Fantabulus Funtastic Friday Nights

The stores in the 500 block of Main Street have gotten together to host Friday night events in December. Most of the stores will be open until 9 p.m. so you can come down and get your shopping done and have dinner downtown. Enjoy the holiday atmosphere: the festive lights and holiday windows, along with special activities in the stores. Santa will be making appearances in the 500 block and at the 560 Salon on the corner of 6th & Colorado. Stop in at Kairos Children's Boutique and let the kids make an elf hat. Enjoy games and free food courtesy of Chris Brown at Brown's Cycles. Say "Hi" to Scott & Melinda at Amber Floral and treat yourself to a seated massage with massage therapist Catie Bucher from 5;30 - 7:30. Bring the kids down to enjoy the fun or drop them off at Creative Avenues on 5th Street, just around the corner from us and enjoy an adult evening from 6-9:30. Pre-registration is required for this. (use the linktastic link above). Wow, so, what's happening at the Toy Store? We'll have a Calico Critter craft and stickers to give away. Along with that is a free 2010 critter calendar with Critter purchase and a special Critter deal for mentioning the blog. Spend $200 in the store (must include calico critters) and get a Critters play table for $50 (retail $140). We will have our campfire set up outside to keep people warm while waiting for the free carraige rides. Warm drinks and treats will be offered at several locations. Bundle up and come downtown.

Made in USA

Just in: Imagibricks from Smart Monkey Toys. These are the heavy duty cardboard blocks that are large scale and will stand up to the toughest little customer. I remember them from the play room at church when I was a kid. We sold these a few years ago, but lost track of them when our supplier quit carrying them. The cardboard is coated for easy cleaning and the blocks are strong enough to stand on. They come flat and you have to fold them into blocks before you can play with them. They are made in the USA and are made of 50% recycled materials. What's not to love?
There aren't a lot of toys still made here in the US, but we carry those we can find that are a "fit" in our store.

Do-a-Dot paints and coloring books
Harrisville Designs potholder looms & loops
Green Toys tea sets, tool sets and sand toys
Taggies natural baby blankies
Fractiles magnetic design sets
Tedco gyroscopes
...& more

Big Weekend Ahead

Downtown will be full of excitement this weekend. Friday night is the Spirit of Christmas and First Friday Art event. Live entertainment, free carriage rides and a variety of special in-store activities are planned. Come down and have dinner, then stroll along beautifully decorated Main Street. Most of the stores should be open so you can do more than just "window" shop. We're open til 9.
Bring the kids down and let them make their Santa List and make crayon rubbings in our store, or drop them off at Creative Avenues and have a night to yourselves. (pre-registration is required; see link above).
Saturday, the 26th annual parade of lights kicks off at 5 p.m. If you are new to the area, this is the must-see event of the year. Bundle up and come on down.
JUST IN...NEW CALICO CRITTERS! We just received our "Sneak Peak" shipment of Calico Critters including the undeniably cute hedgehog and elephant families and the tree house complete with hot tub and all new country furnishings. There is also a new website devoted to the critters. It has games, crafts and you-tube videos for the kids. It seems to be geared to the pre-school crowd even though many critter lovers are older. Check it out if you like calico critters. See you downtown!

Thanks "GIVING"

This year we are doing our best to make sure every child in the grand valley has a happy Christmas experience. We've been saving toys all year to donate to Toys for Tots and last week we helped them kick off the season of giving by donating nearly $4000 worth of toys. Our challenge now is to our customers. We have a big donation box in the front of our store and this year the need is almost double that of last year. Please come down and fill up our box (over & over). This is the season of giving. A great way to help your children experience giving, would be to bring them down to the toy store and have them pick out a toy they like to give to another child "just like them". Let them learn about giving and put the toy in the box. Older children might be encouraged to "earn" the toy to be given, by doing chores. Generosity, I think, is more of a "learned" behavior. By starting them young and setting a good example, you can raise the next generation of generous people.

When my son David was little, I'd take him along to deliver meals-on-wheels. The recipients were always glad to see him; he was the highlight of their day. One year, we were in Texas and he helped my sister deliver food to homeless people and when we got back home there was a package for David in the mail. One of the homeless guys had given my sister a big plastic car to give to David as a thank you. It probably came out of a dumpster or the Goodwill, but it meant a lot to Dave and I think we still have it somewhere as a reminder that both the giver and the receiver profit from the experience. Warm fuzzys all around!

Classics are Forever

Classic toys have always been best sellers for us. Why? Because they withstand the test of time. Basic construction toys from wooden blocks to lincoln logs to erector sets should be in everyone's toy box. We carry other classic items; tin toys, jack in the box, sock monkeys and always Raggedy Ann & Andy. These are not antiques, they are newly made and pass all the current safety regulations. Remember lead (or tin) soldiers? They are not considered safe toys for this generation, but we carry the "Papo" line of knights, pirates, and fantasy figurines. They are very detailed, hand painted plastic figures that the kids love to collect.
Classic toys require more imagination to play with; something that we at Toys for the Fun of It encourage. The more "open - ended" a toy is, the more play value it has. In the "active" category we have classic tricycles, pogo sticks and hop balls. When it comes down to good old fashion fun; we're here for you.
Now is the time to bring the kids down to make their wish lists. The turkey is thawing and Christmas is right around the corner.

BIG KID TOYS

Don't think that just because you're older than dirt, that you are too old for toys. Here at Toys for the Fun of It we will admit that one does have to grow older... but growing up is optional. Some of our best selling toys have no age limit. We have a fully stocked section for adult games, puzzles and brainteasers. And what big kid doesn't need an inflatable fruit cake or a Sigmund Freud action figure under the tree. Skill toys are also popular with the young at heart. We can teach you to juggle or do amazing yo yo tricks and our most popular book from Klutz Press is "The Encyclopedia of Immaturity". It was so popular last year that they came out with volume 2 for this holiday season. Let's make some big kids smile :)

Thanksgiving comes before Christmas

.... and we have our inflatable turkey in the window to prove it! I can also promise that we won't play Christmas music in the store until AFTER Thanksgiving.
With that said, there is no reason not to start shopping early. Every year there are items that we run out of and/or can't get back in stock before Christmas. This year is no exception. Because of both the slower economy and the new toy testing laws, we've seen both price increases and product "trickling in" as available. In the coming weeks, I will highlight some of our best sellers, classics and what's new. We want to see each and every customer this season so that on Christmas morning I will know there are thousands of happy kids (of all ages) because we could help you pick the perfect gift for everyone on your giving list.