Remembering your First or Favorite Toy Store and the Items They Sold 3 3

[GeneticNinja]

On 8/5/2020 at 2:43 AM, 01TheDude said:

Most of our toy store type trips were just hanging out in the toy aisle at a KMart or Sears.

Later-- in addition to collecting comics -- I was really into AFX/Tyco slot cars. I started out with match box-- then hot wheels -- then SSTs - then Sizzlers -- and finally went the major hobby route and had several (probably about 6) track sets-- along with found tracks and finding cars where I could. One day, I noticed a store called "Frank's Hobby " (I may be mixing this name up with some shop a co-workers father owned later on) -- anyway-- it was awesome. Tons of toys, trains, slot cars, models - so much stuff. They had a case with 100s of AFX cars to pick from. Now understand that the cars themselves are fairly standard-- you are paying for the decorative plastic car that set on the base engine frame. I can't even recall how much these cars cost-- but I ended up with maybe 5 or 8 from the store. Plus they had cool stuff like replacement tires for the cars (they would wear out).

My entire collection made it down to Florida. A few years later, my mom asked me if I wanted to sell them in a garage sale she was having. I was sort of over it-- but man-- I really wish I had at least held onto the cars. They get quite a nice chunk of change for them these days.

 

Those slot cars were popular back then. I think I owned a few. But I only remember one for Knight Rider right now. And hating how the cars would jump off the rail if you went too fast.

 

On 8/5/2020 at 10:21 AM, ADAMANTIUM said:

.....

I can't necessarily remember the first, but I want to say it was sears or hl greens that had rollerblades on sale in the 80's. By the time we got there and found out they were in the basement, the only size left was like 12 or 14....

I'm 10 years old...

I'm skinny but strong and try them on, and they work good enough that my mom pays the $12-18 I want to say marked down from $30....

I went to private school and the playground was inside and had wood panel floors like a skating rink. Lol everyone laughed at how big the skates were but  I had fun and that was a lot at the time for my parents to spend on me. Someone who lived in the barrio just so I could attend private school. Poor 

I remember the ice cream truck in that part of town, like at 8or 9 years old, buying smoke bombs and stink bombs. I used them at school cause their neighborhood didn't have such, I thought it would make me cool but no they stuck up their nose

Paradox darned if you do and if you don't

 

 

Are Ice Cream trucks around anymore? I remember them at parks and occasionally in neighborhoods. Those massive menus of different types of ice cream bars were always cool to look at. But then I remember playing Vice City and selling drugs from the Ice Cream truck. I don't know where they got that idea from but I assume someone tried it in real life.

 

On 8/5/2020 at 6:43 PM, Mercury Man said:

Oh boy...this was it right here folks.   Dispensa's Castle of Toys, in Oak Brook, IL !!!    Dispensa's opened in 1967.   Bigger than Toys R' US, and guarded by huge toy soldiers.  I used to get my army men from there (I used to have a ton, mostly Airfix and Matchbox, but Dispensa's carried a brand called Atlantic, that other hobby shops never had).   Then a Dipensa's Kiddie Kingdom opened in 1975, in the adjacent lot.    I lost a few bucks in loose change on an upside-down type tilt a whirl, and the haunted house was creepy, in the sense that the paper mache' monsters were more grotesque than they were meant to be.   Unfortunately, they closed in the mid 1980's, and a high rise office has taken its place.   Good times!  

For some reason, I'm remembering a toy store with a moat type bridge to cross before entering. I don't know if it's this one. Or one of those Child World castle locations. But I can't remember this toy store from that video.

[ADAMANTIUM]

13 minutes ago, GeneticNinja said:

 

Those slot cars were popular back then. I think I owned a few. But I only remember one for Knight Rider right now. And hating how the cars would jump off the rail if you went too fast.

 

 

Are Ice Cream trucks around anymore? I remember them at parks and occasionally in neighborhoods. Those massive menus of different types of ice cream bars were always cool to look at. But then I remember playing Vice City and selling drugs from the Ice Cream truck. I don't know where they got that idea from but I assume someone tried it in real life.

 

For some reason, I'm remembering a toy store with a moat type bridge to cross before entering. I don't know if it's this one. Or one of those Child World castle locations. But I can't remember this toy store from that video.

Lol there was a cheech and Chong movie with it too, nice dreams ice cream or something

 

[Jaylam]

I remember growing up this was the only dedicated toy store in town. Lucky for me it sit right next door to the bank my parents did business with. Back in the early and mid 60's, they held model building contests of which my older brother won a few times so I remember going in and out of there quite a bit as a child. In 1965 a devastating tornado came through town and this strip mall that toy store was in took a direct hit and was obliterated. After rebuilding, this little toy store remained in business there right up until sometime in the late-1990's.

Last year one of our local newspapers ran a little article of this toy store of which you can read about if you follow this link. http://kokomoperspective.com/kp/news/santa-63/article_26503ef0-280a-11ea-b7ad-875ae247807b.html

The Toy Mart at Maple Crest Shopping Plaza in 1963.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Jaylam

[GeneticNinja]

On 8/6/2020 at 9:50 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Lol there was a cheech and Chong movie with it too, nice dreams ice cream or something

 

I heard those names before but never saw a movie with them. Perhaps I'll check one out for laughs. Thinking about it now, it would be kind of strange to see adults rushing to buy drugs from an ice cream truck. I knew nothing about drugs in middle and high school. But I've crossed paths with far too many girls who were ok with having relationships with actual drug dealers.

[astrometric]

In the early 80s, only place you could have a chance at finding G1 transformers. This place was stacked to the ceiling with toys. 

 

 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

This is great topic. Unfortunately I can not remember the very first.  We traveled a lot when I was younger and visited a lot of different stores. Most of which are no longer around. Several have already been mentioned such as  Kmart , Sears, JC Penny , Toys R Us, and 

But we also visited a lot of Department Stores both stand alone and Mall such as 

Zayre later had its own stand alone toy storesand other specific toy stores

Nothing like a trip down memory lane..

[Ceito]

Great topic.

My first memory would have to be Alexander's. They had a toy section, and I remember my mom buying me an R2D2 when Star Wars came out, then I was pretty much getting all the other figures every other week or so. Great memories, wish I would've still had some of them.