Marbles: The Brain Store

Love this store! They have so many interesting and fun things to try out and the employees are really friendly and willing to show you how to play and how to beat their various games. Some of them are pretty mind boggling but they have games for every skill level. I bought a wooden sudoku board that uses colored balls instead of numbers which is amazing! Came with 100+ different puzzles to solve. Only thing is, most of the games are pretty pricey. Paid $ 40+ for that sudoku board but I guess it’s expected for a store such as this. At least check it out!

This place is so much fun– you can stop in and play with many of the brainteasers and games as much as you want with no pressure to buy but don’t be surprised when you walk out with something fun and engaging. If you are looking for stimulating games and activities, this place is a must.
My new favorite spot downtown

Always a blast to go into. So many things to learn and buy!

BEST STORE EVER! If I could give more than 5 stars I would!!,
We were in this store for over an hour. There were so many items that we wanted to buy. My kids are 13 and 10 and our visit to this store was the longest my 13 yr old daughter was off her iPhone during our whole visit to Chicago.
We didn’t know how to play most of the games, but there was no shortage of store employees offering to show us. In fact, we were assisted by 4 separate employees and each of them had very interesting items to introduce. Excellent service.
If you purchase over $ 100 they will ship direct to you. Even though we were visiting from CA, we didn’t have the items shipped because our kids couldn’t wait to play their games in the hotel room.
Things to check out:
1) Chess solitaire– husband and son love this. Great for practicing chess solo.
2) Perplexis — Awesome! My daughter couldn’t put this down.
3) Chocolate Fix– Great game of logic.
4) City Square Off– So addicting.
5) Spot It– Super fun matching game with a twist.
These are all perfect travel games. You can travel with Perplexis, but it would take up some backpack space.
This is such a great store. Wish they had them in CA. I’ll definitely order online!!!

My son could have stayed in here for hours!

Marbles specializes in Brainiac games, memory boosters, puzzlers, and Intellitoys. Okay, I made that last word up so don’t steal it, but you know what I’m talking about– those toys that must have been invented through some kind of brain storming session by guys who say «let’s throw things at the wall and see what sticks».
I first stopped in here before the Unilocal Boat cruise and was excited to come back when I could purchase something and carry it straight home. Jesse was helpful that day, and his enthusiasm for gaming was contagious. After telling him my son’s age and his fascination with chess, he set up a few games to show me. We played a few moves on a couple game boards, and he sold me on at least three braniac games! My first game purchase was this nicely made game that both my son and I can be challenged by, called Quarto. It’s like chess meets Connect Four with several twists.
Marbles also has a nice selection of memory boosting books and brain puzzlers. I picked a few of those things out for my dad for Father’s Day, because he complains about forgetting things easily. Of the unique Intellitoys, I got the Waboba ball that skips on water, perfect for summer fun at the lake. They also have the OGO frisbee paddle ball game, which is a lot of fun.
I joined the Marbles frequent buyers club since it’s free, and for every $ 200 you spend you get $ 20 store credit. Since I plan on being the dad/​uncle that gives unique and challenging (hopefully the kids don’t translate that as «boring») games and toys, I’m sure I’ll hit that mark before Santa finishes his last «HO!»

I am totally addicted to the Solitaire Chess game that I bought from them. I even paid $ 1.99 for the Android app for 400 additional challenges. And I got other friends addicted to it too– All it took was Skype and a little «Let’s see who can complete this puzzle first!» Ha.

Stopped in to pick up a gift, incredibly helpful send insightful staff who appear to be committed to product knowledge. The store manager helped me find the perfect gifts for a young adult! A definite treasure for any future gift shopping… hands down!

I am ordering from them online. They were really helpful and kind. Add to that their catalogue of amazing mind bending products and we have a winner combination. Now only if you could open a store in Las Vegas god knows our locals could do with some mental elevation.
One has to admire a CEO who was looking to put together a collection of the best brain games out there.

They have some interesting games that you can’t find at your local big box store. But they won’t take back purchases that have been opened even though everything is perfect. I won’t be buying from them again.

Are you smarter than a 5^th grader? Probably not.
So head on over to Marbles and get your brain worked out!
With all the Jersey shore Kardashian for the love of whoevers Real World got Lost during Twilight you’re shoving in, your brain will thank you :)
This store will help you flex your brain muscle and keep it in tip-​top shape for all the knowledge you’re exposing it to (at least on commercial breaks). Puzzles, games, books about puzzles and games, word jumbles, books about the brain, etc. As long as you’re still living and breathing you might as well put that brain of yours to good use. Don’t take it for granted because you know, some people don’t have brains (see US weekly for possible examples).
If you got it flaunt it! (brain, that is)
I would not be just a nothin’, my head all full of stuffin’…if I only had a brain.
~Scarecrow before visiting Marbles

Loved this store! We stumbled on it while walking from Mag Mile back to our hotel in the Loop. So many interesting and intriguing puzzles/​games/​mind strengtheners (I guess that’s the best word for it!)
A bit pricey, but then again, they could provide hours upon hours of intellectual fun (and not in that geeky way).
I totally wanted to buy a few things but then thought I’d probably end up frustrated and give-​up after a few tries haha.
Recommend for children and adults!

