I've challenged myself as of late to shop at local toy stores instead of the big box options, and…read moreThe Learning Tree might be the best in the area. It's pretty big, has a massive selection, and even offers a child sized door that kiddos can walk into on their own making it extra fun for them to explore. This place has been around since I was a kiddo and it still delivers. Pro tip: they will even gift wrap for you!

Some things you never outgrow, and for me, toys stores are one of them. While it's not me begging…read morefor everything I see, I know my 10 month old had a great time looking at (and tasting?) everything until we found her a new toy at The Learning Tree. I'll call out the elephant in the room and say that sometimes, yes, unfortunately for nice small businesses like these, it's easiest to order something off of Amazon and have it arrive on your doorsteps. However, there's a lot of value in supporting these local shops to offset that. For starters, they're very friendly here and help you out whenever you need anything. Secondly, you can make sure your little ones will like their toys before you pull the trigger. All those combine to also support a cool local toy store that adds to a sense of community. We found some great things for our little ones, and a few things I found to be too pricey for what they were. I think it's a nice little toy store in a family-oriented neighborhood and one we'll keep in our back pocket for gifts for sure.

I feel lots of affection for the concept of Yoki, so I'm going up to 4 stars although, it might be…read morea 3 some days. They have a great selection of Asian candies and trinkets and beautiful tea service sets. Where I get lost is the service - it's totally lackluster. For a place that is all about smiles and a great vibe, that dampens it for me.

Unique novelty shop full of fun Asian stationary, face masks, stuffed animals, snacks, dish-ware,…read moreand more. It would be amazing to see a bigger skincare section here someday; Korean skincare products are unmatched!

I am sorry to say this business is closed. It was my very favorite quilt shop and I miss it!read more

Such a fabulous shop! Large shop with 1000s of bolts in a variety of colors and themes. Kim Diehl,…read moreTula Pink, Allison Glass and other popular lines available. A wall of patterns and notions as well as a nice, big classroom. Employees are super friendly and helpful. I wish I lived closer to this store!

If you are looking for quality toys that are NOT electronic, you need to visit this retailer…read more I found them quite by accident. Our local library branch has a phenomenal play area in the children's section with wonderful wooden toys that keep children of all ages engaged. I've watched so many children play with these toys - and they sure did hold up well. My granddaughter's favorite was the doll house, so I went on a quest to locate a wooden doll house for her that was like the one at the library. After visiting multiple local stores and searching online, I came up empty-handed. I finally corralled one of the librarians on our next trip to the library. "Where did you get these wonderful toys?" And she told me: Constructive Playthings. After months of searching, I finally found the exact doll house I was looking for. Constructive Playthings also carries a wide variety of manipulatives, art supplies, blocks, dramatic play, science and music toys. The price was right for the doll house, but when ordering from this site (https://constructiveplaythings.com/), you do have to pay shipping (which can get kind of expensive, especially with heavy items). So worth it, though, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Ordering was easy; tracking and shipping details were regularly provided and my order arrived exactly when it was supposed to. High quality, too -- no particle board or cheap shortcuts. So impressed! I would gladly order from Constructive Playthings again. I encourage any parent or grandparent that is looking for educational - NON-TECH - toys for their little ones to also give them a look. You'd be amazed not only at the quality of these toys, but also at the hours of fun and discovery that your children will enjoy.

Where do you buy gifts if you want the recipient to think you're clever AND have good taste? Where…read moredo you go if you want to visit an inspiring retail shop? Not many better places than the museum store @ NAMA. I've been to the NAMA several times, but somehow I've never noticed this awesome gift shop tucked under a stairwell. I'm kicking myself for not going here whenever I needed a gift. I know what you're thinking...a museum gift shop? 4 stars? Seriously? LAME. I generally agree that gift shops blow. They're usually for stranded or overly excited museum tourists to blow money they shouldn't be spending. Many times these places are even tacky. I'd argue the NAMA museum store is very light on the tacky nonsense. Most of the stuff I saw there I'd like to own or found interesting. There is a overwhelming selection of awesome art history texts here. LIke WOW amount. Multiple books solely about peeps like Bruce Nauman, Cindy Sherman, David Smith, et al. If the shop was a wee bit larger I could see myself spending days here just browsing through all the fascinating art history books. Unfortunately, the size of the area doesn't lend to extensive browsing. Any & every "rock star" artists of the last thousand years is represented. Seriously impressive collection. There is also an extensive stationary & cards department as you enter. What struck me most about the gift selection is the amount of unique--almost quirky stuff. My sister has a salt and pepper shaker that i always wondered where she got it and sure enough here it is for sale at NAMA's Museum Store. The Museum Store is the type of place you'd go if you appreciate paying a little extra to shop inside a building designed by Steven Holl. It's a place to find gifts, books, & stationary with a touch of muted eccentricity. Not your everyday store with not your everyday items...

