Alan ‘Bo’ BorensteinToys are a great way to keep kids active and engaged, and there are tons of fun things to do with toys. Toys can vary widely in what they teach children about life, but when you get down to it, toys are designed to be fun!
Below is a list of some of the best toy stores in Vancouver.
How Much Do Toys Cost in Vancouver
Toy stores feature an extensive variety of toys for children of various ages. If you\’re wondering how much these products cost, the price will vary depending on the type of toys your children prefer and the toy\’s brand.
On average, you won’t be spending more than CAD 40 on outdoor toys, arts and crafts, and stuffed animals. However, dolls and action figures can cost up to CAD 49.97.
Best Toy Stores in Vancouver
Most people will agree that toys are one of the most important investments a person can make in their life. Also, choosing the right toy store is a real challenge.
You’d want a one-stop shop that has a wide selection of toys that are both fun and safe to play with. This leads us to why we’ve assessed the following establishments based on the criteria below:
1. Kaboodles Toy Store
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Selection of Toys | ★★★★★ 4/5 |
| Facilities | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Spaciousness | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Staff Feedback | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Customer Service | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Client Feedback | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Warranty Policies | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
Lee Richmond founded Kaboodles Toy Store in 1980. He\’s the current director of the Cambie Village Business Association and is a member of the Canadian Toy Association and the Retail Council of Canada.
This place is open seven days a week, and they have three stores in Vancouver: on Granville Island, in Cambie Village, and on West Broadway.
We like that they carefully choose their toys based on quality, play value, and fun factors. With such a large selection of toys, this is quite impressive.
They have almost all kinds of toys for all ages, ranging from stuffed animals to wooden trains, dolls, and building toys, and they also have an impressive selection of action figures. However, this may be a bit pricey as these collectibles are branded.
We also noticed how friendly their store personnel are, as they each have extensive experience dealing with children.
The Kaboodles Toy Store has over twenty employees, some of whom are young, some older, and some part-time students. We think this diversity creates a lively atmosphere.
We also liked how they make it easy for customers to shop by age on their website, so they don\’t have to scroll through all the toys in their product gallery.
All in all, we think Kaboodles Toy Store is one of the best toy stores in Vancouver, as they offer a wide variety of toys for kids of all ages.
Pros
- Open 7 days a week
- Three store locations
- Carefully curated toy selection
- Big and diverse store personnel
Cons
- Relatively pricey action figures
- No free shipping
Customer Reviews
Great selection of toys
\”Great selection of games, toys, lego, crafts, all squeezed into a fairly small space.\” -Aoife D.
Unique toy selections
\”Very kind staff and unique toys that bigger companies like ToysRus don\’t have. Highly recommend checking this place out.\” -Macaw H.
2. Dilly Dally Toy Store
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Selection of Toys | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Facilities | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Accessibility | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Spaciousness | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Staff Feedback | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Customer Service | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Client Feedback | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Warranty Policies | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
Established in 2010, Dilly Dally Toy Store opened in East Vancouver, and they have a wide selection of wooden and creative toys. Since then, they have expanded to provide arts and crafts, dolls, puzzles, and many more.
We found it most impressive that they have toys for 1 to 12-year-olds. In our opinion, this allows them to cater to a large customer base.
Now, we believe that this toy store is ideal for children who prefer puzzles, as they have a wide variety of them, from 24-piece puzzles to more challenging 1000-piece ones.
We also appreciate that most of these puzzles are educational, as this store has puzzles for geography, animals, road signs, and many more. We think it\’s a fun way for kids to enjoy and learn at the same time.
It\’s also a great incentive that they offer free shipping for orders over CAD 150 throughout Canada. We also appreciate how fast they can deliver, as they make sure to ship items within 48 hours of receiving an order.
We were a bit bummed, however, that they don\’t offer international shipping, as we think this would\’ve been a great addition to their services.
Nonetheless, the majority of customers we\’ve spoken with praise their knowledgeable and cheerful staff for assisting customers when selecting toys and carefully explaining their options.
Overall, we think you should consider dropping by the Dilly Dally Toy Store for all your toy needs, as they\’re one of the best toy stores in Vancouver.
Pros
- Wide selection of wooden and creative toys
- Has toys for 1 to 12-year-olds
- Free shipping for orders over CAD 150
Cons
- International shipping not available
- Only one store location
Customer Reviews
Knowledgeable and cheerful staff
\”What an excellent toy store! You can’t go wrong at Dilly Dally. We always leave with fabulous gifts for the family. The staff are knowledgeable, cheery, and super helpful.\” -John P.
Wide selection of toys
\”The Dilly Dally Store on Commercial Drive is one of the best, if not the best, toy store in town. What makes this place different is not only variety, but quality in their merchandise.\” -Octavio R.
3. Knotty Toys
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Selection of Toys | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Facilities | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Spaciousness | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Staff Feedback | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Customer Service | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Client Feedback | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Warranty Policies | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
Knotty Toys has provided a wide selection of toys on Granville Island for over 30 years. What sets them apart is that they have a comprehensive selection of wooden toys for children of varying ages.
