Where did you shop for toys as a kid?

[Compulsive Collector]

So prior to Wal-Mart driving most of the competition out of town, where did you go toy shopping with your parents as a kid?

We had Target stores before I moved to Charlotte in 1984, but there were none here when I arrived. Kmart was decent for toys, but my best Kmart score came on a road trip in the mountains, when I finally found a v2 Snake-Eyes in the spring of 1986. There was a regional department store chain in the Southeast called Richway, and they had four locations here, so we went there a good bit. Target bought out Richway in 1988, converted the stores to Targets in 1989, and then closed them when new stores were built in the 1990s.

I remember when the three large toy store chains opened locations here in Charlotte. Toys "R" Us and Lionel Toy Warehouse each built a store on Independence Blvd. and one on South Blvd. A third chain, Children's Palace, also opened a store on Independence Blvd. Children's Palace was the most exciting of the three (it's now a Laser Quest arena), but none of those stores are still open.

If you're from the Southeast, you might be familiar with Belk department stores. I don't know of any with a toy department these days, but I can remember finding Storm Shadow at the uptown Charlotte Belk store shortly after moving here in 1984. There were, of course, the Sears-exclusive Dreadnok vehicles, but Sears wasn't much good for anything else in those days, at least not around here.

The place that sticks out most in my mind was Hills department store, which you're not likely to remember unless you're from the Northeast. This was where I got most of my toys before relocating here, and the best thing about Hills was that they always had a great diorama set up on the end cap of the toy aisle. It was behind plastic, so you couldn't actually grab the toys, but they opened up some great stuff and put it on display. The location my family frequented alternated between STAR WARS and G.I. Joe in those days, but there was at least one Masters Of The Universe edition. I remember a Hoth diorama in the holiday season of 1981, complete with Imperial Attack Base, Hoth Ice Planet, AT-AT, and Snowspeeder. They did something with the Rebel Transport and filled it with figures the following year.

That store's toy department manager sure had a fun job.

[Monkeywrench]

Montgomery Wards and Holiday were the two big ones for me. We also ordered from the toy catalogs of Sears and JC Pennys. Later Toys R Us.

Holiday was by far the most frequent spot. They were like a wal-mart of today. My dad would go there twice a week for food, toiletry's and of course Joes.

[Lt. Faceless]

Sky city and Roses(before they were a step up from biglots) and Kmart.

[ceraurus]

I think I got toys from department stores here and there, but almost all of my memories are from TRU... with aisles so long and shelves so high.

[Hicks_Royel]

You know, I wish I could remember Children's Palace better... on a bright note, its location has since become home to a Best Buy, so in a way it's grown up with me.

But for the most part, most of my toys came from Wal-Mart or TRU or the old KB Toys in St Matthews Mall.

[ceraurus]

Oh, I forgot one. In the mall, we had a store called K&K Toys. At least, I think that's what it was. It was basically just like KB Toys.

[sharke]

k-mart and walmart sadly, though I do remember being excited about finding a Toysrus on trips before it was everywhere

[C.I.A.D.]

Awesome thread! Instant Nostalgia!

Ok, well, for those from NYC or familiar with it, back in "the day", there were a lot of Mom & Pop toy stores aaaaall over the place.

As for Bigger Retailers, the list includes:

Montgomery Ward
JC Penny
Caldor
Alexander's
Woolworths
Consumers

The Mom & Pop shops couldn't be beat though! There was one on the Concourse (Mega Huge road...think of your main "strip"..that's the Concourse), right next door to the Movie Theatre...so I'd always make my Dad buy me a toy before and/or after the Movie

Oh, and TRU, of course ;)

[M.E.A.T. VIPER]

I remember getting some great pieces at a place called Jamesway, and in North Jersey a small privately owned store called Ricks Toys. They had a 5ft high 8ft long section of all Joes pretty sweet for a small mom and pop store.

[The Fridge]

Great thread! We had a Roses and a KB in the Mall, but the best was a pre-TRU toy superstore called Tons-O-Toys. It was rght next to the movie theater where I saw ROTJ and E.T. with my Dad. We also had a huge Sears Robuck in downtown Augusta, GA. that had 3 stories. The bottom floor was all tools and toys. Montgomery Ward, and Service Merchandise were great spots for Joe hunting as well. There was also a True Value Hardware near my granparents house in South Carolina with a "toy attic". In 94, or 95 when I was in High School I was there and saw that they had closed the attic. I asked if they had any toys left up there, and the guy said sure but nobody had been up there in years (since WM came), he said I could take a look. I found the Dreadnok cycle MIB and he sold it to me for $3.
Again great thread, nice trip down memory lane. I wonder if any of the young bucks on this site are thinking "there was a time before you bought all your toys at Wal-Mart, or online?"