The Nelson-Atkins Museum, Rozzelle Court and The Museum Store for me is like getting a really big…read morehug of joy and happiness. It's the best trifecta in town. For me, I grew up in a very blue collar, factory, warehouse part of town. Going to the Nelson as a kid was life changing for me. It showed me that there was a different kind of life out of what I was surrounded by. Not that one is better than the other, just an expansion of possibilities. So I do realize that I have a heart string attachment to this place, but with perspective, I still feel all three aspects of this museum are exceptional and should be explored by all. The Museum Store (gift shop) is very well done. It's perfect for unique gifts, local gifts and not-as-readily seen mass produced retail items. They have an outstanding book selection with focus on art, artist, architecture and design. They also have a strong and unique card/ stationary area. Gifts for all ages and all people are easily found here. It's a great store to find a unique and personable gift at, all within the amazingly gorgeous walls of the Bloch building. Maybe that one gift you buy here will change the life of some young person you know too. If that's not a reason to shop here than I don't know what to tell you.

It's the post-Halloween season and from now until December 26th stores like win the attention of…read moremany. People need fake trees, ornaments, children-sized Santa dolls, holly and mistletoe and people get it everywhere, but no one does it better than this place. It is its lot in life and while places like Hallmark sell Christmas in all forms too, it does not sell it 365 days a year - that's where Holiday Magic comes in. I had to wait to speak to the manager for 30 minutes yelpers, 30 MINUTES. He was that busy - the lines were winding around the store, almost out the door. I had to wait my turn because people buying for Christmas can get a little crazy, you know - they were staring at me all wide eyed thinking I was trying to cut in. No - I just wanted to ask the manager how he managed to stay open for the entire year. But I got my answer without having to ask him anything. This store has insane foot traffic - AND according to the man, it was a slow day! It's at the heart of Crown Center and one of the first shops people go into when they visit because it's located at the top of the escalator between the first and second floors. There has been a Christmas-themed store open at this exact location for about 20 years - so if anyone wants to run a business that is seemingly untimely 10 months out of the year - these are the people to talk to. Once it was my turn to talk with the most popular man in Crown Center - he told me that ornaments were statistically (and I don't know where he got this information) purchased randomly more than any other item. He was saying, in other words, that people with no intent to buy anything would end up forking over cash for an ornament over anything else! That's crazy! But people are crazy and it works - the crowds made it look like Christmas was tomorrow. The owner's are not against selling a few other things not under the specification of holiday merchandise. In the very front, there was a tree decorated with Halloween ornaments and Halloween napkins were on a side table next to rows and rows of other Halloween decorations (I went to the store on Halloween) and people were emptying this part of the store for last minute things. In one of their many windows, they fashioned an entire Irish Christmas display to pull people inside based on the common heredity in Kansas City (a very smart move). I've already made a promise to return to buy a few Irish ornaments I feel my collection is lacking. It's very smart of them to headline this. While talking to the owner, he revealed to me that the new Christmas store in Town Center Plaza (3 French Hens) was opened by the same person who used to manage Holiday Magic - and having been to both, I can clearly see that this store is the better of the two. It has four times the merchandise and it has more options than just trees and ornaments. It's just as pricey as 3 French Hens - but better worth your time and more suiting to a variety of holiday needs for people (remember: 3 French Hens is for a merry Johnson County Christmas while Holiday magic is for a merry Kansas City Christmas).

They sell Christmas stuff…read more That's it. Unique things true, but that's all they do. It's a good shop for that purpose.

Super nice staff here. 2 different people greeted me warmly, and another asked if I needed help. A…read morefourth person at the register was so sweet and gave me a coupon for a month free of a new movie streaming service they have that sounds a lot like Netflix- excited to try it! Even 3 days before Valentine's Day, there were still plenty of cards to choose from, and they were re-stocking more as I was there. I love that they have all different price points. You can spend 99 cents on a card or 10 dollars- or anywhere in between, and the quality is high no matter what. They also have an amazing gift section- candles, jewelry, tea, magnets, puzzles, stuffed animals, shirts, stationery, the most beautiful wrapping paper and bags, Vera Bradley items... You name it they've got it. And the candy and chocolate- such a huge selection! From single serve truffles to Jelly Belly jelly beans to popcorn to high-end chocolates, just to name a few. Love it all. Even though the store is packed with stuff, it doesn't feel messy or crowded. It's very attractively laid out and extremely clean.

Glad it is still here - we are running low on hallmark shops in KC…read more Since the tragic loss of my lovely store in PV, this has now become my Hallmark go-to store. The store is very clean and well organized. Staff is seemingly friendly...the manager is quite attentive and helpful. They don't offer helium filled balloons which is too bad...cards and balloons should come from the same store in my opinion. Really wish this place wasn't so far from home...it is not conveniently located for me but alas, it is the nearest option now that Brookside and PV have lost their Hallmark stores...hope this one isn't next!

Super cute little gift and stationery shop. I stopped in while I was visiting family over the…read moresummer and was happy to see they have an online store now too. I tried to 'shop small' as much as possible this year and I found some really classy Christmas ornaments and other little gifts from their online shop.