Bargain Bazaar Is one of those long-standing shops located on Grant Avenue in San Francisco's…read moreChinatown. Yes, this place has all of the tourist orientated items common to many of the shops along Grant Avenue. But, what you'll find here is some actual unique items found nowhere else along the street. One of the main factors this shop has going for it is that they have an upstairs section full of a lot of great toy-style and anime items. There's really a lot of interesting and unique stuff up there. On the lower section, they have an ever-changing variety of items that include so many things I can't even list them. But, they include jewelry, masks, souvenir items, you name it... Overall, of the many-many shops that line Grant Avenue, this one holds its own unique place. It is worth a visit just to see what new items they are offering.

Loved Bargain Bazaar…read more Found some nice gifts for loved ones at a great price. The store isn't all that organized but there are some good finds in here and you gotta love the deals. Employees aren't all that friendly or helpful but everything is pretty much laid out for you. Don't expect service with a smile.

Had a fun time exploring here with a friend while walking around in SF japantown! It's such a…read morewhimsical and small shop filled with gacha machines from popular fandoms like Hello Kitty, Tamagotchi, and anime! They have niche machines like rings, foods, and so much more. Everything is self service with a credit card/money slot machine that only accepts $12 at a time. NO change is given if you pay cash, so please use the exact amount. Each token is $3 so a $12 purchase gives you 4 tokens. Each slot machine has an indicator of where it needs 2 or 3 tokens. They also have a great photobooth for your pulls! Definitely go to this place if you love gacha machines!

It's similar to the other Bandai Gachapon locations that I've seen all over, but it does have an…read moreadded feature of the photobooths. There's a Bleach one outside and a Fruits Basket one inside, as well as another fancier one inside, though I didn't get to see what it exactly was. Like the other Gacha set ups, there is also a photo area for you to take pictures of your new little figures in, so that's neat as well. I'm going to say that what I've seen here is mostly what I have seen all over SoCal at the Bandai locations, at Shibuyala, Mitsuwa, etc. so it's not THAT unique, but there are a few machines that I have not seen such as a bottle clip that was a pair of glasses among some other things. I believe you can use these tokens at other Gachapon locations, so keep 'em if you don't want to use them all here. Also know that on busier days this place gets super packed! Also see if you can trade with others if you have a specific one you'd like too!

Part collector's dream, part art exhibit…read more Heroes Club (or Art of Toys), is a figurine specialist store featuring extremely rare collectible figures and statues. Primarily focusing on Kaiju, Kamen Rider, and Horror figures, you'll find some of the biggest, most detailed, and hard to find statues on (and off) the market. From cheap less than $20 retro gachapon figures you can put on your work desk to over $1000 one-of-a-kind detailed pieces that will become the centerpiece of your home. If you love Japanese culture, Art of Toys has your back. Celebrating Godzilla, Ultraman, Sentai, Capcom, and more! They also have American IP products such as DC, Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney, but if you want rare goods from Japan, Art of Toys have you covered. If you are into more gruesome and macabre, the store features both original statues as well as statues from some of your favorite horror artists and series. I could go on about all the assortment of niche collectors items Art of Toys posses, but then this review would take you an hour to read. A big dissuading point is the prices on some of these pieces, but if you're going to a museum and try to buy a Picasso with what you have in your back pocket, you're going to be disappointed. These figures are well made, detailed, and rare, with many of them being made in batches that only hit the double digits. If spending $200 or more on a deluxe, vintage Godzilla figure freaks you out, then that's ok. They do sell cheaper, plastic figures which still look awesome and you can play with them without feeling like you're manhandling a work of art. More importantly, browsing is completely free, and Art of Toys feels like a museum with all the imported items behind glass cases. Heroes Club (or Art of Toys) is worth a visit if you're into niche media or just want to see some crazy cool stuff.

