An actual brick and mortar toy store? wow…read more It is a little up market, this is not the place for gi joe and barbies but there are good toys, especially for younger children, with toys that will really make them think and use their imaginations. I will confess to having a soft spot to their plush animals. cute puppets, birds that make the sounds of the actual bird and some heavily pun related toy animals like pigs in the blanket and corn dogs. I do not recommend the gym rat but otherwise it's a nice place to browse even if just to remind yourself of your child hood and if you have children, even better.

THEY HAVE SMISKI! This time they had multiple series and good stock of it. They are priced at…read more$11.99. I asked the employees and they do not sell sonny angels unfortunately. They said it was due to vendor's decision and another location in the area sells them so they can't. Employees are very friendly and welcoming; and they're certainly willingly to answer any questions. They used to have more stock of pokemon cards (it's near the checkout centre aisle), but the workers also said it was hard to keep up the demand. It is a lovely kids' store with items for children of all ages. They have Aaron's thinking putty, crystals, stuffed animals, games, legos and etc. It's a good store to stop at with the kids as a break in between shopping at the other stores on 2nd street. They also have gift wrap service available, ask at the cashier. I'm unsure if it costs extra though.

Friendly, knowledgeable, smiling lady who runs the place - asked lots of questions and she was very…read moreobliging. Prices are reasonableand theres a useful bulletin board of local LGBTQ events... Off the beaten path and quiet. Recommended!

EXCELLENT service from Saph who approached in a low pressure manner to offer advice/ answer…read morequestions if we had them, which we absolutely did. We were very much interested in getting a kite, and Saph pointed us in the correct direction. We got the black stingray with rainbow accents and the line weighted properly to go with it. The selection was vast enough to be slightly overwhelming so we appreciate that staff is on hand to help. And the kite actually cost less than we were prepared to spend. Can't wait to get this thing home and show it to the kids!

Set in the north end of the boardwalk this is a great place to stop off for that stuff you…read moreforgot-buckets and spades- or didn't realize you forgot -kites- or for a great souvenir of your day at the beach.

My ceramics has been one of our most favorite destinations when we visit the beach. We have been…read morehere no less than a dozen times and have brought many friends who were visiting us along for the fun. The service is outstanding and the environment is always friendly for kids and adult adults alike. I could not recommend this place any higher.

I have been meaning to post this for a while but I have been so busy with graduate school and…read moreworking as a healthcare worker involved with vaccine administration effort that I haven't gotten around to it until now. I went to My Ceramics to have a pleasant experience and express myself in a stress-free environment. Unfortunately, I had one of the most racist encounters I have ever experienced. I was told that there would be an $8 sit-down fee that would cover any return visits until finished. When I came back to complete my project, a different woman rudely called me out in front of everyone and said that the fee needed to be paid again and for every future visit. I explained that I was told otherwise initially, that my first $8 allowed me to come back and finish without another fee, but she interrupted me and said that was not true, loudly and disrespectfully. She was implying that I was stupid and pointed to a sign that just said sit-down fees were $8. She also said I was using too much paint and glitter which was wasting their money, which is not something you say to a paying customer who you want to come back. I remember I jokingly said to another caucasian employee that I wanted to "glitterfy my dolphin" and obviously I know that the word glitterfy isn't in the dictionary, but she condescendingly told me that I reminded her of her young students that do not know the difference between words that are and aren't in the dictionary. I also remember when I went up to get more paint she would throw many rude remarks and one time I asked politely "Do you mind if I can have some glitter" and she said "yes I mind, do not take the whole bottle my other customers need it" when I never implied to take the whole bottle. I also remember having to wait outside for a long time because when I tried to go in, I was turned away because they were at full capacity. Which I completely understand because of Covid but she let her friends go in while I was waiting for three hours, which I did not think was fair at all. I also asked the other caucasian customers the employees spoke to them like that and if they had to pay a fee for each visit after and everyone told me that they were not spoken to like that. So I was singled out because of my skin color. If you are a minority, I would not suggest going to this business if you want to have a stress-free and non-discriminatory experience.

Patti is extremely rude and does not value her customers. I have a gift certificate that she will…read morenot accept. Her store in Darien, CT closed abruptly. Clearly the reason was tied to her poor business etiquette.

