Toys Et Cetera

Specialties

It is with great care that I consider the product we place on our shelves, trying my best to assure that all our playthings meet and exceed the highest safety standards. While physical safety is A#1, I consider the social and emotional health of the child to be equally important and carry toys, books, and games that help develop critical and creative thinking, self-​esteem, and constructive social values.

My stores carry the premier specialty toy lines for the young of heart of all ages, from infants through adults. As we have expanded over the years from one to four locations, I continue to seek out good craftsmen and clever toy inventors. From creative art activities to scientific pursuits to challenging new games to good books and lively music, our playthings tickle the imagination and expand the mind.

Online we have a small sampling of the over 10,000 toys we carry in our 4 stores in Lincoln Pk, Hyde Pk, Andersonville and Evanston.

Come visit, explore & enjoy!

Nancy

History

Established in 1976.

Toys et Cetera was born in 1976 in a small Chicago storefront to satisfy my need for better toys for my own children — toys that were educational, developmentally sound, and culturally sensitive. In 1983 I ventured to Evanston where I purchased a neighborhood toy store, Just for Fun, which had been on Main Street serving the children of south Evanston for over 50 years!

My children are now grown but my search goes on for quality toys from around the world. As we have expanded over the years from one to four locations, I continue to seek out good craftsmen and clever toy inventors.

Our toy shops are conveniently located in the historic neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, and Andersonville in Chicago and here on the original Main Street in Evanston. We strive to be as intelligent, unique, and interesting as the multi-​cultural communities we proudly serve.

Nancy

Meet the Business Owner

Nancy S.

Business Owner

After receiving a first-​class education at the University of Chicago, I went to New Orleans where I taught fourth grade in a poor community along the banks of the Mississippi. I was lured back to Chicago by my hubbie-​to-​be, married, moved to Hyde Park, and continued my education, receiving a Masters in Education. Joining a cadre of experienced and inexperienced teachers in a Ford Foundation experimental project, I team taught in an inner city school in the city. On maternity leave with my own children, I took a part-​time job as a bookkeeper for a small restaurant chain, where I became not only schooled in but fascinated by the workings of small business. As a young mother, I was confronted by the challenge of trying to find decent toys for my own children. This coupled with my new-​found passion to be an entrepreneur led me to open up the first Toys et Cetera in a small 600 sq-​ft storefront on Harper in Hyde Park. Currently in the HP Shopping Center, we now have 3 other locations.