Before anything I must tell you that this toy store is more like a museum and a fine art store…read more It's like a tourist attraction for those who are into fine retro pop culture like Tokusatsu (Ultraman, Kaiju, Godzilla, Sentai, Kamen Rider), Universal Monsters, and many more. Walking in here is like stepping through a time tunnel where the past, present, and future merge. Don't be surprised if a lot of the statues are expensive, Robin Kwok worked on almost all of them. He is a pop culture artisan when it comes to pop culture fine art and more particularly monsters, machines, etc. He is a fine art toy modeler extraordinaire, and that is the best way I could put it. This is one of the toy shops Robin Williams frequently visited, and it's easy to understand why. The art and detail on the sculptures are phenomenal. You will find painted Black Hearts, Volks, and other monster/sci-fi related models here, masterfully prepared by Robin Kwok himself. All items are considerately priced in various ranges, depending on the nature of the product, and some do cost a little more, but you will never run out of a selection. To make things easier, let me categorize USD 10-30's range- Various toys like retro and neo gashapon, bandai vinyls, rare japanese figures, candy toys, miniatures, and many more. 50's-100's range Rare toys, retro vinyl figures, unique/oddity type figures, bandai vinyls, sometimes even older series X-plus Gamera figures, rare action figures and many more. 100's to 1000's range -Fine art model kits/figures/etc. painted and prepared/built by Robin Kwok himself (usually includes an original Heroes Club/Art of Toy holofoil sticker at the bottom. Not to mention, most of these come in many forms and sizes from Godzilla Resin/Vinyl kits and Busts to higher scale statues. -Retro toys like Real Action Heroes/Medicom/etc. figures that are out of production, be it Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and many more. Beyond the 1000's range -From mid to very large scale statues that are masterfully crafted, built/prepared, and painted by artist, Robin Kwok, himself. Many of which are limited, some are one of a kind. Remember the oxygen destroyer? This shop actually has one of those limited model prop replica that you would probably never find anywhere (unless someone has already bought it.) When you enter the store, be sure to say hi to the people there and say John sent you. haha. Sure, it won't get you a discount, but this makes us somewhat buddies now, being fans of Robin and this unique time chamber of monsters, robots, space creatures, sentai, and sentinels.

The highly anticipated wait Boy was it crowded the weekend I went. The store is pretty narrow and…read morelong. I would not recommend wearing anything bulky or bringing anything extra -- strollers, would be difficult to maneuver if the store is packed with people. It was also kind of hard to shop as I always felt like I was in someone's way while browsing or contemplating which Miffy to get. With that being said, there was I would say there was a good amount of items on the shelves. The associates do restock items throughout the day. The free postcards were sold out and those only get replenished I think, daily. There were tons of Miffy plushies in a variety of colors, sizes, outfits, and materials. Great place for gift giving. Keychains, stationary, knick knacks, pens, backpacks, bags, cards, etc. There was also an area in the back where you could take your photo with a special backdrop. Depending on the item, you could be looking to spend $22 on a micro mini Miffy lucky stuffed animal, to $33-$44 for the mini Miffy, to $18-$34 on keyfobs, I do not remember how much the giant giant Miffys were - but def in the hundreds -- the pink one would look so good in my room! There was a line to checkout, but it moved sort of fast since there would be merch to look at while in line, but it would make it difficult to shop if you weren't in line and wanted to see something on that side of the store.

Cute store at Ghirardelli square. So many plushies and gifts for girls of all ages. A little…read morepricey, but that's expected.

I've been coming to Classic Materials for years! When they were in Tanforan Mall and now Stonestown…read moreGalleria. This store is tucked in the mall on the 2nd floor not too far from the Food Court and Target. They have a great selection of Sports Memorabilia, Funko Pops, Hot Wheels, collector cards, toys and more. I specifically like going there for their collectors items. I even remember meeting Klay Thompson and other Golden State Warriors current and past players when they used to be at Tanforan Mall. The team working at this store is great, especially DJ who is very helpful and knowledgeable of the products he sells The store gets fairly busy, however, DJ is always attentive to his customers and makes it a point to help the customers find what they want/need. The store is very clean and organized. The prices there are reasonable and I never leave the store without making a purchase! Never found myself dissatisfied with any of their items! Highly recommended! My kids love going here too! 5 stars!

