The Cure for Cabin Fever

As the season of the eternal night continues and the weather really isn't cooperating, it's time to get out of the house and spend time downtown. As you probably know, the construction has started down at the first three blocks. The area is cordoned off and there are a few pieces of large equipment at work. This is live entertainment if you have young children. Stop by to watch the backhoe, then walk down the street have lunch and stop in at the toy store to get warm and see what's new. Games, puzzles and crafts will keep you busy having fun on a long cold winter night. We are starting to see shipments arrive to fill in the blanks after the holiday season. We will be ordering toys for the next several weeks, including new toys as they come out. First order to hit the shelves here was Klutz books, including a few new ones. Main Street is still very user friendly in spite of the construction- check it out.

The Party's Over - Happy New Year

I think everyone is glad to have a new year. Last year was full of challenges, highs and lows for us and I know we are not alone. The post holiday slump has hit early and we are busy cleaning, re-arranging and doing inventories so we can fill in the holes. The downtown "uplift" has started and things are happening from the convention center to wells fargo bank. Come down and check it out. Kids love to watch destruction/construction and there will be plenty. Do support downtown as we make it a nicer place to shop, dine and play... see you soon.

Holiday Hours

We survived Christmas once again. I hope yours was merry and made better, in part, with toys purchased from us and given with love. We will be keeping short hours on New Years Eve - 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and we will be closed on New Years Day. We will be closed Sundays until sometime in the spring.

Top Toy Countdown

Everyone has their list of top toys, award-winners and so on. So it is with my 15 years of experience that I hereby proclaim the top toys at Toys for the Fun of It. As with all statistics, the results will be skewed in favor of what we have in stock this late in the game :)

1) BANANAGRAMS the fun, compact word game





2) DOINKIT DARTS the best magnetic, non lethal dart set for all ages





3) RODY HORSE this fun inflatable holds up to 300 lbs !






4) POWER POPPER rapid-fire fun for everyone










5) WEDGITS unique building blocks for ages 1 to 101

Extended Hours

In case you still need to do some shopping, we have extended hours to help:

Monday through Friday 10 am until 8 pm
Saturday 10 am until 7 pm
Sunday 10 am until 4 pm

Traffic during the evening hours tends to be light, but our customers are grateful and you will get more personal attention than during the peak of crazy times. See you soon!

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