This includes wood puzzles, games, dollhouses, building blocks, and even percussion and musical instruments.
They explained that the reason they lean towards selling wooden toys is that they\’re more durable and don\’t contain harmful chemicals.
We highly appreciate this, as we can all agree that children tend to bite or chew on their toys during play, so it\’s a great feature to have.
They also have a huge selection of books and building blocks, which makes them the best place for parents who want to help their kids learn through play.
Although this contributes to their relatively higher prices, we believe this is reasonable given the quality of their toys.
If there’s one drawback that we’ve observed with them, it\’s that we think their website can be improved in terms of content and design.
Despite this, we still think Knotty Toys is one of the best toy stores in Vancouver, as they provide a wide selection of durable toys for all ages.
Pros
- Free delivery for orders over CAD 99
- Toys are all made of natural wood
- Huge selection of books and building blocks
Cons
- Relatively higher prices
- Website can be improved
Customer Reviews
Wide variety of wooden toys
\”Knotty Toys has a variety of wooden toys and more for children. About a month ago, I had visited the store, and the owner was super helpful.\” -Soojung H.
Great store with local toys
\”Great store with friendly staff. They sell Canadian company toys which I love to support.\” -Sophia A.
4. Panda House
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Selection of Toys | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Facilities | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Accessibility | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Spaciousness | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Staff Feedback | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Customer Service | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Client Feedback | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Warranty Policies | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
Panda House was founded in 2019 with the goal of providing a one-stop-shop for kids from all backgrounds.
We found it impressive that the owner, Timmy, personally selects all the quality toys, as we think this maintains the quality and consistency of their products.
You can find this puppet and interactive toy store at Granville Island\’s Kids Market. We immediately noticed that the majority of their toy selection consists of objects that require your children to engage and interact.
From hand puppets and finger puppets to stuffed animals and board games, Panda House offers an assortment of toys that promote learning, creativity, and physical activity.
Additionally, Panda House also offers a variety of art supplies and other creative activities. But what caught our attention is that they also sell board games such as Monopoly Junior, Clue, and Scrabble.
We only wish they offered more board games suited for younger children, as we think this would\’ve been a great addition to their products.
However, we did like that they offer free shipping on orders over CAD 49 within Vancouver.
Even so, we think Panda House has a great selection of art supplies and creative activities, as well as enough board games for people of different ages.
Pros
- Puppet and interactive toy store
- Free shipping on orders over CAD 49 within Vancouver
- Also sells board games
Cons
- Limited selection of board games
- Relatively slow delivery time
Customer Reviews
Great prices and accommodating
\”Good pricing, super helpful staff, and they\’ll order from other stores for you if they don\’t have what you want in store. Worth a visit!.\” -Callie S.
Wide selection of toys
\”Despite their size, they have a wide selection of toys, great service, and very reasonable prices.\” -Brent M.
5. Leather Monsters
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Selection of Toys | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Facilities | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Accessibility | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Spaciousness | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Staff Feedback | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Customer Service | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Client Feedback | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Warranty Policies | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
Leather Monsters is a toy store in Vancouver that sells unique and handmade stuffed toys that are all fully customized. We found it impressive that each of these stuffed toys has its own story, such as its hopes, dreams, and quirks.
The owner, Lisa Lee, makes each of these leather stuffed toys, which take around 7 to 9 hours to make, which we found impressive. We also think that this makes her toys more distinct because they\’re made individually, each with their own personality.
Some toys are shy, while others are friendly and love sports, while others like to read books and learn about the universe. In our opinion, these toys help children\’s communication and imaginative skills, which we found incredibly beneficial.
Now, we highly appreciate that they have a 30-day return policy available. However, it may take a bit longer for you to receive your refund, as they can do so within 10 business days.
Despite this, we still appreciate that they accept multiple payment methods, as we think this makes it convenient for clients to pay for their services.
Also, many of the customers we\’ve talked to have remarked on how well-made their toys are because they are strong and have a lot of details.
Unfortunately, they don\’t ship internationally, which we thought was a huge miss. Nevertheless, we still think they deserve a spot on our list as they offer unique and handmade toys to spark children\’s curiosity and imagination.
Pros
- Handmade stuffed toys
- Each stuffed toy has its own story
- Fast shipping
- 30-day return policy available
- Numerous payment methods
Cons
- Limited capacity to accept orders
- Doesn\’t ship internationally
Customer Reviews
Remarkable workmanship of handmade toys
\”The quality of her work is remarkable and reasonably priced, especially considering each monster is hand crafted, durable and unique is their own special way.\” -Julia F.
One-of-a-kind custom toys
\”Leather Monsters makes unique one of a kind custom toy dolls,Lise is a great artist and she is making more styles then ever before.\” -Ka M.
FAQs about Toy Stores in Vancouver
Ultimately, all you have to do is find a toy store that suits your needs and wants best. Whatever you are looking for in terms of toys, you should be able to make your purchase at one of the best toy stores in Vancouver.
In case your children prefer playing outdoors, here are the best kid-friendly parks in Vancouver.
