If You Could Bring Back One Childhood Store...

[Wee67]

Damn the rules of business and the laws of time and physics! If you could bring back one childhood store, in all its glory, which would it be?
At first, I thought Kiddie City, where I got most of my Megos. I thought about walking down the aisles of toys and I exploded with bliss.



But then I realized how much more joy I'd get from walking down the aisles of Two Guys where they had Megos and so much more 70s goodness from vinyl records to tube socks! One of the Two Guys I used to hang out in, and hang out we did, had a mini-arcade in the back. We used to use the Lost World pinball machine as base when we played spring (or jail break or team tag or whatever you called it in your neighborhood). I can picture myself shoplifitng those cool red or blue-domed Tomy wind-up robots.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Hands down I'd bring back (or time travel to) our local Ben Franklin Store. I have vivid memories of the upstairs with boxes of Ben Cooper costumes, Beistle decorations, and their selection of Chistmas decorations and novelties, like those springy suction cup figures of Santa and Snowmen. Downstairs was the most magical place of my youth...Toyland. I bought everything from Mego Batman, to Colorforms, Poppa-Troopers, View-Master, Presto Magix and Colorforms in the 70s, and on to Super Powers, MOTU and Transformers in the 80s. I got my childhood Optimus Prime and a ton of GI Joe: RAH there as well.

The space has been home to many business, including, very briefly an antique mall, that had vintage toys downstairs. It's a restaurant now, and the stairwell is covered over. I still feel like there are cases of Megos and AHI Bat-vehicles in that basement, but I know there aren't.

[SeattleEd]

For me, growing up in Hollywood, it would have to the 70's version of Hollywood Toy shop which is now the Hollywood Toys and Costume Shop. Got my AT Bulletman and GJ Joe accessories there as well as POTA Cornelius model kit; and some Star Wars figures when they came out, which they had a HUGE wall of them and the 12" dolls. Of course, they had rows of boxed Megos which was a beautiful thing to behold. I recall seeing so many Wizard of Oz boxed Megos and I mean a whole endcap. They had another shop called Sunset Toys in Echo Park and that place was bigger and became my go to for star wars figures as they always had a huge selection. Here is a photo of Hollywood Toys back in the early 80's. Currently it resides next door at the former JJ Newbury location.


Next would be Bert Wheelers Toys and Hollywood Magic shop on Hollywood Boulevard. This place was super cool as it focused on magic tricks, Universal Monsters, and other monster franchises. Going in was a blast as we would get shown free magic tricks and see monster costumes and masks. Then the toy section had the best collection display of Matchbox and they had a strong selection of Megos and Star Wars figures. This place was located down the street from The Egyptian theater that coincidentally did the premiere of Empire Strikes Back. We managed to get tickets for the second day and while waiting in line, my brother and I saw a kid holding a Snowtrooper figure which we thought hadn't come out yet. We asked the kid where he got it and he said Bert Wheelers. Of course, after the movie, we walked over to the shop and scored one as they had one left. My brother got it. I went for a matchbox.


And of course the classic TRU with the original architecture brown roof and rainbow stripes and Geoffrey display out in front.

[Xavion2004]

It would be Kresge’s for me, complete with greasy spoon diner. A new Mego in hand, and a burger for lunch are some of my fondest memories from my childhood. I miss five and dime stores in general. Even in my late teens I was going to the local Woolworth’s and raiding their magnificent selection of $1.00 K-Tel and Ronco albums from the 70s.

[Wee67]

Hands down I'd bring back (or time travel to) our local Ben Franklin Store.

I feel like I really missed out with no Ben Franklins in Philly. How could we not have a store called "Ben Franklin's" in Philly?!?

For me, growing up in Hollywood, it would have to the 70's version of Hollywood Toy shop which is now the Hollywood Toys and Costume Shop.

Next would be Bert Wheelers Toys and Hollywood Magic shop on Hollywood Boulevard. [/IMG]

Thanks for finding pics of these two stores. They look drenched in 70s/80s goodness!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I feel like I really missed out with no Ben Franklins in Philly. How could we not have a store called "Ben Franklin's" in Philly?!?

I have no idea! No offense, you did miss out! Our little town didn't have much going for it, but that was one of them!

Apparently Ben Franklin stores are still around as craft stores. Ours turned into that before it pulled out. There was one in my college town when I first started attending there nearly 30 years ago. It was a craft store too, and it vanished by my sophomore year.

[Mikey]

Rockaway Sales

They had EVERYTHING including being my Mego connection

[Werewolf]

Ben Franklin was an awesome little store. They always had a nice but small toy selection. I remember my Mom finally found Trap Jaw and Tri-Klops at Ben Franklin.

[TrekStar]

Around here it was Child World where I got all my carded Star Trek Megos and also Kresge’s at my local town mall had the carded WGSH and window boxes and they also had the ahi monsters, plus the greasy spoon diner, grilled cheese with french fries and a coca-cola.

[Dark Shadow]

For me, growing up in Hollywood, it would have to the 70's version of Hollywood Toy shop which is now the Hollywood Toys and Costume Shop....

I didn't discover this place until the late 90's, they still had quite a bit of great toys and models back then. But man, that must've been a magical wonderland in the 70's!!

...This place was located down the street from The Egyptian theater that coincidentally did the premiere of Empire Strikes Back. We managed to get tickets for the second day and while waiting in line, my brother and I saw a kid holding a Snowtrooper figure which we thought hadn't come out yet. We asked the kid where he got it and he said Bert Wheelers. Of course, after the movie, we walked over to the shop and scored one as they had one left. My brother got it. I went for a matchbox.

That's where my Uncle & I went to see Empire too! We stood in line for like two showings before we got in to see ours. Such a great memory, and what an awesome theater to take in a movie.

And of course the classic TRU with the original architecture brown roof and rainbow stripes and Geoffrey display out in front.

Our TRU had a similar store front and was adjacent to a Whitefront, another great store to shop in!

[Goblin19]

Children’s Palace. Did most of my toy purchases there as a kid. A few years ago, the store that is there now was replacing their sign and you could still the shape of the towers that used to be on the old Children’s Palace sign.

[mike69]

Woolsworth. I got a lot of my megos and other toys from there. Not to mention they had a great restaurant too!

[drquest]

Our local Woolsworth as well. Lots of great toy memories there, plus our 3D Discount store.

We had a small "dime store" as my grandmother called it, and it was a Murphy's. Lots of memories of being in there as well.

I'd take all three of these back for sure.

[Brown Bear]

Fantasy Comics, with their ten for a dollar comic bins and Star Wars arcade at the back.

[Confessional]

In retrospect, kids my immediate area really had it good with a Kmart, Woolco, Hills, a department store with seasonal toys, and a couple drug stores all within a mile of each other. It was captivating and seemed never-ending then, but nothing remains now.

For a few years in the mid-70's there was even a small independent toy store (tucked in-between the shoes stores on the north side of the Liberty Plaza) in the mix, and that's the one I'd want back. Most folks I grew up with only have a vague memory of that store and I've never been able to find any photos or even verify the name, but that's where many of my Apes came from (a big simian endcap & countertop super heroes!) … and also where my pops would take me for a surprise visit on a great day of palling around.