05 January 2012 -- New Listings Online
The eBay store is going back online, bit by bit. You can find some discontinued Playmobil, Lego, and Schleich so far, and we'll be adding to it daily (there's a lot to add!) You can navigate to the store by clicking the link at left under "Find Us on eBay".
03 January 2012 -- Just a Reminder
We're back to regular store hours.
- Monday through Thursday . . . .9:30 to 5:30
- Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30 to 8:00
- Saturday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30 to 5:30
- Sunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CLOSED
If you want to come down but are not sure whether or not we're there, just give us a call at 613-968-6500.
07 December 2011 -- Christmas Hours
- Sunday 11 December, and Sunday 18 December: 12 noon to 5 p.m.
- Monday through Friday 12 December to 16 December: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday 17 December: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Monday through Friday 19 December to 23 December: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday 24 December (Christmas Eve!): 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
05 November 2011 -- Lots of new items have been added today to the listings here on the website, as we present the contents of the Neighbourhood Toy Stores 2011 Catalogue. We're not finished yet, (that's a job for tomorrow!) but as of now you might want to take a look at the Latest & Greatest, Active Play, Creativity, and Finishing Touches categories.
Stay tuned!
Christmas Catalogues 2011
Christmas catalogues are going out next week in the local newspaper, the Belleville Intelligencer. We also have limited copies of each catalogue available in-store for those customers who don't get the paper delivered, or who happen to miss the flyers.02 November 2011 --
We're doing two separate catalogues this year: the first is from Melissa & Doug and contains items from that line exclusively; and the other is the more eclectic Neighbourhood Toy Stores catalogue, jam-packed with old favourites and interesting new toys and games.
One pick from the new edition of the Neighbourhood Toy Store catalogue are the Walkaroo Stilts from Geospace (CAD$49.99). These are adjustable for both big and little people, and will bear up to 250 lbs.
The stilts are designed to be ergonomically correct, with the curved shoulder support enabling users to stand in a relaxed upright posture. Comfy grips and non-slip rubber pads help keep kids on their feet. Easy to learn and easy to use!
Calico Critters has introduced some new items to a beloved line with the Convertible Coupe (CC2223, CAD$52.99), the Caravan Family Camper (CC2133, CAD$74.99, pictured at right but does not include Critters shown), and the Yellow Lab Family (CC2018, CAD$24.99). Calico Critters provides oodles of imaginative play value with carefully-detailed furniture and accessories, and the softly-flocked Critters are both personable durable. Highly recommended.and
We'll be renovating the website over the next weeks to reflect the new catalogue contents. Stay tuned!
Annual Sidewalk Sale Saturday 16 July 2011
14 July 2011 -- Sale Sneak Peek! Starting today, we're marking down the following items for today, Friday, and Saturday:
- Karito Kids dolls (Piper seen at left) - regular price $114.99, now $68.99
- Only Hearts Club - 40% off all dolls and accessories (prices vary)
- My Paintable Boots - regular price $29.99, now $17.99
13 July 2011 -- For one day only! Everything in the store will be discounted so that you save the HST (the price you see will be the price you pay). Clearance items, ends of lines, and other odds and ends will be ticketed up to 50% off. Supplies will be limited and there can be no layaways or special orders at these prices.
Scalliwag Toys Goes Online
01 May 2011 -- Collectors of rare and vintage Playmobil, Lego, Schleich and other toys can now check our eBay store for discontinued items. The inventory is always changing, as many items are one-of-a-kind, so come on by and take a look.
You just might find something that you didn't know you wanted!
New Puzzle Series
02 February 2011 -- Fans of classic photographic jigsaws have cause to rejoice, as one of our finds at the 2011 Canadian Toy Fair was a stellar line of 1000 piece cardboard jigsaws from Lion Rampant. Twelve staggeringly beautiful designs are available (at left, LRP1006 Row Upon Row), all printed on dust-free blue board and textured for a matte finish. These puzzles are manufactured in the Netherlands. Pieces are 1.9mm in size.
We're very excited about these, as many of our customers prefer photographic puzzle art and it has been a long time since we have seen a dozen new designs as nice as these.
The puzzles have been ordered, and they will retail for about CAD$21.99.
Harry Potter Lego Back in Stock
02 February 2011 -- We received a shipment of Lego yesterday morning (hooray!), including #4842, Hogwarts Castle (above); #4841, Hogwarts Express; and #4736, Freeing Dobby. They join #4737, Quidditch Match, on the shelf. These are beautiful sets, with oodles of play value.
We also received a fair amount of Duplo (both basic block sets and play sets), and some Lego City pieces. The Lego section is starting to look normal again, though it still has a ways to go!
Series 3 Mini Figures from Lego Have Arrived!
28 January 2011 -- We received our January shipment of Series 3 Mini Figures late this week. They are on the counter, priced at Lego's suggested retail of CAD$2.99. We haven't instituted any purchase limits (did you know that Lego restricts you to 16 packs if you buy online?) and they are selling briskly.
And they are awfully cute, and very collectible.
Series 4 (at left) is projected to ship in April or May (we'll keep you posted), and Series 5 in August. The figures shown at left are: Surfer Girl; Sailor; Garden Gnome; Kimono Girl; Rock Star; Monster/Frankenstein; Viking Warrior; Werewolf; Ice Skater; Hockey player; Skateboarder; Football Player; Radioactive Suit; Musketeer; Artist; and Mad Professor/Scientist.
We've also received about 30 cases of other Lego so far, with lots more to come. We're meeting with Lego this week to place our major orders for the year, so look for tons of amazing new products to make their way to our Lego section over the coming months! (Here's a hint -- Pirates of the Caribbean in May! Yessssss!)
New Lego Arriving Soon
11 January 2011 - Our Lego section was reduced to practically nothing -- empty shelves everywhere -- by Christmas Eve, but we've already placed four orders so far this January. The first bits (some new Harry Potter, some new Star Wars, some classic Basic) should be arriving within days. We have also ordered in Series 3 and Series 4 of the Lego Minifigures, though there's no word yet on delivery date for those (they're ordered using a different method, and they are incredibly in demand). We'll keep you posted through our Twitter account -- just click the link on the bottom of the red side-bar (Tweet Tweet!) to find us.
Choosing Great Toys
A local moms' group asked me to speak to them this past autumn on the topic of safe and appropriate toys, which was a lot of fun for me (I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did.) I promised to link to my notes, since I hadn't made any copies to give out.
So, here's a link to the PDF I used. I'll try to expand it all a bit and put a fuller explanation onto the blog over the next while.
Back in Stock: Family Pastimes Games
We've just received an order from Family Pastimes of Perth, Ontario. We've been carrying these amazing cooperative games for almost 20 years, and they have just as much appeal now as they did back then. These are great games for the very young, as the fact that they are cooperative means no (or fewer) tears as a result of losing -- either everyone wins, or no one does. See Richard's favourite, Harvest Time, here. Karin's pick for ages 4 to 7 is Princess.