Truly shocked by the bad reviews. Went here for the first time today and it was incredible! Patti…read morewas SO helpful and her shop had the cutest bags, threads, and canvases. Btw she told me shipping is free (!!) online and she was overly accommodating to other shoppers in store who wanted to buy canvases and items that were sold out. We are only here in person once a year, but I definitely will be shopping her online store too. Love supporting small women owned businesses. Thanks Patti!

After taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa we were thrilled with our purchase of an…read moreincredibly beautiful (and very heavy) Shona stone sculpture of an elephant with her calf. Unfortunately, upon returning to the US we opened our find to discover it had been broken in many places; two legs broken off, an ear snapped off, much of the stone had crumbled, etc, etc, and we thought it was ruined. This was despite careful wrapping and packing by us but, undoubtedly, careless treatment by the airlines. After several Google searches we kept coming back to Lakeside Pottery, not only because they were the most responsive but because they seemed lovely people, totally genuine, and enthusiastic and caring of our 'predicament', attributes sorely lacking from every NYC studio who were often abrasive, and didn't seem interested. I took us a few months to get our ducks in a row but we eventually snapped pics of our statue, it was given an estimate for repair and a timetable of the repair schedule. We shipped off our beloved statue in a double box, pampered though it were priceless. We opted for the total restoration, since it really wasn't much more than the next level down. Mort asked us several times why we would consider spending several times its initial cost to repair the piece, so we knew he genuinely cared and wasn't in this for the money. It was our love for the piece that convinced him we were serious about our desire to have it restored as fully as possible. Long story short, when the elephant statue was finished (way ahead of schedule) we were sent photos of its repair and we couldn't believe what we were seeing. The, when we received the statue in the 'mail', my wife literally cried tears of happiness when she saw the statue, which was repaired so perfectly, so flawlessly, and obviously with such love and care, we still to this day look upon the statue and are baffled by how they did it. My advice: these guys are geniuses at what they do. Masters of their craft, totally unsurpassed in their field, I imagine. I could not recommend them highly enough. They made us so happy, and one day we hope to drive to their studio to thank them in person. Thank you a million times for restoring our statue and giving it a whole new life!

I am a professional cabinet maker/ refinisher. I expect perfection. Morty and Patty at Lakeside…read morePottery just finished a ceramic plate repair for me. The results were spectacular! They have truly made an invisible restoration. They communicated with me at every step and there were no "surprises". I can not recommend Lakeside Pottery high enough. You will not be disappointed!

If you are looking for comics or a unique gifts definitely check out Ogre's Grove! The owners are…read morevery helpful and you can find comics, collectibles, and artwork. My brother is a collector and I always find great gifts for him here. Justin is the owner and he is great to talk to, very knowledgeable and helpful. If you love comics you will enjoy this shop. They are starting events like Magic Monday.

I'm glad to call this my hometown comic book shop. These guys do a lot for the community and always…read morehave an up to date book and accessory selection. Fun to stroll through and grad a book for the beach.

I wanted to check out a local toy store and this place was near our vacation rental. The store…read morefaces the beach so it is a convenient location especially if you want to buy a kite and fly it that day. Honestly, I thought they would have more of a toy selection but I was impressed by the large amount of kites and flags. We have not flown a kite in years but seeing all of them made us want to fly a kite. I see that it would be very appealing to stop by the store on a beach day, purchase one, and then fly on the beach next door. Or even just to stop in, browse and feel nostalgia when you are walking down the beach boardwalk. The toys felt like a random variety. I LOVE Palm Pal plushies so I loved that they had a pretty big section for them and they were all neatly displayed. But that is my preference. Everything else felt random, but then again I'm not a child so I cannot speak fully to what is and isn't a trend. I will note if you are sensitive to loud noises or have sensory concerns, there was a loud section in front of the store of those barking animatronic dog toy things. We found them to be obnoxious but manageable if you ventured deeper into the store. However, walking by that corner to exit I think they were triggered by motion so they started barking louder. So especially if you walk in through that section or try to browse near that section, I would caution its loud. Prices a little pricier than typical store prices but this is a store right on the beach. I purchased a fun little seagull magnet at $5.99. Customer service wasn't anything special and sales associate didn't really engage us. Just more of typical formalities when checking out. I don't think we would come in here again except if I wanted to purchase a kite or a Palm Pal.

AMAZING! So many things (old & new) to choose from! The guys there are extremely friendly &…read morehelpful! Their prices are great! They are accommodating & a lot of fun to Chat with!!