Sweet Holy Mother of Christ!!! DON"T PUT THAT IN HIS HANDS!!!…read more I hate this store with a passion. Stomping feet tantrum throwing kind of hate! This is the kind of store that every parent should avoid. Why? If you're a parent, or a kid at heart, you know exactly why I hate this store. They have every single kick ass toy under the sun...and yikes... the toys are also educational and beneficial to your child's development, and there is absolutely no way that you can walk out empty-handed. I think that my husband and I both had SUCKER stamped boldly on our foreheads. They have the full line of Melissa & Doug toys. I've never seen that many available anywhere. I am a sucker for their products. They also carry many vintage reproductions of toys that I had played with as a child. The store is neat, and easy to navigate and displayed well within your child's reach. Every shelf featured something to ooh and ahh about and brought back some really happy childhood memories. The staff? Grrr. Incredibly friendly. Too friendly, and too involved. So involved that they know how to close a deal! I would have been perfectly happy if they ignored me, because if they did, I wouldn't have spent so much money!! My son is always eager to make friends and their salesperson leapt at the opportunity. The two of them walked around like old friends, holding hands discussing the merits of various toys, while my husband and I trailed behind like hired help carrying his packages. He was in search of yet another replacement of his dancing "Puttin on the Ritz" skeleton. They didn't have it of course..but they did have a life size skeleton puzzle with all the parts named. And then that evil saleswoman..if she had a mustache and top hat...I could picture her rubbing her hands together smirking...places that box in my son's hand!!!! Pure torture I tell you! Once she did that ....it was sold! We ended up spending way more money in that store than I had anticipated....and my husband even bought a toy for himself. A vintage repro robot toy that he recognized from his youth. Besides the giant skeleton, we bought a ton of art supplies for his brand new art easel, and a magnifying glass because he wants to study bugs close up. We could barely carry all our purchases!

I went in looking for a gift for my friend's nieces. Rudest staff! Did not event greet me or offer…read moreany help of any kind. I would not recommend.

As a retired teacher, I now love shopping here for my grandkids. Unique gift ideas that are…read moreeducational! I would have loved a store like3 this when I was teaching. I appreciate the pleasant staff and that they wrap my gifts so beautifully. They have a FREE bookcase of used books, which is also popular.

This store is AMAZING!! So so so bittersweet that I found it as they began closing. I wish I had…read morefound it sooner but there's still so many amazing gems to be found!! Please do yourself a favor and stop in before they close for good! So sad what's happening to all the small business around.

"For here Am I sitting in a tin can…read moreFar above the world Planet Earth is blue And there's nothing I can do" Au contraire, Major Tom! There is so very much to do at Playoddity! Activity sets, classes, sets for the family. It is a bit confusing as this is a large open space. Lots of fun items.

Amazing, one of a kind concept. Very unique interior and products for special gift or if you are…read morelooking for something to do with your kids. Everyone at the store is super friendly and helpful. I also heard the birthday parties are awesome, we plan to schedule one for April.

This is the BEST comic store I have been to ever and the variety from comics to children's books in…read moreincredible and the prices are perfect I was able to get 6 comics for 20-30 bucks. The guy at the front counter is so helpful an his service In helping find something in the store is amazing also when you buy comics from there you can trade them in for different ones which is so nice cause I wanted to read a long series but only had enough for around 4 comics at the time so I bought the three comics and returned them so I could finish the series. Also they have action figures from marvel and I forget maybe DC. Also the quality of the comics are amazing no bends or scratches so overall this is an amazing comic store and I love going 5 stars all around a d I really hope for this business to continue.

I'm updating this as Jay's has really taken their shop to the next level. Improved store branding…read moreand decor. Increased square footage. Expansion of trades, back issue selection including plenty of wall books with keys and CGC. They carry all the associated toys, pops, statues,etc...but for me I'm there for the comics. Jay's easily has the widest selection of back issues (raw and slabbed) within an hour driving distance. Get in your car and check it out.