Marbles: the Brain Store: F.U.C.
Fun, useful, and cool.
Best place ever to watch your child’s intellect explode. Great for adult brains, too. The people who work here are skilled and conversant with the games, puzzles, and brain teasers. It’s easy to spend hours here.
Smart, free entertainment at its finest.
And, if you want to buy something useful, prices begin at a $ 1, and not for crap, either. There is a lot F.U.C stuff here at all prices.

Love this place. Great fun to play the games and sharpen the mind. The staff is consistently friendly. The owners have jumped on recent research that says one way to keep your mind sharp as you age is to exercise your brain consistently throughout your lifetime. They have so many fun ways to do just that. There are now a few of these stores around. One on LIncoln Avenue in Lincoln Square, and one in Old Orchard up in Skokie. There may be more, I don’t know.
By the way, one of the reviewers seemed to think this store had too many «thinking» games. Hello? Name of store: «Marbles: The BRAIN Store.» Her gripe is like walking into a grocery store and whining that there’s too much food in there.

I know I’m in the minority here, but I wasn’t all that impressed with this store. It seems to be a good place to go if you’re into reading books on psychology and memory/​IQ and like playing memory and thinking puzzle games. But their game selection is pretty meager. They did have a few Chicago type things, including City Walk, and a guess what happened at this specific Chicago location game, which was cute. There are tables where you can play the games and try them out, and almost every game has a sample, but all in all, there are more books than games.

I tried to stay away because I knew that I would be hooked. First I saw them on Metromix. Then the clever ads with riddles starting appearing on the trains and I was even more intrigued.
Finally, while walking down Grand we spotted Marbles across the street. Here’s where I become stupid and excited and almost get hit by a cab while illegally trying to cross said street.
This place is a blast! You are encouraged to play every single game they have to offer in there! And this is not a trivia game store. It’s about perception, strategy and patience!
I mean a 5×5 Rubix cube?! Who can do that?!
While trying to determine a game we were approached by a super friendly sale associate there. He showed us how the game worked, got us started on card #1 (not #29 like we were trying to do) and off we were solving puzzles! I could play all day in there. This guy seemed genuinely happy to be in there and practically jumped in to show you how to play everything. Which is great because most of these I have never heard of!
I’m already making mental notes in my head of gifts to give people. They do gift sets and wrapping too. One stop shopping here!
So don’t be alarmed if you see me tense and brow damp staring down a game. I’m concentrating. I will NOT let the game beat me!

I may be the first to admit this, but advertising on the CTA completely worked for me. I was sitting on the Red Line, minding my own business, when I looked up and saw an ad for Marbles: The Brain Store. It is conveniently located a block from the stop (Grand, for all of you that care) I needed to disembark.
Small store, but it enthralled me. I love, love brain teasers and word games. That is all they have there. It’s a fantastic store to work your brain out. The employee that was there was super helpful and explained different games to a few other people before stepping up to help me. He was excited about the game I picked up and we talked about the history of it (I work in the toy industry and I recognized the game — Snatch It) before I made my purchase. I plan on coming back — great gift giving ideas abound.

This place is like nostalgia and a hopeful future rolled into one!
While you might find a toy store that features ONE game that enriches the mind rather than lets you bludgeon hookers, this is a store featuring nothing but thought-​provoking and memory-​enhancing games designed to stimulate the mind. Hence the «Brain Store» part of their business name.
I walked in and it was almost like being transported back through time into my second-​grade classroom because the first thing I saw sitting on a table was the game «Set». It’s a great game for kids, about learning what makes a set and the many ways that’s possible.
Did I mention it’s sitting on a table — one of many tables around the store displaying the products and allowing you to play with them and try them out before you purchase them.
Another blast from the past sitting on the tables were Tangoes — I remember playing with those as a little kid, using the various tiles to form the shapes on the cards. Of course, I might just have been the geekiest nerd that ever dorked, but I enjoyed brain teasers and puzzles like those.
They even have some executive-​looking toys, like a tunnel-​bridge set with marbles that would look great adorning an office desk.
The best toy I think they had there was a game featuring what looked like an egg carton made of spongy foam and a large set of oddly-​shaped-​but-​quite-​strong magnets, and you take turns placing your magnets on the field without attracting other magnets. If any of them stick to the one you’re trying to place, you have to pick those all up and play continues. It’s an awesome way to learn about magnetic polarity, magnetic fields, and PLAYING WITH FREAKIN’ MAGNETS!
If you care about your brain, go to this store and buy something. You’ll wind up learning something new, discovering a new way to do something, or just have a blast while being creative. I’m seriously putting this place down on my list of «places my friends can go to shop for presents for me» — and that’s saying a lot because I’m a hard guy to shop for.
I’m glad I found this place, since they just opened a few weeks ago. Already they were crowded as the Christmas shopping season has begun, so get down there while all of the good brain-​enhancing products are still available!
And get an extra magnet game for me — I like presents!