Where are all the toy shops?

[Titan78]

I was just walking through the town today and realised all the shops I went to as a kid are gone. Just wondering if its the same everywhere else?

 

[pizzathehutt]

yeah not many about now, all I ever see is 'the entertainer' shops

the two I mainly visited growing up one is now an indian food wholesalers and the other is a steakhouse

 

[yoda]

It's the same around my area also I guess that's the power of the internet now. All the smaller shops just can't compete against the larger stores. Everything you'll ever want is just a few clicks on a button and it's at your door in a few days.

 

[peekaygee73]

Online/supermarkets/Argos/Toys r Us have pretty much killed them off. Of the 4 toy shops I frequented as a kid only one still exists.

 

[db94]

Our old toyshop closed down about a year ago, was a sad day for sure - whole generation of kids will grow up missing out on the magic of being in a real toy shop, a quick run down the toy aisle in Asda just doesn't compare.

I've actually organised some work training at the now empty shop - we're using it for an exercise tomorrow night. Went round it last week to check it over. Was such a weird experience - no toys but all displays are there, massive basement full of units and extra display units and man did I check every inch of that basement just in case

 

[Titan78]

I found this online, its a picture from the shop I used to use, the second picture is an army check point around the corner lol.

 

[Robstyley]

There's plenty down my way. We have The Entertainer, one called Toy Barnhaus which is a small chain I think and a big one here called Martells which has got everything. Also a massive Smyths in Crawley. No shortage of toys! Often in them with my nippers 8)

 

[Sabreman]

Funnily enough I was off work today, I took the kids into town just for a roam about. I decided to give them a history lesson of where the toy shops were when I was growing up. We had four independent toy shops in the Town centre, plus a huge Woolworths a huge Co op and a WH Smith's/ John Menzies.
We still have the WH Smith's but sadly the rest are long gone, all I have now are the memories of how good it used to be

 

[Titan78]

I forgot about woolys and the Co. Woolys always had offers but the Co-Op had massive displays Id try and replicate (terribly) I remember the Hoth and Dagobah displays, they had them made by a model shop and they looked superb. I remember them because they were dismantling them and I wanted a figure that they didnt have on card, the manager gave me him and a few other bits for 10p each. I wish Id took the display lol

 

[StarWarsFan]

Where I live there are hardly any toy shops, have a Toy master but its rubbish for Star Wars, apart from Super Markets there is nothing .

 

[TheWiseRabbit]

The same toy shop my dad first took me to buy Star Wars figures when I was a kid is the same one I bring my boy to now 35 years on. It's pretty much the only shop left that I remember from childhood

 

[Nita Nitro]

There's none of the toy shops left, where I grew up, as far as I can find. I do have a 'smaller' shop nearby, but it is still trying to sell Rebels figures at a higher price than they were when first released, so I guess they cannot compete with the large chains.
On another note, there is a model shop nearby who could tell me that they have issues with some suppliers because, where in the past they could order cases of things they needed/had on order, nowadays they have to order whole cases of the same item, making it difficult for a smaller shop to stock a good range of items.