Not into online shopping? Try one of these 11 Milwaukee-area toy stores.
With Toys R Us not an option this holiday season, lots of parents are turning to Amazon and places like Target and Walmart to do their toy shopping.
And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with those options. You can’t knock the convenience of finding exactly what you want online, and what mom doesn’t love a Target run?
Still, there are plenty of small, independently owned toy stores in the Milwaukee area for those who want to shop local, or get that more personalized, inperson Christmas shopping experience.
From stores that sell only toys made in America, like Cedarburg Toy Company, to stores where the focus is a bit more eclectic than just toys, like Fischberger’s Variety, to stores where the merch is way more eclectic, like American Science & Surplus, here are some great local options for your toy-shopping needs this holiday season.
Allison Wonderland
720 W. Main St., Lake Geneva 472 N. Pine St., Burlington
The family-owned business has been around since 1972, and they pride themselves on not selling toys just because they’re trendy. You could call them trendsetters.
“We try to find new and exciting things that are unique and that people have never seen before,” said Chris Springer. “When those things become popular enough that the larger stores want them, that’s when we stop selling them and find something new.”
American Science & Surplus
6901 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee Bill Jarrett, the marketing director at American Science & Surplus, said his store is known as the place to go for crazy stuff like stretchy, squeezy bananas.
Toys abound at Silly Willyz toy store in Pewaukee. Or gas masks. Or gears and motors to build a robot. Basically, a great place to go to get a crazy white elephant gift for the holidays or something fun for the kids.
“We’re the place where people ask, ‘where on earth did you find that?’ ” Jarrett said. “We’re experts when it comes
to weird stuff. We play with everything and know how it works.”
Board Game Barrister
Bayshore Town Center, 5800 N. Bayshore Drive, Suite, A-115, Glendale
Mayfair Mall, 2500 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa
6120 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield Gordon Lugauer, the owner of the Board Game Barrister, has a passion for, well, board games. The employees at his stores can tell you all about the games they sell, and Lugauer said playing board games is one of the best ways he knows to get families spending quality time together.
Cedarburg Toy Co.
W62-N583 Washington Ave., Cedarburg
Natasha Loos points out that she and her employees know all about what they sell at Cedarburg Toy Company, which comes in handy especially on Christmas morning.
“No one wants to read the directions anymore. The best way to learn is to have something demonstrated for you,” she said. “So, when you buy a toy from us and we show you how to use it, you’ll be ahead of the game when it’s time to open presents. Your kids can just jump right in and play!”
Fischberger’s Variety
2445 N. Holton St., Milwaukee Sarah Ditzenberger, the owner of Fischberger’s Variety, sells more than just toys, but the toys she chooses are ones that remind her of her own childhood.
“I loved the old Ben Franklin growing up,” she said. “That’s the type of store I wanted in this neighborhood. Somewhere that if you could find a little bit of change, you could bike down and buy a treat.”
Gift of Wings
9955 W. St. Martins Road, Franklin 5608 Broad St., Greendale
1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive in Veterans Park, Milwaukee
Scott Fisher, owner of Gift of Wings, is pretty famous in Milwaukee for the kite festivals he holds at Veterans Park several times a year. They turn out to be the perfect location for kite-flying, as Fisher said the wind off the lake and the wide-open areas are great for kite-flying. And, luckily, those kites can be bought at his three stores — and flown — at any time of the year.
Little Monsters
2445 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee Little Monsters is a toy store, yes, but it’s also a great place to buy adorable children’s clothing, including fun stuff like unicorn headbands and bunny earmuffs. And, if you need ideas, owner Andie Zacher keeps the store’s Facebook page updated with tons of photos.
Ruckus & Glee
805 N. 68th St., Wauwatosa
Sarah Fowles and her husband, Matt Poulson, co-own this toy store in Wauwatosa. Fowles is a certified play expert, and she trains the store employees to be able to understand the benefits of each toy.
“That’s definitely something you don’t see in a big box store,” Fowles said. “We don’t leave you on your own to figure out which toy is best for your kid.”
Silly Willyz
161 W. Wisconsin Ave., #1H, Pewaukee
Silly Willyz is right across the street from Pewaukee Beach, so, during the summer months, it’s the perfect place to go for all your sand buckets and beach toys. But, Jackie Schoenholtz, the owner of the store, assures customers that the toys she sells are worth a trip all year round.
“One of the benefits of specialty toy stores is that there’s a larger variety of really good quality toys and more unique toys,” Schoenholtz said. “The owners of these stores really think about what they bring in. Everything is bought with a purpose.”
The Smiley Barn
2420 Milwaukee St., Delafield Residents of Delafield can all tell you where the Smiley Barn is. The historic barn was a landmark for years before the smile disappeared in the early 2000s. But now the smile is back — along with a toy and candy store that opened at the end of the summer.
Maria Luther, one of the owners of the store, is excited to have parents shop there this holiday season.
“It’s great for parents to get out of the habit of buying cheap, plastic toys that don’t last and don’t continue to hold attention past the first couple of days kids get them,” she said.
Tosa Block Party
7251 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa Tosa Block Party is different from any other store on this list. In fact, when Scott Shelnutt opened the store — which focuses on everything you could think of that has to do with Lego — his plan was to have an event space where birthday parties and building events were held. But, when people asked him if he would sell some of his Legos, he didn’t see why not, and decided to open the space up to retail as well.
“People are always welcome to come in and ask what we have,” Shelnutt said. “I will sell and trade, and if people are looking for something specific having to do with Lego, I’ll hunt it down for them.”
Amy Schwabe is editor of Wisconsin Family. For more family-related stories, see jsonline.com/life/wisconsin-family.