Why Not

Bought many unique clothing items and unique toys for my children here 30 years ago… now doing same for my grandchildren. I read both raves on many aspects in reviews here and a few complaints about clerks. I always found any problems to be quite minimal and solved with a smile and greeting on my part, involving the occasional part-​time very young staff helper in the interaction.

This is a very nice toy/​clothing store. I have been going here for 30 years. I can always find lovely gifts for a birthday or new baby. Are the personnel the friendliest? I never paid much attention. I go to buy quality childrens’ clothing and toys, not to make a new best friend. For all the people who complain, get a life. It’s a beautiful store.

Why Not? is truly a landmark in the Old Town community. My Grandma used to take me shopping here when I was little and it is amazing to see that nothing has changed in all these years. It remains a charming and nostalgic world to come across. Younger children can be entertained downstairs at the train table full of Thomas the Tank Engine toys, while the upstairs is full to the brim with crafts, books, pranks, and science kits for older children. I love seeing the creative displays– when I take a minute to look at them there is always something silly that gives me a laugh. So many of the employees have spent such a long time here they know the inventory like the back of their hand– it is really like a family ready to welcome you into their midst and help with anything you have a question about without being pushy!

I want to write a glowing review but i can’t. It is a charming store with a fairly good selection but, in the end, it was the ambivalent customer service that makes my review lukewarm. I went two days in a row, both weekend days, with lots of tourists, so I understand there can be burnout, but still…
On Saturday, there were very few smiles and when I asked if they had a basket we could shop with, they handed me what looked like a plastic garbage can. Wow, not my idea of a high-​touch experience.
Then, when we returned on Sunday, we had to wait patiently outside for 15 minutes until noon when the store opened. That was fine; my 2−½ year old grandson was so wonderful. He waited in the heat and didn’t want to move. But when the employee came by to unlock the door to get in herself, she didn’t even say hello or «thanks for waiting, we’ll be opening soon». It was rather disappointing. And I felt like this isn’t behavior to mirror around young children. She practically had to step over us without so much as eye contact.
I understand how hard retail can be. I even heard a customer say, «well, if we really want it, we can go home and order it on Amazon.“That’s a shame. Having had my own retail store for 25 years, I know it takes tremendous patience to persevere. But, Why Not had people being rung up at the register pretty continuously. There was no reason not to have smiles and be helpful. So, for assortment of toys, I’d give it pretty high marks. Not high marks for charging $ 1.50 for gift wrap when I was spending more than $ 50. But, Team Why Not, look more in the mirror and pretend you’re happier. Please!

Really terrific selection of unusual and educational toys. Pricey, but it is a boutique after all. Great fun to browse in, and they’ve got a great play area to entertain kids while you shop.

Not one of my favorite stores. Also, I had a bad experience here. They say they close at 6pm but I guess they don’t dislike calling it a day earlier than that! I was there at 5.55pm and prayed them to let me in to grab a last minute gift for a baby, they literally shut the door on my face. Not friendly.

I don’t see any connection between Barrack Obama and toy shopping. I prefer toy stores that don’t come with a side of political advertising. Sorry – not buying anything from a store that feels that it’s necessary to shove politics down my throat while I look at Thomas the ChooChoo train

Great place to shop for babies’ toys, gifts, and clothes. A bit pricey but if you hit a sale at the right time, it’s so worth it! Wish the store had online ordering…

An old school locally-​owned toy store in the heart of Old Town Alexandria? As the name of the store says … WHY NOT?
The wife and I stopped in here to kill some time before grabbing lunch in Old Town Alexandria. Very cool boutique toy store that reminded me of days past. Lots of stuffed animals, children’s books, educational toys, board games, some costume clothing, etc. etc. Wife found a William Shakespeare figurine for her classroom (she teaches Middle School English) and I found one of those old school over the door basketball hoops for my office. We got a couple of things for future gifts too.
Plus they had Mr. Potatohead! (And Mrs. Potatohead for gender equality.) And those invisible ink games I used to play all the time as a kid to pass time on road trips.
No video games here. (And note, I am an avid gamer.) Just cool old school toys that will remind you of the days of yore. Definitely worth checking out.

Great toy store! The clothing is very pricey but their toy selection is excellent! I love that you can find different items that are not sold in typical big box stores. My daughter is a dinosaur fanatic and she has been more than satisfied with the offerings!

Without a doubt, this is the best Toy Store in Alexandria. I have never been disappointed with Why Not’s selection, for you can always find high quality toys for any occasion. However, for me this is baby shower central. I have scored some great gifts here that have warmed the heart of many soon to be moms from far and wide.

Overall: Cute toy store! One of the only options in Old Town!
Toy selection: Not the most extensive in the world, but they do have some good educational stuff and some really well made toys/​stuffed animals. The game selection is limited. There’s also a small book area upstairs.
Service: Decent. They don’t bend over backwards to help you, but they do know the stock so if you have a question and don’t feel like sifting through items they will be able to tell you if they carry it.

