The Play Store

Wow! It is so very cool to hear what people are saying about The Playstore.
From 1999 – 2006 I had the pleasure of managing this store. Not only did this experience give me a different outlook on life, it brought me to the reality that less is more, support those mom and pop shops and give to the next generation the gift of broadening their creativity.
We had craft classes every Saturday that were so fun to teach. When Spring came around all of the flower fairies, goose eggs, Ostimer wooden animals and Stieff animals were amazing.
Thank you all for those memories!

Just an update to all my fellow Unilocalers — The Play Store is now closed. They have transitioned ownership and this location has now turned into The PlanToys Flagship Store.
It looks much different from when I swung by, check it out!

The Play Store has closed, but the same owner (s) will be re-​opening it as the flagship store for Plan Toys.

I actually love this store. Of course, I wish the prices were a bit lower, but all in all the selection is the best I’ve seen for babies and toddlers. Two of my daughter’s favorite toys– a wooden trike and a wooden cart– came from this store. But– I just tried to visit the store (in yucky College Ave lunch traffic) and the shop had all its windows covered with paper. There was a very small sign on the door that MAY Have said it was closed for remodeling. Or it may have said they were closed forever– I squinted and drove by slowly but it was very, very hard to see. There is no information on their website and no one picked up the phone when I called at 4pm on a Tuesday. Boo. I really hope they are back in business soon– my daughter’s 2 year birthday is coming up and I wanted to see how she reacted to certain older toddler toys.
This might be a 5 except for the whole being closed without notice on their website or a phone message. :(
Sad, sad mommy.

Wow.
Super-​, knowledgeable, the staff here knows their stuff! And the selection is unparalleled; hand-​selected, safe, wonderful toys I’ve not found elsewhere.
I first found my way here when my daughter was 3 months old, after growing disgusted with Baby Einstein for failing to explain to me why my daughter’s «Take Along Tunes» was labelled unfit for throwing in regular garbage, and given a runaround answer via form letter. A friend tipped me off about The Play Store, and I can’t see shopping for toys anywhere else, now.
At our first visit, my daughter was 3 months old. We bought 2 rattles that continue to be my daughter’s favorite toys today. And the sweet staff person spoke with me, a new first-​time mom, at length about age-​appropriate toys and milestones — I really appreciate that extra step! And although I eyed more expensive, bigger toys, she told me to come back later — she cared more about us having a good experience than making the sale; the staff here are clearly true believers!
I sincerely look forward to my daughter’s 9 month birthday, at which point we’ll be asking the staff for help in picking out new toys that I am confident will become her favorites.

Beautiful store with a wonderful selection of toys that you really can’t find anywhere else. Beautiful, wooden toys of every shape and size. And, the staff and owner have many great suggestions for how to play or get creative with some of them. It’s definitely on the expensive side, but, they are wooden toys, mostly European, so they’re not cheap. But, you get what you pay for, toys that will last forever!

Great toys, good selection. Our kids absolutely love the toys that are carried here. If you want loud plastic toys that are going to be uninteresting after a couple of days you need to go somewhere else.
The store is a little pricey, and you may need thick skin: I have heard them tell people that if they interfere with free play on the toys they will make their kids stupid.

More stores should be like The Play Store in Palo Alto. After not being here for two years, I walked in the door and was greeted by name. That’s amazing. I was pleased that they still offer wonderful toys and service. The prices haven’t changed. Got a few special gifts for special little people.

I have now visited this store twice in the last 6 months (admittedly without my children in tow) and been greeted nicely both times. On my most recent visit I had a lovely conversation with one of the women about the origin of some of the toys and the manufacturing environment. She was very knowledgeable about her products and the toy industry as a whole. She was also helpful to me when I was selecting my items and even suggested buying LESS is MORE to allow children to use their imaginations. I ask you, what toy store are you going to walk into and they not only don’t try to upsell you, but they tell you why you should buy less?
I later spoke with the other woman there, who was also helpful. I am by no means able to come in and plunk down hundreds to walk out with bag loads of their merchandise. It’s quality not quantity and they have it! I found the prices of the items that I did purchase, and had well-​researched ahead of time, to be very competitive even with online shops.
It was a pleasure and we’ll be back again!

I’ve been to this store a few times and it’s always been pleasant but I do notice that the lady who is usually there can get impatience with some customers who are not ready to pay high prices for good quality products. This can definitely come off as snooty. The store itself is awesome with lots of unique toys you can’t get just anywhere and tons of train sets, airport sets and my son just has a blast when we visit.
Play Store, you just need to understand that not everyone wants to drop loads of cash for something that can potentially be broken or not played with in a few weeks.

This is one of the best toy stores around. They have a great selection, and the products are of the highest quality. No sweat shops involved, no toxic plastics, no battery operated noisy toys. The owners have gone above and beyond to make this store exceptional. Only downside is that the prices are a bit high, although competitive for what you get.

While this shop has lovely wooden toys, it hardly outweighs the feeling of sadness and tension that overwhelms me the three times I have tried shopping there. Each time I have been «helped» by different salespeople, so I don’t think there is just one sour grape to blame. I have been talked down to by one woman who overwhelmed us with with negativity and doomsday-​like scenarios if I let my toddler play with any other toy but this one; I have been watched like a hawk and frowned at b/​c my gregarious boy and toddler girl actually wanted to touch and sample the display toys while I followed them and advised them on good in-​store behavior, and I have been completely ignored by two salespeople in conversation behind the cash/​wrap while I tried interjecting twice with product inquiries. Combine that with the terribly high prices and the fact that I can find safe, sweet, tactile toys for healthy ECD from many other sources… I will not ever go into this store again.
I am a Palo Alto resident for almost 13 years. It’s simplistic to assign blame for the vibe in this store on its location. Palo Alto is full of lovely, down to earth people. There are many other shops that better represent what I love about living here.

