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Photography courtesy of ASWEETS
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Photography courtesy of ASWEETS
Doorbuster deals and Black Friday bargains are great. But if the mass market toys on discount store shelves left you looking for something a little different, here are a few recommendations from local toy store owners and employees that could help you cross off every kid on your list.
Shawnta' Ray, owner of Happy Up Inc., says her toy round up list “could be 12 pages long.” But for us, she narrowed it down to a few favorites.
“We have LOOG teaching guitars, which have the three highest strings on the guitar, a great [phone] app, and flash cards to help along the way,” she said. “I also carry Amahi ukuleles which are fun colors and great for all ages, 4 to adult.”
Ray also loves the adorable ASWEETS alpaca rockers for little ones and JIMU Robot kits for older kids seeking a challenge. The kits let kids design, build, and program their own robots.
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Photography courtesy of Happy Up
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Photography courtesy of Happy Up
Next up is a less traditional gift that is perfect for a kid who loves puzzles. Puzzle Warehouse's Puzzle of the Month Club, which marketing director Greg Brown says is the Kirkwood store's most popular product.
The club costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and offers free shipping on the monthly puzzle and any other orders shipped at the same time. Members have the option to choose a 300-, 500-, or 1,000-piece puzzle. They also get an email about the monthly puzzle selected by the store’s staff that offers them swap options if the pre-selected puzzle doesn’t suit their style. Club members can even upgrade to a premium package that offers additional options.
Puzzle Warehouse also carries the original Perplexus in its store, a 3D maze game in which players must maneuver a marble around obstacles in a transparent sphere. Players pick a track and use gravity to move the marble around some of the sphere’s 100 barriers, racing competitors or the clock to guide their marble to the finish line.
For a more time-consuming challenge, the store sells Memorable Disney Moments puzzle by Ravensburger, which could keep puzzle pros entertained until the next holiday season—or beyond.
“This is the largest available jigsaw puzzle on the market, with more than 40,000 pieces,” Brown said. “It is popular year-round, but another hit during the holidays.”
Circle of Knowledge stocks products that encourage learning through play, said John Erysian, one of the owners of the family-operated store in Sunset Hills. But some toys, like the American Ninja Warrior Ninjaline provide exercise for the body and mind.
“There are obstacles on it. It’s got rings, a trapeze bar, and more. You get to play American Ninja Warrior,” he said. “All you need is some energetic kids and a couple of stationary objects.”
Another active product, a Golf Pool set from Hearthsong, helps kids improve hand-eye coordination when weather keeps them inside. The kit includes an oversized green mat and rails, four carbon fiber golf clubs, and sixteen golf/pool balls. Play combines concepts from golf and pool, requiring players to putt pool balls into holes on the mat.
Photography courtesy of Melissa & Doug Fresh Mart
Among other favorites are a Melissa & Doug Fresh Mart Grocery Store that comes complete with a working scanner, conveyor belt, and credit card machine. Sally Erysian, another owner who acts as the store’s buyer, also loves the Bruder Toys side-loading garbage truck and UPS truck that include working lifts and other real-world features.
It seems that shopping for every kid—from imagination filled to puzzle loving—can be accomplished right in our own backyard.
