Marbles The Brain Store

My son and I always love coming to this store. The sales staff takes the time to explain the games, and even play a few rounds. After they get an idea of what types of games you’re into they make personal recommendations because they’ve played them all! Great store; a lot of fun. We’ve been coming for years and won’t be stopping any time soon.

Even after making a purchase in a child-​centric store, you refused to allow me to use your restroom facilities to change an incredibly uncomfortable infant in a diaper. I’ll gladly award five stars to your back alley bench though, which worked great in the pinch we were in. Will not return. I’d hate to think what would happen with an autistic child who needed the facilities immediately — signed, a teacher.

I’ve been to the other store in Old Orchard, and know what I was getting. Went straight to grab what I wanted. But had to flag the guy down to pay for my items. The guy than explain to me how my items are good buys for a 13 year old. The sales guys at Old Orchard, are way more helpful

What an amazing store with passionate employees!!! On our way to Le Chocolat we saw this store and since it’s getting close to Christmas we decided to stop in. We were instantly greeted and told to play with everything! Every item was more interesting than the last! We have a 4 yr old nephew and a 2 yr old niece to buy for and really like the idea of any toy being educational! We decided on the gray matter for our nephew and figure his dad will end up playing with it too since it’s so cool! We chose the sneaky snacky squirrel game for our niece.
The lady working was so friendly and helpful. She helped us choose the right toys for our family! Can’t wait to check out this store when we are in town again!

To tell the truth I probably would never come and buy something out of this store just bc I didnt get a hi or a hey how are you or nothing. I received no type of greeting when I came thru the store and it not like im hard to miss… it was only 4 other people in the store. I spent 15 minutes walking around just to see if I would get a hey do you need any help or hi but nope… nothing. .hmmm based off your customer service skills when will you go out of business so a store with real customer service can take your spot???
You dont even deserve the one star

I have been a fan of this store for a few years. I am always able to find something «different» for a couple of the more difficult people on my Christmas list. This year, though, I was in for a rude awakening. Their return policy is awful! I bought the $ 129 sphero 2.0 for my son for Christmas. He was so difficult to buy for and I thought I would take a chance. He opened it on Christmas Day and was curious. He opened the box and decided it was not for him and he would rather have the cash. No problem since I don’t want such an expensive toy to go unused. Well, I guess I have never needed to return anything here before, because to my surprise, returns are not accepted once you break the seal on the box. Really? Who has such a return policy? I can see a «restocking fee» but to leave me with a $ 129 gadget that will not be played with is pretty upsetting. There is nothing wrong with it — it was not even used, just looked at. I will definitely NOT take a chance on a gift again with this type of return policy! So, buyer beware… only purchase something if you are 100% sure!

Okay, you know how there’s at least one person in your life who you can NEVER find a gift for. They’re smart but getting them a book is dicey because they’ve probably read it (or you will totally get it wrong and feel like a failure). Gift cards are way too easy. You want it to be something interesting, something unique, something challenging, something memorable…
Enter Marbles! There’s enough smarty-​pants stuff in here to tease the brain of anyone: a «clever kid,» an older person trying to sharpen their memory, an average joe trying to challenge himself.
There are even collections dedicated to specific issues such as Alzheimer’s, ADD, brain injury and stress relief.
Definitely a worthwhile stop for any number of reasons. Head on down to Marbles and expand your mind!

It’s no secret that I’m kind of a nerd. but apparently this little shop kind of is a secret.
Board games are cool, okay? And the types of games (as well as books, puzzles, and other toys) are not your typical Monopoly or Connect Four. Yes, they’re selected as games that would stimulate and challenge your brain, but they’re also FREAKING FUN AND AWESOME. You can find anything from a game to help a small child learn shapes and colors to something you can turn into a drinking game. I’ve literally purchased the past three birthday gifts for my friends at Marbles.
Depending on when you go, you might get a super helpful game expert who can point you to the perfect game for you or a boring lady who sounds like she’s trying to make something lame sound cool. The latter confuses me but just relax and wander around the store a little. You’re sure to find something you like. Plus, you get to try out all the games and play with things!
Just try to get out before all the teenagers come in to play after school.

My girlfriend and I happened up this place while walking after a meal in downtown Naperville. We’re both nerdly board game people, so this immediately caught our eye (s), and we walked in after simply looking at each other and nodding.
It’s the type of game store for people who want MORE than Chess, Checkers, Life, Monopoly, Scrabble, Pictionary, etc. They have so many different games that are DESIGNED to stimulate your brain, and the cool part about the store, is that it’s laid out in sections of «this group of games stimulate this part of your brain» and «this group of games activate this particular cortex,» so you’ll be able to see ahead of time what the game might be like.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL… not only is the store sectionalized with excellent game descriptions, but there are also SEVERAL games that are out for you to play! There are usually two people in the store, and they make themselves constantly available to teach people those games that are out (or to give you a quick rundown of any games that are not already out to demo). They are very knowledgeable, and you can really tell they enjoy their job.
Probably my favorite store to visit in Naperville. Just sayin’.
While I’m on the topic of the employees there… We’ve only ever met the same two ladies so far — Sheryl, and Debra (I think her name is Debra anyway… I also believe she is the manager). They both obviously enjoy introducing people to new things/​games/​concepts/​strategies, and are VERY nice and helpful the entire time. Very smart ladies, always been enjoyable to visit their store.
We spent about 2 hours in the store on our first visit. Just sayin’.
They also have a «game night» every 3^rd Thursday of the month, just after what would be their normal closing time. At game nights, you can come in and play games to your heart’s content. It’s a great way to play games with a friend or two before you’ve decided whether you want to buy that one game you’ve been thinking about.
Also, we haven’t yet made it out of that store without buying at least one thing each visit. Just sayin’.

Located amongst the gourmet chocolate shops and antique stores in downtown Naperville is this little gem: A store for smart people! I’m no Mensa member, but I can appreciate the idea of combining brain stimulation with fun, so I stopped in to check out the merchandise.
I thought it might be kind of gimmicky, with As Seen on TV doodads or endless Sudoku books. Happily, this suspicion was incorrect. Instead, the cozy space has displays for games you can’t find at Toys R Us or Target with reviews and descriptions of how game play works, as well as various books and interesting flash cards or, for lack of a better word, toys (think Rubiks cube, but more sophisticated) that require more neurons than usual. There are various categories, depending on what you want to focus on: Critical thinking, visual perception, memory, and other areas of cognitive development. There’s even a special section focusing on the Chicago area, which included a book of self-​guided walking tours of the city, flash cards about various Chicago architecture and another set focusing on Chicago historical locations.
It seems like the target age group here is probably not as much for younger children – maybe junior high to adult. But if you have a bright kid, I’m sure there’s something here they’d enjoy at any age.
Prices seem pretty reasonable and I definitely plan to come back here to get gifts, especially with graduation season looming.

Not impressed. It really seems to be aimed at adults when I was looking for something to stimulate younger minds. The employee that was explaining some of the games to another adult in the store sounded more like some of those EXTREMELY boring professors you had in college.
Boy, that sounds like a fun game… YAWN.
I guess if you knew exactly what you wanted it might be a great place, but if you are looking for something new and exciting, you might be hard pressed to find it here.

I stopped in here yesterday during an exploration of Naperville. I really liked the concept of the store. they have a large assortment of games, puzzles and books. Some of my family members are jigsaw puzzle obsessed and there was a rgeat selection of challenging puzzles. I am a fan of Sudoku and puzzles books and ended picking up a couple of those. All in all a fun place !