I saw this store while driving by and made a point to go back. The inventory is gorgeous. It seems that toys today are all about sensory overload. They make noises, must include batteries, are painted in brilliant shades of neons, etc. Sometimes I don’t want to bombard my kid’s imagination with premeditated sensory overload. I was thrilled with the simple wooden designs here — better for the imagination and better for blending in with adult furniture. There are things in this store that you won’t find elsewhere, such as the gorgeous Noah’s ark and unique treehouse dollhouse. Definitely worth the drive and I will be supporting this independent store for the uniqueness it provides.

This store is so great and the ladies working there are really nice. They have such a great variety of plan toys! I like that they have a lot of wooden accessory toys too, not just all sets.

I like this store a lot. I am not sure why people wrote that it’s «snobby». Just because it’s located in Palo Alto does not mean it’s snobby people. You have a complex!
I’ve only been twice and both times I was greeted immediately and warmly. Today the lady working there helped me find a toy for a one-​year-​old. She demonstrated how to use the toys, explained how they could be used as the child ages too. She gave me plenty of suggestions and did not rush me while I browsed every corner of this delightful shop! Let me preface by saying I am a preschool teacher at an NAEYC accredited program and they have many things in their shop that we have at our program. It is geared toward open-​ended play, to allow children to come up with their own ideas of discovery. I love that.
What’s wrong with the staff trying to educate customers about child development? Isn’t it nice to go somewhere that the staff actually knows about child development and can appropriately give customers tips on how best to use what they are selling?
I ended up buying a wooden stacking set that is adorable with different colors and shapes which can fit together in all sorts of ways. I also purchased a small plastic ball. That’s right, plastic. It was the perfect size for tiny hands and I love buying balls for little ones. The lady even gift wrapped the present for me free of charge.
They have these really gorgeous tangram type wooden pieces that you can purchase which are pricier ($ 60 and up) but they sure are beautiful and I can definitely see why children who like to organize and create patterns of their own would love this. Believe me, as an early childhood professional, they have worthwhile toys for children here.

As a mother of Waldorf inspired family, I really can appreciate the selection of toys that are at The Playstore, I love the natural wooden toys that are difficult to find outside of the internet. I REALLY want to be able to support local businesses, especially those that carry hard to find items for my kids, but I have 2 issues with the store 1) the mark-​up on some items is criminal. There are a few instances where the price is about 40−50% above what I find online and 2) the customer service has a lot to be desired. I’m happy to drive across the bay from Berkeley to visit this store, but not when I feel patronized by the employees. I understand that it’s Palo Alto– but really, it wouldn’t hurt for the employees to shut up about all they know about childhood development and really listen to a customer.
I’d go back to be able to look at things I’m thinking about buying online. If the customer service were better, I probably would jut eat the difference in cost vs. shopping online, but it’s hard to support places where the employees are so rude.

The store has some very nice, German and Scandinavian wood toys. It is a very pricey store but you can still find good wooden toys under $ 20.
Some reviewers have described the store as snobby. I wouldn’t describe it as snobby but rather just cold and sad. I have never seen any store employee so long in the face and miserable. I have been there several times with my son and each time the same sales clerk appears to hate her job.
This employee is so unpleasant, that I now find her actually hilarious. Just the whole juxtaposition of a crunchy child, toy store and this unhappy, child-​hating person. It’s just so funny. It’s almost as if it is a parody of what customer service people should NOT do — like she is going to be in a training video demonstrating how to not treat customers. It’s just too funny.
Though I really love the toys there (though can’t even think about paying $ 90 for a NIC truck) I don’t think I will be going back.

LOVE the philosophy of this store and the stuff in it
minus 1 star for expensive and limited selection
but that is b/​c they only use companies that do good business practices e.g. not sweatshops, nothing from China. safe things like NOT treating the wood with bad chemicals
so for those of you who are freaking out like me about the whole lead paint and other badness. this is a safe place
they are so anal about being safe that they even only carry some of HABA b/​c some haba is made in china!
I don’t understand how the poster did not get help. it’s more like they don’t want to pressure you to buy b/​c it is only a 1 room store, so they leave you alone
but if you ask questions, they have lots to say/​teach you.
e.g. I asked why they didn’t carry eeboo stacking tower (which I love and baby loves) they said b/​c most likely made in china and uses some sort of toxic blue and possibly the company doesn’t insure equitable work place…
wow!
Then she asked how old my kid was b/​c this was on the phone and suggested good stuff. they know their developmental stuff and recommend good stuff!

I would like to nominate this shop for the snobbiest store on the Peninsula.
Oh sure, they’ve got lovely wooden toys, ever so beautifully crafted and designed to promote creative, imaginative, quiet play, but good luck getting help. Every once in a while I forget what these folks are like and I wander back in and immediately get reminded. Not only do they not welcome you into the store, they don’t even bother to come out of the stock room most of the time. If they’re on the phone, they don’t even attempt to make eye contact. And no friendly chatting while they ring you up either. I curse myself for spending money in here — more than once! But not again.

Driving by this place, I actually thought it was a place where your children can go and play at. Upon entering, I realized it was a toy store, and boy what a toy store it was. Featuring a lot of wooden toys which commercialized toy stores do not sell, this place has some really excellent ‘old-​style’ toys mostly from Europe including train sets, puzzles and more. Prices are higher no doubt, but these hardy toys will last forever if kept well. Truly a find amidst all those Barbie dolls and Power Ranger toys.