Games, Playthings and Plush

Finds for Families (From page 156)

COVID hit. People are still spending more time in their family pods, that hasn’t changed, so that interest remains.”

And speaking of the pandemic, Luckeratch noted that while masks are optional now, for staff members, wearing masks is a pandemic practice they are keeping. “We are just around so many people who are not eligible to be vaccinated, and I for one am keeping my elderly mother safe,” she explained. The store also consistently wipes things down. “I wouldn’t say there’s something major to that,” she noted. “We have always kept things clean, we may just be more conscious of it now.”

Among the stores biggest sellers currently are sand toys of all types, and bubbles. “Bubbles are going like mad because it is springtime. Both are seasonal sales.”

Year in and year out, the approximately 9,000-square-foot store, the largest in the Seattle area, sees strong sales from LEGOS, board games, puzzles, and art supplies, she said. “We have some consistently top sellers in just about every department.”

In Encino, Calif., As You Wish Toys and Books, is a new incarnation as of 2021. Located on a site that has been home to toy stores since the 1990s, the unique combination toy and book shop follows a legacy of providing interesting and engaging toys in the area. The store carries books ranging in age and type from tots’ traditional picture books to new young adult books and graphic novels. Owner Christine Johnson said that “Plush is trending especially for older kids and adults, especially Japanese style anime Anirollz, that is doing very well for us. Bellzi is another brand that does very well also. Both sell out when we bring them in. They can be comfort objects, that is an outgrowth of the pandemic.”

And speaking of the pandemic, “We still require employees to wear masks but we have brought back our play tables. People are really enjoying having them back. We have a train table and a Hava Little Friends doll table.”

According to Johnson, among the stores other biggest sellers are “Pokemon cards as well as Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. We have older kids coming in who really like both of those. I think having older kids as part of the mix can be challenging for some toy stores, but in ours we still have pre-teens from the neighborhood coming in just to hang out, and these are among the items that appeal to them.”

Regardless of location, from year-round classics to the latest toy trend, shoppers eager to play – or purchase playthings for their or other children, enjoy discovering the wide range of toy choices at their local toy stores. ❖