What a surprise. FYI: I am in my late 30s and do not have children. I can't remember why my…read morehusband, my brother in law, and I wandered into Doc Taylor's Toy Emporium when we were exploring Old Ellicott City last weekend (something in the window must have caught our eyes), but it was such a pleasant surprise. The store is very large (two stories) and so well stocked. We found lots of classics that we remembered from our childhoods and even made a purchase for ourselves (toys are for adults, too, right?). If you need to purchase a toy for someone or if you're just looking for something a little fun as a treat, stop in. They might have something surprising and fun!

This is what the world is missing. Toy stores seem to be a thing of the past and that's sad because…read morethey bring so much joy. We surprised our daughters with a Friday afternoon trip to Old Ellicott City to visit this toy emporium I saw on Instagram. We were met with what I believe to be the largest selections of squishables I've ever seen. I even left with a sizable one myself. My kids were pleasantly surprised by all of the options and had fun exploring both floors of this establishment. The prices were on the higher end in comparison to Amazon but who wants to wait for the mail when you can just go home with what you want? :-) There appeared to be only one person manning the place at the time but he was friendly. It wasn't busy at all. I heard it's only been open a year or so and I can see the growth potential if we keep spreading the word about this hidden gem. I'm excited to bring others back to find their new squishy friend.

BLUF: Located inside the Columbia Mall, on the second floor, this is a sizable book store with…read morepuzzles and other paper goods. I passed by a store called BAM! and it conjured up visions of Emeril Lagasse but the only resemblance this store has to Emeril is that it sells cookbooks. Little did I know that BAM! Is short for Books-A-Million and this store has plenty of books, stationary, puzzles and other gifty items. Preferring to listen to audio books, I'm not one for physical books but this store had some lovely displays and vignettes that sucked me in. Although not as large as Barnes & Noble there is still a very healthy selection of well organized merchandise. There was something very nostalgic and cozy about browsing in this store. Overall, a nice experience.

I really like this bookstore. It's well organized and it smells good. Wasn't really in the market…read morefor a book tonight, but it was fun looking around. Friendly staff greets you on entry, but then everyone leaves you alone.

Excellent store, with friendly staff. I am more interested in board games than toys and POP…read morefigures, so I would prefer a dedicated board game store, but I understand that not everyone is as into board games as I am and it would probably not be as profitable. I come in periodically to check their stock of board games, and they usually have a nice selection, though as of when I last visited they were lacking in smaller card games like Dwarf King, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Arboretum, etc. I hope this store does not go out of business with the pandemic hit.

This company does not stand by their products. I bought a squish toy for my son here. Before we…read moreleft the mall, it popped and got goo all over his hands. He was not being rough with it. I came back to the store with the receipt, to see what they could do. The store would not offer a refund, or a store credit, or an exchange. There was literally nothing they would do except throw away the broken toy. This is the last time I'll be shopping here--I'd be afraid of having an issue with other returns as well.

We recently visited Playseum for a playdate, and overall, it was a really fun experience! Located…read moreinside the Columbia Mall, it's filled with imaginative play stations that kept the kids entertained for hours. There are themed areas like a café, Italian restaurant, veterinary office, beauty salon, barbershop, grandma's house, and even a stage where kids can dress up and put on a play. If your child enjoys pretend play, this is definitely a great spot. I also appreciated that it encourages creativity instead of screen time. It's refreshing to see a place where kids can use their imaginations and just be kids. The only thing I didn't love was the pricing. Admission is $15 per person, including adults. I understand their explanation that they want parents to participate with their children, but in reality, many parents are simply supervising. Other similar indoor play spaces only charge for the children, or at least offer a reduced admission for adults. That pricing model would have made more sense to me. They also offer several add-on activities like decorating cupcakes, making slime, decorating cookies, baking, and even an animal encounter at the top of each hour. They're all cute options, but they do cost extra, so be prepared for the visit to add up if your child wants to do multiple activities. The animal encounter was fairly small, with just a few animals, but younger kids will probably still enjoy it. There is seating available for parents, although it can be limited since so much of the space is dedicated to the different play stations. Overall, the kids had a blast, the facility was clean, and there was plenty to keep them engaged. While I wish the adult admission and extra activity pricing were a little more family-friendly, I'd still recommend Playseum for a fun afternoon of imaginative play. We'll definitely consider coming back.

Would I recommend this establishment...absolutely! Can't wait to go back!…read more I found this place by searching for play activities near Columbia mall. I had never been here and wasnt sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. Location: Inside the mall, on the first floor, right outside the Nordstroms. Easy to find. Cost: Worth the entrance fee, both child and adults have to pay. Fair price. There are also take home activities and play that cost extra, such as slime, treat making, soap making, and more. These extra activities are also fairly priced and and so much fun. The entrance fee to the Kids Playseum allowed you access to the establishment nextdoor, Playseum upstairs. They also have playseum bucks as well. Staff: Super nice, helpful, experienced and attentive staff. Everyone one we interacted with for our time there was fabulous. We were able to go to both the Be with me playseum and the playseum upstairs. Cleanliness: The kept a tight shop. The toys and amenities were well kept, organized, clean and in good condition. Options: There were so many rooms to play in, so many cute toys, books, dress up and imagination play. My favorite was the ice bucket where the fish were kept in the Safeway. Super cute! The girls loved playing here and definitely want to come back. Overall wonderful experience!

So I was so excited to take my son to the Lego store today. And then so disappointed in the…read morecustomer service. I watched 4 employees just standing around and they didn't speak as we entered or ask if we needed assistance, just kept talking.And when we were in there we the only 2 people for awhile and still we were treated like we were invisible. No worries I can buy legos anywhere because this pop up store needs to do a lot better.

12.14.24 I came in…read moreto look at the calendars. I was hoping to get a large desktop calendar, but they were all wall calendars. As the store name indicates, they sell calendar, toys, and games. It was a fun store to peruse. Currently, select toys are 30 to 70% off and puzzles and games are buy one get 50% off. They are located on the lower level at the Mall in Columbia closest to Macy's.

We took a detour into here on our way to another store inside the mall. They have a ton of board…read moregames inside. That's what I was really impressed with. Every variation you could think of they have. They even had niche types. Such as Jurassic Parks tribal game. The store recently transferred to a new owner/management and they have some big changes. The plan seems to turn it into a true toy store. The employee make it feel like a local hometown type store. It's definitely worth a visit. Especially in a few weeks when they undergo the changes. If you are looking for games or the mini figure collectibles or kinetic sand. It just a neat little store that seems to be getting its footing. You also can't beat that it's locally owned!

Didn't see what I saw trending on social media, but that's always changing so there's no issue. I…read moredid come during a discount for teachers and that's pretty cool. My class will like the little treats that I found and I like the price. The staff was pleasant and one even plans to with from bell to bell tomorrow so that others could be off for New Year's Day.

I needed USB/USB-C outlet adapters so popped into Five Below to purchase some. Was sad to see the…read moreprice has increased $2 on these adapters, but I liked the selection and took 2 adapters to checkout. The person who checked me out seemed to have no pulse other than perfunctorily greeting people who came in the front door. She spoke 2 words to me as she checked me out. I didn't see much of the store as what I wanted was fairly close to the front, but it seemed well maintained and neat. I'll return.