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Marin's Newest Toy Store is Crazy!

Toy CrazyMarin’s newest spot for fun and games, Toy Crazy, will open in mid May. Located at Marin Country Mart, the shop will offer a wide variety of toys from dress up to board games, dolls and more. Marin Mommies contributor Gabrielle Cullen sat down with owner Melissa Moore to find out a little bit about what makes her tick, inside tips on the best items for folks check out and other great info about Toy Crazy.

How did you end up as the owner of toy stores?

When I was in high school my father’s colleagues wife owned a local toy store. She offered me a job and I continued through college. On school breaks I’d work there. When I graduated I was offered the management job at Toy Attic, and I was hesitant but after a not-so-fabulous experience in the industry I had hoped to work in, I asked the owner if she would ever be interested in selling. She agreed and I managed with the intent to buy. It worked about beautifully for everyone.

Do you have kids and do they love the fact that you own Toy Crazy?

Yes they do! I have three, my youngest is almost is almost 13, so now they want to come work with me. They used to want everything, but now they say it’s time for them to make some money. We are a total game family, game night is every night, but I don’t think we ever owned more toys than other families. You wouldn’t walk in and say, “Oh, they must own a toy store.”

Why are independent toy stores better than big box stores?

As a mom, I want to walk into a store and receive personal service. Maybe I don’t know the right choice for a 10-year-old and having someone point me in the right direction is priceless. That’s what I try to provide at Toy Crazy. Our staff is well versed, I encourage them to take stuff home and try it out, we have a Game of the Week on the counter. For me, the joy of my store is the staff, we provide the editing for the customers. We also offer gift wrapping and local delivery, which are services you just can’t get from a big box store.

What are some of the unique toys the store offers?

I try to find as many toy lines made in the USA as possible. It’s hard but things are starting to pop up. There’s a fantastic wood line made in Vermont, Maple Landmark, they’ve been in business for about 35 years. It’s pretty cool, you can get toys personalized, for example, a car will come with the words, “Jason’s Jalopy,” right on the side. I’m always looking for stuff that’s outside of the box. We’ve got these adorable dolls, all cloth, handmade and musical. There’s a happy birthday doll, a swan lake doll. It’s make for a really different gift. Another line we love is Little Experience, a craft line that uses all organic products. These are my faves, I really feel like they set us apart from other stores.

What is so important about play for young kids?

I think we are all so busy, it’s hard to stop and take time to interact with our kids. The little time we do should be valuable. A lot of our products are open ended, and my favorite things are open play, there’s more creativity, there’s storytelling, something that creates conversation. I think it gives children confidence, makes them feel like a priority with their parents. Hopefully we’ll give them an allowance for creation in their life, not falling into the box and doing what they are told all the time.

What are three of your favorite toys?

My all time favorite is a game called Shut the Box. It’s a very simple dice game, an old English pub game, if you can count to 12 you can play, so even five-year-olds can be in on the fun. It’s so addictive, we have one on the island in our kitchen and I have a huge wood set in the store. I’m a big classic game girl so I carry all the old games with the classic graphics, including Clue and Monopoly. A new game I love is Blokus, a four-player game with tiles. Also, dress up is a big one. We carry Hava, a German line, Creativity of Canada, and Little Adventures. Expanding the imagination is so important.

Are you excited about your fourth store opening in Marin Country Mart?

The owner of the center is a close friend and he immediately thought Toy Crazy would be a perfect fit. I said no at first, since I’m based in LA, it’s just too far. But I realized I love this area, I think Toy Crazy will fit right in and hopefully we’ll be an asset to this community. So here I am and I feel so lucky. We are hoping to do a grand opening event with Farmshop and and the book store that’s opening, so it’s going to be a fun summer here!

--Gabrielle Cullen