Resealed packs. I…read morebought a White Flare (JP) and Team Rocket (JP) booster box and found that two cards belonged to the Terastal Festival collection I don't have video proof of opening these boxes. These were the first boxes I've ever bought and opened them with some friends, but when I put them in a scanner neither original collection showed up. Thought it was an error, did some googling on these cards and the serial numbers - Terastal. If they respond, they'll call me out for lying - I have no reason to do so. In my lifetime I've now opened four boxes and two were resealed, apparently

I like exploring around San Francisco . On my Summer stroll of the Embarcadero I landed at one of…read moremy favorite places to go since I was a child, the Exploratorium. In my formative years the Exploratorium was located in the Marina at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.The Exploratorium always had a fun science magic atmosphere since taking bag lunch field trips. Now as an adult I go to the Nightlife events the Exploratorium offers at the Embarcadero After Dark as the science drops with the drinks and music by the water. In the daytime I do like to do a pit stop at the Exploratorium store to browse and shop as my curiosity takes over. One thing which I still have is a pair of math dice. I use to carry these dice and create dice games to play at events and gatherings. This store has a bit of everything from books like the Drunken Botanist to the San Francisco 1000 piece puzzle ( my new favorite). This place be dropping the science for people of all ages. There is something for anyone who wants to explore the arts and sciences. A great Edutainment store experience at the Exploratorium at Pier 15. This is the place for fun and games that STEM from exploration. A place in San Francisco that's terrific next to the Ocean in the Pacific Piers 15 to be specific a place explore the arts and get scientific

The exploratorium store was a cool spot with a huge range of gifts to get. It is the gift shop to…read morethe Exploratorium. I liked the black sand exhibit at the Exploratorium and asked the sales associate there for some. She was very happy and eager to lead the way to the black sand. They also have a bunch of other cool tacky stuff to buy from a test tube glass tea diffuser to crystal rocks. A jar of black sand was $9.72 which I thought was a fair price to pay.

Digital devices have become a personal attachment and addictive in our modern day daily lives and…read morenot all things in real life revolve around digital screen. Some argue that things aren't fun anymore. There are lots of fun things to commemorate and celebrate in 2026. May the Fourth Be With You is highly celebrated on May 4 and Mel Brooks who did the Star Wars movie spoof Space Balls turns 100 years in June. Godiva Chocolatier turns 100 years this year. America turns 250 year old in July and it's a celebration of a lifetime. There is a place in SF which feels like it's your birthday everyday. There are adult card drinking games and Legos. This place also is a good place to pick up that toy gift. This is a place to curate fun and the store is located in Pacific Heights in San Francisco and it's called Just for Fun. On May stroll through Pacific Heights I landed on Fillmore street. Inside feels like everyday is Christmas. There are four Just for Fun stores around San Francisco and this is my favorite one. There are many fun games you can take at a party or local park to play like MahJong. They also have one of my favorite drinking card game like Don't Drink & Draw and other fun interactive adult game Pictionary for Adults Only. Just for fun carries Legos so you can also build sun flowers and a tulip bouquet . They also have a variety of board games available. Come to Just Fun to have some fun. Go on a May stroll with Don Juan and come "along" play Super Mario Chess without the chess piece of "Donkey Kong "and go back and forth on the chessboard like a game of pickle ball or "ping pong" then after that chess game play a game of " Mahjong " Fun things you can "generate "and inside Just for Fun the store they have items that are fun and at a gathering you can" incorporate" and on July 4 you can go to a park to party and "celebrate" 250 years of America we should all "commemorate"

My pup and I walked by Just For Fun, a toy store that moved into the former Mudpie space (a baby…read moreclothing & toy store that moved just a few steps away to 2121 Fillmore). From their website, I see that Just for Fun has 3 locations in SF, one in Noe Valley, one on Union St and this one on Fillmore. Lots of great toys for the kids and kids-at-heart. Also art supplies. Last time we visited, we browsed and brought some watercolor pencil combo. Can't wait to make some art. Haven't been doing that for a while and is a bit rusty. 2025 is the year of Snake. According to the internet, Snakes are often associated with wisdom, transformation, intuition, and rebirth. And it's said that this is a year for self-reflection, letting go of old patterns, and embracing personal development, so there we go. Art projects on the horizon Service friendly. Located on Fillmore and Sacramento.

i stumbled upon CardVault since i was going to the Giants game, and CardVault is right next to…read moreOracle Park. i love sports and collectibles, so i was genuinely shocked to see this impeccable establishment with legitimate, elite card collectibles, sports gear and many other items for Sports and Card fans i got a WWE pack, and my favorite pull was The Prince, Finn Balor the value for the packs can range from $10-$500, and same applies to gear, collectibles and signed items

The card store was pretty neat. Things were organized very well. Clean environment and they pump a…read moregood fragrance. The decor was well designed. The staff was very helpful and friendly. Got to learn about their services. You can submit BGS and PSA from here.