I stopped into this store because I work at a small, family owned, toy store and love seeing others. My mom and i both work in retail. First off, we walked in and didn’t get a greeting instead we got a snotty, «place your drinks on the counter ladies.» With no eye contact or respectful tone. I get «no drinks» policies, but we had bottles with lids on them and we’re all adults. After that we still got no greeting or an offer for help. So, with no desire to spend a dime we left. Customer service goes a long way. They should understand that a simple «hello» goes a long way. Not returning.

I just bought the best gifts for my Goddaughter Noël. Thanks Kate for the great service (and wrapping job)
Best boutique children’s store in the DC area. Definitely worth a trip to Old Towne

This place has good character and selection of things for toddler. Our 2 years old son love their train track and kitchen play area, he didn’t want to leave. They have alot more stuff on the 2^nd floor too. Although we love many stuff in the store, but we bought only a book and a puzzle box for our son since we have limited space going back to LA. We would come to this store again to purchase more unique stuff for our son if we live nearby. Price is pretty good too.

I have been going to this store for almost a half-​century and have always loved it. When I was young, I bought «designs to color» books there, and they still carry toys that engage the imagination and are of high quality.
The clothes, for children about age 3 or younger, are to die for if you like something more than the usual with a classic slant. I visited most recently after learning that my fourth grandchild will be a girl (after 3 boys), and I could have happily spent hundreds of dollars outfitting her for her first summer.
The only drawback to this store is that the selection of toys for older children upstairs could include more «science-​y» stuff. Right now it seems quite slanted towards dolls and dress-​up (tons of tutus).

This is a fantastic independent toy store on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. It is my go-​to spot when I want to give a well-​made, innovative gift to a child. It is not full of Buzz Lightyears and Bratz dolls and that’s why I love it. Instead there are high quality Gund stuffed animals, classic children’s books and beautiful (and utterly impractical) children’s clothing. The prices are reasonable for the goods, but will not be in line with the POS piece of plastic over-​branded toy you could pick up at Target. The store and inventory is geared toward the younger set; you probably won’t find the right gift for tweens and up. But if you’re looking for infant and children presents, you can’t go wrong at Why Not.

Not my favorite toy store, but it will do in a pinch. I’ve lived in Old Town for nearly 10 year now and have bought plenty ‘o stuff at Why Not. I used to get fantastic service, but when I was there last week the service was pathetic. There were a couple of guys working upstairs who couldn’t have been more than 17yrs. old and they were far more concerned with playing some really strange music on the ipod/​iphone dock/​stereo. I practically had to beg them to find someone to do the gift wrapping.
The store still has alot of really cool stuff, but the owner’s decision to hire clueless teenagers is a problem. Some of the girls are fabulous, but I can’t say that for all of the employees. Okay, we know it’s cheaper to pay a teenager to look bored behind the counter, but their poor attitudes are costing you business. Given a choice, I’ll go to Kinder Haus Toys in Arlington.

This is a great little place for kids’ gifts. There’s a wide variety of clothes, accessories [always a little odd to me, but there you have it], toys, and kitsch (kids room kitsch). Modern, ‘old,’ you name it. Most all of it is quality from what I could tell, except for the things — at least some of the old toys I remember — that weren’t strongly made in the first place. The staff is superbly friendly and knowledgeable about what they’ve got and where. They’ll warmly welcome you and then are perfectly happy to let you browse aimlessly. As Marianne said, it is definitely «packed to the gills» so be sure to look above, under, and around things as there’re sure to be other fun things not readily visible. I don’t know how I missed this for several years, but it’s definitely now on my list of regular stops for gifts for kids or parents with young kids.

I love this little shop, major emphasis on the LITTLE however. Its not very big and packed to the gills so it can be challenging moving around and heading upstairs. Its a bit to police up a large purse or a backpack, couldn’t image trying to wrangle little ones.
But its great. I’ve bought many a thing for family and friends when I just wanted something a little unusual that wasn’t going to be what everyone one else was getting. I’ve gotten some great wooden toys, cute baby bibs & clothes, Curious George stuff, and toys that hearken back my fond childhood memories.
Oddly enough — the people I shop for the most here however is my parents. They have a huge collection of wind-​up toys and every Christmas I try to give them a few new ones but its getting harder to find ones they don’t have. Why Not! has a great selection of wind-​ups and I’ve never not been able to find some new entrants for the parents’ annual wind-​up toy race (held on the cover to the hot tub).
Yes the prices are higher than what you’re going to find at Toys-​r-​Us, Target, [fill in big box store name here] but I come here for the boutiqueness of this place and the fact that they carry things I haven’t found elsewhere. I don’t mind paying a bit more for that or for the warm greeting I’ve always received.
One thing I really appreciate is the staff understand the concept of people who just like to browse and kindly leave you be if you say you are just looking around, but they are also happy to offer suggestions if you just don’t know what a child like such-​and-​such might like.