Our Gang’s General Store

Jennifer and Jill love what they do and they are so sweet to their customers and the kids. They wrap all of our presents and Christmas and deliver them on the island. Their products are carefully selected and of great quality. These ladies pour themselves in to this business and it shows!

Great little store on the main drag on Balboa island. They sell a lot of cool, vintagey toys here and carry a lot of Melissa and Doug, which is a favorite in our house. The owner was very sweet and provided us with ample coins to use in the little horse ride out front.

The most wonderful little toy shop in Orange County! My go to for holiday and birthday gifts for all of my nieces and nephews. Helpful, knowledgeable staff and wonderful buyers! They even gift wrap for free with really nice papers! You can’t find this kind of service any where! The best!

Fantastic «little» toy store here on Balboa Island.
If you have a chold between 3 and 13 years of age, this is your stop. The woman running the shop this past weekend reminded me of everything about the best Grandmas you’ve ever met. She had a selection of toys out front for the kids to play with and even offered a discount to my daughter when she was told she had «only three moneys to spend».
The shop if packed to the literal rafters with all sorts of toys and games. It is nice to see both educational and «just for fun» in the same small shop. They have something for every kid including old and new boardgames, dolls, dinosaurs, cowboy play-​sets, beach toys etc.
Stop on in here!

Our Gang’s deserves 5 stars, and then some. Jennifer is always friendly, courteous, helpful and just a lovely person. I’ve bought a toy drum, unusual sticker collections, funny books, dolls, novelty gadgets and gizmos and all kinds of goodies from Our Gang’s. Jennifer researches toys, looking for a combination of educational toys, current trend toys and quality toys that you won’t find anywhere else. Hooray for Our Gang’s!

This review is just for the type of person that runs this store. I didn’t purchase anything here but I accidentally left my iPhone on the bench outside and the store owner kept it behind her counter for me until I returned.
On top of this place being adorable and having all kinds of goodies, the people who work there are good people.

What a perfect little place. Got exactly what I needed (which was out of the ordinary) and loved being on Marine Ave. .
Yvonne was working and she was adorable and very nice.

This store has unique and one of a kind toys that cater to everyone of all ages. In itself thE store has a special homey vibe that is comforting and welcoming. The staff is helpful and obviously love what they do and are knowledgeable about what they sell and what to recommend. It is conveniently located across from Starbucks on Balboa Island and if you are visiting, you must stop by for souvenirs or small gifts.

Love this store and the people that run it have always been the best. How you could not love a tore that has these super cool toys? Pee Wee would freak out and probably ask the Lovely Miss Jill to marry him!

I added a tip that I meant as a review let’s see if I can fix that! This is the best toy store ever I really love all if the vintage toys that I remember from childhood right now they have the BEST vintage reproduction valentines from the 40s-​60s I’ve never seen more patience and kindness from the owner Jenny and Jill who’s there almost every day too. Some people let their children run amok and I couldn’t handle that job! Everyone is waited on with a smile and you can tell that they love what they do ! They really know their products too you don’t HAVE to look for a gift in a rush they’ll help you find just what you need and gift wrap it too, but you won’t be able to help yourself and do some browsing ;) there are too many things that also appeal to adults!

Wonderful store. Jenny is great too!

We recently popped in Our Gang’s General Store one night after having dinner across the street, our 4 year old mermaid crazed daughter wanted to check for mermaid toys. The store was closing but the delightful owner Jennifer invited us in and told us to take our time looking around. She immediately hit it off with our daughter and had a darling book of mermaid paper dolls that thrilled our little mermaid fan. The store is filled with a mix of standard toys you could find anywhere and more hard to find specialty brands. This store is a treasure and we can’t wait to go back.

probably the most quizzical name for a toy store. i should have inquired…*
like most of what you will find on balboa island, its got that charm and innocence to it, small town feel. my guy made a point to say we had to stop by during our stay to say hi to Jenny, who has apparently worked there since he was a kid. and yep, she immediately greeted him.
you wont find that at a toys r us.
you wont find cheap prices and cheap crap either. small toy stores like these are where you find that special and unique toy for a lil one. it also has the general popular items… like the legos mini figures in the mystery wrapper. i told jenny about my childhood dollhouse collection — the sylvanian families… which no one seems to know or remember:
she said she would look into it because she loves having unique collections like that. maybe she was just trying to make me feel good. hey, worked. point is, our gang’s is a place to check out if you want to get a kid something different to brag to their friends about. like…
a charming fox in overalls?!?
hopefully. hopefully…
*just got head’s up about the little rascals reference. oops im clueless. lil rascals general store… all kids want/‘need’ is toys, general store. k get it :]

Long before I had children… or even WANTED children :-) I was an avid shopper at Jenny’s «Our Gang’s General Store». I would stock up on all the unique toys of yesteryear and have it at my office for clients who brought their children with them. Never have you seen so many delighted clients and of course, they would promptly head over to the store because my selection of toys would intrigue them.
This isn’t the sort of stuff you find at ToysRUs or Target… THIS ISN’T CHEAP CHINESE WARE. These are toys from all over the world, made WELL, made with QUALITY components.
I now have 3 kids all my own… and we remain delighted and loyal fans of this store… and of Jenny, the charming owner. She has watched my babies grow and they LOVE when I say, let’s go see Jenny! My daughters are 6 and 8 and there are tons of stuff in the store — it’s packed from the floor to the ceiling! It’s like being in grandma’s attic and finding all the great stuff SHE had as a kid and made just as well.
Since it’s on Balboa Island, you can walk around the island and view all the charming and eclectic homes… dine at some of the wonderful restaurants… meet the firemen at the most beautiful firestation just across from Our Gang’s General Store… or, spread a towel on the sand and have the kids build a castle or two!
Go visit! Tell Jenny «Anila sent me»…chuckle. Not that you’ll get any discount but you might hear some great stories about me for free! :-)

This place sells a lot of vintage toys like sock monkeys, pop pop snappers, crocodile dentists etc. Also, if you collect those Japanese erasers that are shaped like food, they sell a bunch here.
The shop owners are really nice. They always leave some toys out on the sidewalk for people to test out and/​or play with it.
If you want to find a truly unique, one of a kind toy, you will definitely find one here.