My meter had 20 minutes left which gave us the chance to stop into Mini Wonder. I've driven by and had been curious so I'm glad we had time. The store is very small and currently seems largely holiday stuff--though perhaps I'm misremembering; they did have some more general stuff (I remember seeing some Bears-related gear and stuff). Right now--November 2023--they carry mostly apparel. I really appreciate that there is a LOT of non-gendered (I know, colors don't have genders, yet we've unfortunately associated genders with them) things here, which was VERY difficult to find when I was pregnant. They also carry toys, a small collection of books, some cards, and other small items. I bought my daughter some adorable tights with Christmas trees which was an incredibly serendipitous acquisition, since she wore her Christmas outfit for the first time this evening when we went to the Walnut Room! The staff were really friendly as well, and I always appreciate kind and helpful folks. They have a cute little photo booth and for some reason I really love photo booths--but I was able to refrain from stopping in this one (probably because I was whittling away the time on my lunch break).
Unfortunately, unless there's another entrance I missed, the store is not accessible. There are three steps to get down into the shopping level once you enter the street-level door. I've been having some really terrible back pain the last few days and it was a bit difficult for me to get down the steps because of it, so disabled folks might have a bit of trouble because there's no railing going down the steps unless I've forgotten. Anyone in a wheelchair many with mobility issues would just have to turn around and leave; hopefully they include all of their inventory on their site, though that's not the same as being accessible. And although there's a parking spot in the store for strollers (great foresight), I would probably come back later if my daughter was asleep because I wouldn't want to wake her to shop. There's not a ton of stuff here, but I may stop back again at another time of year to see what else they carry.
Parking is street only and it's not free, but also not too expensive. Or if you're a CTA rider, the Southport stop is only a couple blocks away. read more