Toy Chest

I stopped by Toy Chest on a short vacation to Healdsburg when we needed a little something to entertain our toddler. It’s not a huge toy store, but they have a pretty extensive selection of toys for kids of all ages, and it’s just a block off the main square in Healdsburg.
I managed to find a little magnet mosaic kit that I thought my daughter might enjoy, but I felt like there were a lot of great options to choose from. They have everything from big Lego kits to blocks and building toys to little gifts like jacks and marbles.
The lady at the register was super-​friendly, and it seemed like a great local business that I’d be happy to visit again.

THIS IS THE BEST TOY STORE EVER!
I wrote the following letter to the owner:
Dear Mr. Turbeville,
My boyfriend, Ryan, and I came up to Healdsburg for the weekend and secured a reservation at Scopa for 8PM on Saturday. Unfortunately, we were both under the weather and don’t find wine tasting that exciting, so we had a lot of time to waste prior to dinner. We figured the only way to spend the time would be at a bar, but after a drink at the Healdsburg Hotel, we were getting sleepy and still had over an hour and a half to kill. Thinking we would have to just find another watering hole, we started walking. We saw a big marquee and then x-​mas lights on the far corner. I guessed it was a bar, so we wandered that way.
It was not a bar, but instead your toy store. Ryan needed to get presents for nieces and nephews, so we decided to venture inside. We were greeted with genuine smiles and welcomes, then quick assistance in finding Brio products. Vanisha went through several products and was quite knowledgeable regarding which brands were compatible with the Brio pieces. Ryan had an odd request for riser pieces to create a multilevel track. Surprisingly, Vanisha said she was just pricing these and we could buy them a la carte.
That was when the fun began.
We went through the store at least 10 times each asking questions and playing with the demo models. Vanisha even let Ryan try out the carpet skates which caused us to think of someone to give them to! As he speed skated past the front counter, we concluded they were perfect for my sister’s 12 year old stepson… but then what do we get his 10 year old sister? Amanda took me through a bunch of options her little sister liked (as her sister is also an «artsy» type) and we settled on the paint by numbers kit. Then, we were just out of control. We bought toys for every kid we knew (in hopes they would let us play too). I haven’t had that much fun in a long, long time. Amanda and Vanisha thought we were drunk, but we weren’t! We were only happy and impressed with the best little toy store we had ever seen.
I am a veteran of the retail world and I would want to know how my shop and service was perceived. Please rest assured your little store is a wonderland of happiness that you don’t run across much anymore and your employees are absolute dolls who seem actually pleased to be at work.
Thanks for being the highlight of our trip,
Erica