Denver's Best Toy Stores
Everybody Needs A Favorite Toy
Everyone knows a child somehow, whether it's your own kid, your friend's child or just your friend who still wants to be eight years old. So where do you go when you want to get them a new toy? If you picked a national chain retail store, well, that's one option. But why not support local business, find even better toys and get help from dedicated salespeople? Shop the places on this list, and that's exactly what you'll do.
1. The Wizard's Chest
The exterior of The Wizard's Chest is far more suited to a spot in Disneyland than Cherry Creek North, but the latter is where our city's best toy shop is located. Even better, the store is huge: two stories and over 8,000 square feet of space mean plenty of room for all of the toys, costumes, displays, games and kids. Beyond even the general chaos of any toy store, The Wizard's Chest is always filled with activity, from a man teaching magic tricks to young kids noisily marveling over whatever is about to become the toy of the week. Be prepared: if you do take your child with you, there is no way you will leave without buying something.
2. Plastic Chapel
Located near such popular places as The Shoppe bakery (best known for its cupcakes), Hooked on Colfax and Twist & Shout music store, Plastic Chapel is more of an adult toy store than a child's shop. This has nothing to do with the content of the store, but instead the fact that many of the pieces are more artistic and expensive than a child will appreciate. These designer toys are more like collectable art pieces than the toys you use in imaginary tabletop space battles. So save the Plastic Chapel for when you're shopping for the trendy twenty-something or your friend who never quite stopped collecting toys.
3. Timbuk Toys
Though Timbuk Toys is a relatively smaller shop, it has a wonderful selection of toys. Less focused on the products that are popular for no reason whatsoever, Timbuk Toys has quality games, puzzles, plush toys and more. These toys range from things you'll remember from your childhood to unique toys created locally to items you've never heard of before. If you're shopping for something specific, Timbuk Toys might not be the best place to head, but if you need a toy for a child and you're just not sure what, the store could be the answer to all your shopping problems. There are even two stores, one in LoDo and one in University Hills Shopping Center, which makes the trip that much easier.
4. Into The Wind
Getting to Pearl Street in Boulder might be a bit out of your way, but Into The Wind along the pedestrian mall is more than worth the trip. Often packed during the weekends, the store takes its name from the tens of brilliantly colored kites that hang from the walls and ceiling. Rows of tubs offer up dozens of different little toys, from yo-yos to tiny wind-up dinosaurs. Other toys are definitely more adult-oriented, such as spark-shooting Nunzilla and bacon-shaped bandages. In the end, it is hard to tell who has more fun at Into The Wind: the adults or the children they bring along.
5. Kazoo & Company
Less than two blocks away from The Wizard's Chest, Kazoo & Company operates a much less ostentatious toy store than its competitor. Two stories of toys and games provide plenty of temptation for any child, as well as ideas for that upcoming birthday party that you still need to get a gift for. This is the perfect relief from the insane abundance of high-tech toys that glut the market today, and a wonderful return back to the durable, enduring toys that will keep a child's attention for more than a few days.
