Bottom Line: Unique and quality toys and friendly service…read more OBX Toys and Engraving, formerly Monkey Business/Make it Personal, opened around June 2020 on the bypass/Hwy 158 at MP 13.5 in the same shopping center with Sound Feet Shoes and Radio Shack (maybe in Yellowhouse Gallery's old spot?). I enjoyed wandering around this toy store. I was looking for a family friendly game but I wasn't able to make a decision so I moved on to checking out the plethora of Melissa and Doug toys and the Create-a-Critter machine. I've always been a Melissa and Doug fan because I feel like they make quality, timeless toys. I like their wooden puzzles in particular but they offer offer lots of great toys. Anyone who likes Melissa and Doug will probably appreciate the diverse selection at OBX Toys. Create-a-Critter was new to me. Lucky for me there was a little boy making a bear so I got to witness a little bit of the creation process. Basically, Create-a-Critter is like Build-a-Bear. You pick the critter you want to make yours and then the staff help you use this big gumball-machine-looking-thing that fills the critter to make it a plush toy. Critters start at about $20 and then you can pick out outfits and such. In addition to selling toys, including hosting Create-a-Critter birthday parties, OBX Toys also has an engraving business. I saw some of their samples but didn't get a very close look. Also, I saw an advertisement that says they do gender reveal boxes which seems like a neat idea. I didn't interact with the staff while I was at the store but I saw them helping other customers and could see how kind, patient and helpful they are. I definitely plan to return the next time I am in the area.

From the owner: Welcome to OBX Toys and Engraving. Party event fun! We cater to birthday and children's parties…read more Take a look at our photos and book your party or pick up to go kits. Paint parties are also available. Layered art ornaments We also offer custom engraving services. Get your products in as little as 1 week. We offer some day service for an additional rush fee. If you can imagine it we can create it. Call or message me for availability and pricing!

Cute toy store. My daughter likes to stop here every time we are in town. This time she got…read moreShopkins. She was happy with it.

Bottom Line: Interesting and quality toy shop in the Scarborough Lane Shoppes…read more I really enjoy looking in independent toy shops because they always have interesting and quality toys that are not run of the mill. In the case of Toyriffic, I was immediately drawn in thanks to the G scale train weaving in and out of the store. Inside the store I particularly liked looking at the stuffed animals, Ravensburger puzzles and interesting games.

This store has strong, local roots and a quality experience for cards game tournaments (Magic and…read morePokemon presumedly), video games, comics, and a few tabletop board games in the back. A friend of mine was raving about this place and I had to take him to this place because they are not able to drive themselves to it. His wife's sister needed help with trying to fix an Atari system. We tried to buy an extension part from them and they didn't have it in stock. Too many logistics to try to get it later as I would not be around. It certainly didn't hurt that the worker at the time recognized my one friend's sister from a decade or so ago. The problem was probably that the specific TV model would not properly take any additional connections even though it had certain ports. There was so much back and forth and trying to order this and that that it was quite tiring for me. Galactic made that process a bit easier. They tested the woman's Atari. Ok my last day, my one friend had me make a request to return a device with no receipt. They refunded me even though I misunderstood from my friend what the device was and why they ended up with it to begin with. As a tourist to the area, I did not know about the separate space for the game room (there is another store between their store and their game room). But it makes sense because they have a tournament or some event occurring daily. There is also a back entrance/exit from the plaza for cars that is not obvious. As a separate online observation, Whether the comic book prices are above ebay prices not, if you don't want it, don't buy it and don't complain about that. These kind of games and comics stores and ones with super nice people are harder to come by. The convenience is worth it if things are priced more. You can see an item beforehand in a store but not online and maybe the online item's quality is not as good. I don't feel that this invisible cost and the potential additional costs to maintain the store were properly factored in by that others potentially and those things are important too.

This place is a scam for online orders. They don't ship their product and then ghost you. Do not…read moreplace any orders with this fraudulent business. I currently have a case open with the North Carolina attorney general office against them.

Fun little toy store located on the Boardwalk. This store wraps around the ice cream stand that…read morealways seems to have a line outside. Inside the store is filled to the brim with tons of toys. Most prominent are items that you could use on the beach and stuffed animals of the marine variety. Other toys can be found within as well, you know, those toys that are basic at any other store you can stop at. Only downside here is the price markup for said toys. While some of these toys may be harder to come across while at a department store, there is no need for the price hike just because this is a toy store. Customer service seems to have improved from prior reviews. Smiles all around while we were in here.

This is our go-to toy store in the Outer Banks! I was hesitant to stop in during the height of the…read morepandemic but I was so happy to see that they cared about their employees and customers with their mask policy!! Its a big part of the reason we keep going back during each visit. I was disappointed too see that selfish people left negative reviews because of it. The employees are really courteous and helpful. There is such a great selection of toys for all ages and so many quality books to pick from too. My kids love the 'gems' and fill the tube animals. Some of our favorite toys came from here.

Sweet older lady working there! Super friendly and chatty! Hahah saw my BF holding a couple shirts…read moreand offered to take them and hold them up front for us while we shopped around. Although not the biggest store I personally think they had a decent selection of clothing. Even had jewelry, drink ware, knick knacks, toys, and a few more random things. Side note! So fun fact... I'm grossed out by stickers. I went to parrots bay and framers daughter earlier in the week (which btw are the same place, like they sell thee EXACT same thing and I mean everything is the same) but I digress; they put a white sizing sticker on EVERYTHING!!! hated it and didn't buy anything because it grossed me out. While Grays did have size stickers on some of their shirts I'd say probably about 50% or more didn't have a sticker. Therefore, I absolutely loved this store! And ended up spending way too much money in there Lastly, I believe it's locally owned! 10 out of 10 loved this store.

