We used to live on the Westport line here in Fairfield. It was great! You could walk to the train station, the gym, the beach, the grocery store and even Friendly’s. What was the best, though, was the fact that Toys R Us was also walking distance. Until it closed, that is. If that didn’t happen, though, I don’t know that I’d be able to write as enthusiastically about the fact that we have TWO classic and unique toy stores here in town.
Blinns is in town, close to the Train Station at Unquowa Place. Blinns reminds me of the kind of toy store I grew up with. It’s the antithesis of chain store. There’s everything there from balsa wood airplanes to train sets to more high tech stuff that I’m completely unfamiliar with. There are the tried and true joy buzzers that you clip on your finger and shake hands with. There are ice cubes with bugs in them. All of the ‘old school’ stuff that I love! Heck, I could spend a few days just looking for stuff for myself! They even have, get this, Army men! Who even sells those any more? They have just about every doll you can imagine, not that I spend all that much time imagining dolls. I just see tons of them. Blinns has the feel of a place that has been around for years and years. The people that work there are knowledgible and seem to always be there. This is good because, even though I don’t know their names, their faces are familiar. It’s bad because I wonder if they take any time off.
Yellow Moon is on Black Rock Turnpike. It seems a little smaller, and it doesn’t have the same old fashioned feel, but there’s plenty of different types of toys to choose from and the atmosphere is very welcoming. Yellow Moon seems to have more of a leaning toward just a little bit more educational toys even though I’m sure, if you wanted to get a microscope, you can find one at Blinns, too. And the people at Yellow Moon are also extremely friendly and helpful.
Both toy stores have their own distinct flavor. Toys R Us had an odd habit of wanting just about every piece of personal information from me when I wanted to buy anything there. The last time I was there, I wanted to tell the woman at the cash register that I’d share all of my information with her if she did the same, but I thought better of it and said I’d rather not say. The fact that I had to say this, though, has always bothered me. At Blinns, there’s a decent chance that one of the people behind the counter will be playing a guitar. At both places, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll meet someone you know frantically searching for a present just before a party for a friend of one of their kids.
At both places, you’ll feel like you’re doing what you need to get done, maybe what you like to get done, and you’ll feel good knowing you’re supporting a local business that takes care of the community.
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