We dropped in here whilest we were having a stroll along Sturgeon Bay's main drag of 3rd Ave.  It's a nice, touristy place to pick up souvenirs or trinklets for any kiddo's in the family.  It's an old school but homey setup with lots of creative toys, books, games, knick-knacks crammed into every open space in the store.  The store is actually owned by Bonnie who also co-owns the White Lace Inn B&B with her husband Dennis, and as a guest at White Lace, we got 10% off of our purchases here.  Naturally, there was PR for this store when we checked in.  Terri was our friendly and welcoming staffer on duty, and I chit-chatted with her as the wife shopped.  That's my standard MO y'know.  The goods are on the pricey side but that's to be expected in this prime touristy location. read more

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Loved this shop. Great books, toys, plushies, games, costumes and more! Wished I lived closer because it would be go to for kid gifts. The clerk was so nice and helpful. But best part was enjoying the two sweet friendly shop kitties!! read more

What a gem! This is one of the best toy stores our family has visited - awesome stuffy/games/toys/books selection with high quality brands and a friendly staff. Can't wait to visit again the next time we are in Door County! read more

Dancing Bear Toys is a super cute stop in downtown Sturgeon. They have a lot of cute gifts and the shop is curated with lots of cute toys and gifts for all ages. We went in the midst of a pandemic and they were SUPER clean and we felt very safe. They only allowed a few (masked) people in the store and even sanitized my credit card after using. I am happy they are taking this seriously and i appreciate the efforts made to keep everyone safe. A great place to find a gift or even start some early xmas shopping. read more

I don't want to take stars away from this store because I feel the selection was amazing and if it were normal times I'm sure my comments wouldn't matter... However, going into this toy store during COVID times was nothing but stressful. I understand there are varying levels of safety but I felt this was overboard. To enter the store you need to mask up, sanitize your hands and knock on the door to wait for the worker to open it. Ok. The worker opened the door and then immediately washed her hands. We were told usually we wouldn't be able to all go in at the same time because there were too many of us but she made an exception (this is for one adult and 4 kids). Ok, well I can't really leave a kid outside so thanks? Another couple was next in line behind us but weren't allowed in at the same time so of course we immediately feel rushed to hurry as to not hold up the other people. I don't understand why they couldn't come in at the same time since that would have only been 8 people total in the store with masks and social distancing being enforced. The kids weren't allowed to touch the store's cat because of spreading germs and I'm pretty sure every item we touched was probably sanitized after us. Again, maybe someone reading this will be totally into that but trying to stop kids from touching toys in a toy store is stressful. I suppose the takeaway from this review should be if you have kids don't bring them in right now. Go in by yourself. Again, I would have loved to support this business and buy something but when you are feeling rushed and watched it's hard to quickly decide on something. Maybe online is the way to go? read more

I love Hadley and one night after dinner I yelled STOP as we rounded the corner on the way back to the hotel. They had Hadley with DOOR COUNTY personalization. I know, fabulous, right? Only closed so of course we had to come back the next day. They had a bunch of other fun stuff, mainly things for kids but I didn't look at it that closely. They had a great collection of Hadley dishes. I bought two coasters and the clerk wrapped them up like they were a special present. And it was, for me! Stop by and give yourself a present! read more

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I had a less than desirable consumer experience at this establishment in the early afternoon of August 22, 2020. My wife and I were shopping for our young son. We were the only customers in the establishment. For a few seconds I lowered my facial covering so I could communicate in a clear and concise manner to my wife. The older lady staffing the establishing said, "I'm too old for this" and then told me to leave. I was completely shocked and promptly left without causing a scene. I'm completely for private enterprise having the rights to make their own rules. However, this lady's reaction was certainly a bit extreme. read more

I love this toy store! It is the antithesis of ToysRUs. There are so many unique toys; I saved my Christmas shopping (for 9 grandkids) until I got to Sturgeon Bay. The shop owner is so personable; you can tell immediately that she loves her job. She wrapped all the gifts I bought (five bags worth). What a treat! The kitty in this store loves to be petted and my grandkids love to pet her. The shop is kid-friendly and welcoming. I will be back often! read more

Last week I promised my children a trip to the Dancing Bear- a store we had been to countless times in past years. This was our first trip into the store since before 2020. It is now well into 2022 and during my stop at the Dancing Bear, I was harassed by the women at the checkout. Upon entering the store, the woman offered me a mask and I politely declined as I am not sick. We continued into the store, quietly and quickly grabbing our items. Two women came in shortly behind us. The woman behind the counter made a scene, thanking them for choosing to wear masks into the store. She proceeded to POINT at me and tell the women that I refuse to wear a mask and asked if they would still be comfortable knowing I was on the premises. So incredibly humiliating, degrading, and dehumanizing. The people working at the Dancing Bear have chosen to cling to ridiculousness and their masks instead of seeing other human beings as people. It is disgusting to me that someone would treat another person that way over something so foolish. At the checkout, the woman tried to brush things off by saying she wasn't trying to be rude. I calmly rebutted her comment by stating that she was incredibly rude in her actions towards me. I live in this town, I am a part of this community and I was treated so terribly in that store. I love to support local business but not when they treat people so poorly. I will gladly take my business anywhere else. read more

Such a wonderful store. A wonderful selection of children's books. You are always warmly greeted and the store cat is just adorable. If you need a children's gift I would highly recommend this store. read more

Each year we come to Sturgeon Bay and my two children love visiting this store. They have a great selection of brainy toys and creative games and toys. Prices are normal, but the experience is tops due to the store front layout, selection, location, and outstanding customer attention. read more

This has got to be one of the best toy stores anywhere around - definitely the best I've ever seen. Dancing Bear has an incredible selection of gifts both for children and adults: an amazing array of beautifully illustrated kids' books, stuffed animals (many by Jellycat brand, which are really soft and cuddly), fun games and puzzles and blocks, hand-painted ceramics and children's dishes, nice soaps and whimsical socks. I'm so glad this store has been here for so long in Sturgeon Bay and hope it continues to be a fixture of Third Avenue! read more

This shop was so wonderful and fun. First, they have a shop cat named Jean-Louise who is just the softest! So many unique games and toys, books and gifts. My fiance and I got ourselves some fun socks to save for our Christmas stockings (His: Football Sunday socks, Hers: cat socks) and we picked up a "Cook it Together" children's cookbook that my 4-year old niece is going to LOVE! Stop by and get someone you love something special! read more

This is a wonderful toy shop stuffed full of unique treasures. There are so many things to look at for kids and kids-at-heart. I wish we had a local shop like this near home! The shop owner was very friendly, and the shop cat, Jean Louise, was a pleasure to meet as well. read more