I remember the early days, when Gray's was on the beach road in that old cinderblock building. Mom…read morewould shop while my brother and I played with the tom-toms and other toys conveniently located under the many racks of clothes. It was good times! Last June, on our anniversary, my hubby and I slipped down to the beach and stopped in, it's been over 50 years now. We bought six items of clothing, and I'm super pleased with all of them. The sweats for me (lovely willow color with a zippered crop top) look great on me, they're soft and wash well. I've worn the black cropped knit sweater many times, it really dresses me up. The hubster got three sweat shirts, and they all fit REALLY well. Not too snug, not too baggy. They look good, feel good, and wash well. We've planned a little day trip to the coast to add more of these quality clothes to our wardrobe.

The ice cream was pretty good, but ordering inside the shop was a bit chaotic. The menu & check out…read moreflow is really challenging when there's a family with kids and a few other people in line. We went on a Monday night so didn't think it would be as busy as on a weekend, but that experience definitely dampened the enjoyment.

This was mostly a toy store with a small section where ice cream was ordered. It also seemed like…read moreice cream could be ordered on the outside at certain times too. They had a number of homemade flavors to choose from. The staff was friendly and patient as we decided what to order. I had a small cup ($6) of their amaretto cherry tide. There were chocolate shavings with enough of a cherry taste as well. The ice cream as a whole was very fulfilling and creamy. There was a subtle amaretto flavoring, but a big cherry in my scoop had plenty of the amaretto flavoring. It was an interesting flavor that was satisfying. I also tried the brownie wave. I usually do not like brownie pieces in ice cream, but I did enjoy this one. Without the brownie pieces, it was just a light chocolate flavor. Will I go back? Yes.

Awesome spot to get coffee and breakfast among all the books and souvenirs. Went a couple different…read moretimes and the people are super friendly. There's also fun outdoor spots to sit by the pond.

Duck's Cottage is a coffee and book shop located in the waterfront shops in Duck, NC. There's…read moreplenty of free parking in the lot in the complex, but there's limited indoor and outdoor seating. They've recently changed their weekend hours to close earlier at 12pm on Saturdays. They also accept tap to pay, but enact a % charge on all credit transactions. The ambiance inside can be described as rustic and quaint. It's really cute if you're looking to read and chill. It can get crowded as they're usually busy, but this is a great place to come if you're looking to relax. They have both hot and iced drinks with milk alternatives. The iced drinks come in medium (16oz) and large and the hot drinks come in small (12oz), medium and large. The banana cream pie latte was delicious. It tasted like caramel and bananas, paired well with the coffee, and was the perfect amount of sweet. The bumbleberry pie was okay too but the fruit and coffee combination wasn't my favorite. I'd definitely recommend coming here in the morning for coffee and browsing for books if you're in Duck, NC.

Super cool place with a colorful ambiance (ADHD galore) and so many board games in kites that you…read moreprobably can't find on Amazon! It was super cool to see the employee giving a whole lesson on how to fly a kite. I didn't know it was that complex! If I ever pick up this hobby, I will definitely come here to learn how to become a professional kite flyer!

10/10 best customer service and totally fair prices!! The…read moreowner, Cath was so friendly and helpful. She pointed out the different levels of kites she had available. Pointed us toward different ones my kids might like and showed us the various price points. There is a huge selection of kites, but also lots of things to keep you or your children entertained. There were gifts, puzzles, card games, other games and toys, as well as dog bandannas and even hand sewn kites made by her folks. I truly felt all the prices were way more fair than some of the more well known shops around the area. We got a 51" butterfly kite that flew easily for less than forty bucks!! It is beautiful and well made, and if you are a true enthusiast you have the opportunity to have fancy one of a kind trick kites. She also gave me some sewing tips that I intend to put to use! Honestly it was honestly the best bargain we found the whole time we were there. Highly recommend

Beautiful array of coastal home decor, linens, houseware/kitchen and jewelry from local artists and…read moresources. Special unique items for your home or to buy as gifts. The staff was attentive and so friendly. If you are visiting the Outer Banks plan a stop at the store. You are guaranteed to find something special.

Bottom Line: A beautiful display of quality and tasteful housewares and gifts…read more The Cottage Shop in the Outer Banks Mall is definitely one of my favorite stores in the area! The Cottage Shop is a fairly large store consisting of tasteful home decor and gifts. Many items are beach themed but there is plenty of cool and cute stuff for (in)land lovers too. Here are the types of things you can expect to find at The Cottage Shop: - linens like tea towels, hook rugs and bedspreads - home decor like candles, artwork and Fiestaware - scarves, flip flops and jewelry - drinkware like Tervis, Yeti and decorative wine glasses - Christmas ornaments - stuffed animals and toys for little ones - greeting cards You can also expect a friendly staff! This is a great place to get a gift for someone else or yourself!

Bottom Line: A large, well organized discount store with a friendly staff…read more Wow! What a great store! Not all Tuesday Mornings are this large and well organized so visit this location in the Outer Banks Mall was a real treat. Also, the staff was very friendly. If you're not familiar with Tuesday Morning, it is a discount store kind of like a smaller version of Home Goods. Here are the types of things you can expect to find here: - bedding and towels - kids toys and puzzles - home decor like throw pillows and rugs - seasonal decorations - bath items like soaps and magnifying mirrors - kitchen tools gadgets like corn holders and cookie jars - dog beds and toys - lamps The variety is good and the prices are great. So far, I've been happy with all of my purchases here like Nicole Miller towels, Hometown Collection puzzles and a cute makeup bag.