120 N 85th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
206.782.0098
http://www.toptentoys.com/
My beloved pusher and I grieved when our daughters grew too old to want toys for Christmas because that shut us out from our favorite shopping trips. No more Duplos and Legos, doll houses, erector sets, ponies with a head of hair Jennifer Aniston would have envied, puzzles, Playmobile, stuffed animals, fire engines, weaving sets, or nerf anythings.
Our taste in toys ranged from expensive wooden toys to cheap plastic rings. In short, we had no taste in toys, uniformly loving almost all of them. Even today our family measures a good Christmas by how it stacks up to the best one of all—the She-Ra (Princess of Power) Castle Christmas. It’s a ridiculously high bar!
Therefore, my pusher and I were excited to go to Top Ten Toys to buy a few things to leave around the house for small guests to discover during what—for them—might be a boring brunch. Always making local “best of” lists, Top Ten Toys is a place of joy and wonder for everyone who enters. Budding musicians can find instruments from around the world there, and 10-year olds with engineering ideas could begin their studies in the store’s Lego and building section. This is a store where you can find a miniature bulldozer with working parts, a glittery pink cape, a menagerie of stuffed animals and their babies, a working small stethoscope, puzzles for people of every age, and every make of toy car. Wheelchair shoppers can take their time browsing. The store is open to all of us.
Parking: The new store is in a small strip mall, just east of the Fred Meyer store on 85th in Greenwood. Wheelchair parking is right in front of the door.
Entrances: The entrance is flat with only a small lip at the double doors. The staff are kind and helpful if you need someone to hold a door for you.
Aisles: Top Ten Toys has huge aisles. The floor is carpeted, so don’t expect to whizz through the place, but you won’t want to hurry through it, anyway.
Restrooms: The restrooms are located at the back of the store. There’s a small family restroom, but there are no bars around the toilet in that room. The women’s restroom (and I presume the men’s) has well-placed grab bars and a roll-under sink. These are single-user rooms, so you can take someone in to help you with no embarrassment.
Photos of interior space online: A few on Google images.
Photos of entrances online: Yes, both on the Top Ten Toys website and on Google images.
Reservations taken: None needed.
What the wheelchair pusher has to say: Slightly difficult getting through the front doors, but otherwise, completely flat, wide open, and easy to navigate. Handicapped parking right in front.
This looks like a store I would love to shop. I love toys too and what a great idea for you to leave cool toys around for visitors children. So kind and forward thinking. Great commentary Cathy.
As usual great reading and now with renewed interest as the first grandchild has arrived.
Fol