Sure missing TRU and other toy stores this time of year

[Werewolf]

Child’s World/Children’s Palace were the best toy stores I’ve ever been in. Loved them!

I loved Children's Palace. It was an amazing toy store that looked like a little castle. Wowzers, I miss it.

[EmergencyIan]

^ It really was the best. We got ours about a decade prior to Toys R Us. We had an independent toy store and a Kay-Bee prior, but Chidren’s Palace left them in the dust.

- Ian

[PNGwynne]

I loved Children's Palace. It was an amazing toy store that looked like a little castle. Wowzers, I miss it.

I agree, it was my favorite, too. I only gravitated to TRU after CP closed. I was really fond of KB Toys as well.

[EmergencyIan]

I agree, it was my favorite, too. I only gravitated to TRU after CP closed. I was really fond of KB Toys as well.

Our CP was on its way out by the time Evansville’s TRU opened. Anyhow, I was entering junior high at that time and toys were on the back burner for a decade or longer after. Bad timing for TRU and me.

- Ian

[Klosterheim]

Yeah Children’s Palace had wonderful sales.

Micronauts
Battlestar Galactica
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi Speeder Bike Models
Indiana Jones
Many good things

[Captain]

In Canada all we really have for major toy retailers is Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. I moved to the Okanagan from Alberta last year and am finding the Walmart’s here are pretty bad at restocking. Lots of empty shelves....reminds me of Target Canada.
Really missed the Sears Wishbook this year, even though the stores barely had toy departments the last decade or so. RIP Sears Canada.
On the bright side;
Canadian Tire seems to be stepping up their toy efforts this season, and was impressed that the Bay brought in FAO Schwartz toy departments for Christmas.

[knight errant00]

Child’s World/Children’s Palace were the best toy stores I’ve ever been in. Loved them!
- Ian

I was in that young adult phase in life where I wasn't collecting and had no kids yet, but used to love walking into Children's Palace just to see what was out and take in the vibe. When I got married and we bought a house, there was a Children's Palace maybe a mile from us, and I looked forward to being able to take eventual kids there. Then it went out of business within the year

One that I thought was up there with those was called The Toy Chest. It was in St. Louis. I think it was part of a chain, but I’m not certain. It may have been local to the St Louis area. It was huge like Child’s World/Children’s Palace.
- Ian

That was the first mega toy store I remember here in St. Louis -- it always seemed like a chain, but there was only one location I knew of. That was the place I remember seeing all the Micronauts and Teen Titans and even the Kenner Alien figures. Used to love going there as a kid... it went out of business when I was in college.

UPDATE:

You got me thinkin' and looking around . . .

Here's a FB discussion on the chain (evidently, my 40 yr old kid memories failed me on that there were multiple locations all over town): https://www.facebook.com/pleasantfam...0251174009904/

A newspaper ad: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/142318466/

An here's their going-out-of-business commercial (around 1:48)

[comicmike]

I go to Toronto's Yonge-Eglinton TRU just to see the mechanical T-Rex. I always imagine I'm in the Batcave.

https://youtu.be/fqV1OnulZ-Y?list=PLXU52QMp_6DXXYE71R9w0xLMvWc3uXevr