I acknowledge that your local game store is going to pull all sorts of demographics. As a parent, I…read moredidn't know what to expect bringing my 5-year-old into the local game shop. But this is definitely going to be a local store that we'll be going to a lot more, even if the prices are a little higher for them to make margins. This is the kind of game store I want in keep in our community! I'll admit I was a little apprehensive to engage with the staff at first due to my inexperience in this kind of envitonmemt, but my kid immediately gravitated toward the Pokemon cards behind the glass counter and we were asked if there was anything we needed help with. We have been looking all over for affordable, genuine cards to little avail. Unfortunately, the cards at this shop were all way outside our range (he's just trying to get started out): $45+ booster boxes or $5+ individual cards. We were obviously not going to be able to make a purchase today (looking for something like one $5 booster pack) but the team member was very helpful taking the time to explain the kids trading card market, suggest other places to look, offer advice on finding affordable cards, and let my kid take his time to pour over the cards behind the counter. On the way out, he generously shared a simple gift that meant so much for my kid. I don't know if he'll read this but thank you so much for making my kid's day - he was over the moon to have some Pokemon cards of his own to share with his friends at school. This is the kind of local game store that is a treasure to have in the community. I definitely will be bringing my kids around in the future to support it some more! Thanks again!

After having Sunday brunch nearby I was looking for video game stores to stop at on my way back to…read moreWisconsin. Everything Games was close by and open, so I drove over to check them out. The store is impressive. They have an awesome selection of retro video games, board games, LEGO, miniatures for Warhammer, anime related plush, sports cards, and card games like Magic, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh. There's even a good size gaming area where I saw people playing in a card game tournament. As good as the inventory was, their customer service was even better. A specific video game I wanted was priced $10 more than the current market value, so I brought that to their attention. Rather than getting mad and arguing with me about their prices, the employee pulled up the same website I was using for a reference and confirmed what I was seeing. He then adjusted the price without hesitation. Now that's customer service. I would glad to go out of my way to come back to Everything Games next time I'm in the Chicago area.

LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!! THEY go out of their way to help you find just the right gift!!!…read moreKnowledgeable and friendly staff, huge variety of hard to find toys and gifts!!!!! I GIVE THEM 10 STARS!!!!!!!!!

We love this toy store! They have an awesome wide range selection of toys to choose from and they…read moreget the newest toys before they hit other stores.

Japanese culture is the name of the game here. Yeah, you can buy most of this stuff for cheaper…read moreon-line, but where is the fun in being able to shop with your hands for all the plushies and collectibles available. They do a nice job of organizing here, and can spend a bit of time just browsing.

whoever can afford this place than you can afford to fly to. Japan, yes it's imported, in bulk the…read moremark up is robbery, no sales ever, employees get 10% off, joke

What a fantastic small business!! Allison was able to help me select wonderful learning and…read moreinteractive toys for my nephew and nieces. She asked me what their interests were and their ages. She showed me a great variety to choose from and I almost wanted to buy them all. Additionally she offered to order some STEM toys for a future gift. Highly recommend going here for the great customer service and wonderful selection.

I needed a gift for a kids birthday party and stopped in to Sage Explorers yesterday. Allison was…read moreso helpful. She pointed out several great options for a girl turning 8. She even demonstrated some games for me. They have a unique assortment of educational toys and brands that I had not seen anywhere else, including Seedling crafts and MudPuppy puzzles. They have a great selection for babies too. I picked up two items for the gift and she wrapped them beautifully. They just started doing kids birthday parties, too. I am so glad to have a toy store in town again, as I am usually grabbing a gift on the way to the party!

Deep inside the mystical labyrinth known as Gurnee Mills Mall, my twins stumble upon their personal…read moreMecca.... an anime store so glorious it practically glows w the light of a thousand Pikachus!! They finally found the merch they'd been hunting for like determined shōnen heroes on a filler-free quest. The place has everything.... anime figures, plushies, candy, snacks, Pokémon cards, Labubu, and enough Funko Pops to start a small collection. The deals are so good you'll walk out thinking you saved money while somehow carrying 3 new Funkos and a bag of Pocky the size of your torso!! If youre into anime things check em out!! You won't be disappointed!!