, check out Teichtoys.com to see them or stop by the store if you’re ever in NYC.