The kind of toy store I loved as a kid. Everything out to try play around with. Every corner crammed with something you didn't notice last time you were there. The toys can be pricey, especially for toys you could get everywhere but, if your looking for something pretty special, this is a fine place to check out. read more

The Purple Bear - Mascot - Toy Stores Near Me - Guilford, Connecticut

A fun toy store that manages to stay in business despite Walmart being not a mile away. Thank goodness for that, because if you want real toys, as opposed to plastic garbage, the megastores can't compete with this place. It's more expensive that Walmart, of course, but that's because you're not buying crap made in China by quasi-slave labor. And you might be spending a few dollars more than you would if you searched a while online, but in my opinion, that's a price worth paying for having independent, local shops on the Green. If it's your first visit, they'll give your child a free gift, and gifts again on every birthday if you're on their mailing list. Not garbage gifts, either; for his last birthday, they gave my son a $20 item. Nice people, even though the owner is a Red Sox fan. read more

I walked in and there were two nasty old women at the front desk. I asked if they could tell me how much I had left on a old gift card that I found and they rudely said that I should have written it down. The store still has the same nasty toys that been there for years and a weird old man staring at me in the corner. The staff was cold and rude to me. I do NOT recommend going to this dusty, crusty, and overpriced place. read more

This is one of the best toy stores I have very been in. Amazing toy selection. And incredible owners, so friendly and helpful.

Excellent selection. Staff was very helpful. A fun toy store. Happy to buy local. Will do so again at The Purple Bear!

I think I would shop here again but I did find the prices to be a little high. If you are looking for something special, this is the place to go. I had a gift certificate so I picked up my yet to be born son a nice German dump truck. I'll have to store it for a year but it seemed to be something I would not find elsewhere. Nice shop to browse though it can be mega cramped on a Saturday afternoon. read more

This is a great little toy store! Many of the children I know (my niece and several of my friend's children) are in the Madison and Guilford area. I was delighted to discover this little shop on my way to my niece's birthday party. They have a great selection of toys and games for a wide range of ages. I had a very hard time limiting myself to only two items. The staff was very nice and they gift wrapped my purchases for me free of charge. read more

An excellent place to find a quality gift your kid will love.

Always find something new here, my kids love this store. The people are really nice, even if the kids just want to hang out at the train table. read more

This looked like a good place to find toys other than you would find at chain toy stores, but I will never enter this store again due to the rudeness of an employee. Just walking around town we stopped in to see if we could find something different. With nothing specific in mind, we were asked by this employee "can I help you find something?"( We were in there for maybe 10 min) I said "no, we're just browsing", and her response was "I thought so." Very snooty! We walked out and will never set foot in there again. Say bye bye to this potential customer! read more

Terrible service. We bought a $40 toy there for Christmas, among other things. We wanted to support local business. Well, Christmas morning rolled around and the toy wouldn't work - something was off with the electronics. My wife brought it back the next day and was told the owner "could usually fix those, he's on vacation for three weeks." We left the toy there and called after three weeks went by, only to be told he was still on vacation. When I went down there the female employee gave me a lot of attitude and refused an exchange for the same toy (a new one), instead offering a store credit. When I pointed out that I could just get the store credit and then use it to buy a new one, she scowled and waved me to the toys, "go get one". Terrible customer service, especially for a local business. When amazon can get stuff to us in two days and with minimal effort on our part, these businesses need to step up their game. Not to mention that amazon's customer service would have had us a replacement toy in 4 days, with free shipping both ways, and the attitude at this store is mind-boggling. We will never return to the Purple Bear. I hope no one else winds up with the service that we got. read more

WE spend a lot of money for our 3 grand children in this store. We bought 2 mini flyers for the 2 boy's.They are like little drones. Cost $19.95 The older guy says if anything should go wrong bring them back ,we will fix of exchange them. Sounded good----Wrong one worked one did not. When we went to return them he now states we don't sell the mini flyer and got insulting with me. So for $19.95 we will go somewhere else. read more

Love this store!! It's fun to explore when you have time to browse. But the helpful staff will make it easy to do a quick in-and-out with a gift-wrapped package. Unique and unusual books & toys of quality. Hard-to-find brands - toys for education and entertainment. read more

I am a person who believes in supporting local businesses but this store is a total rip off. I just purchased a dollhouse from them...when I looked online that night I found it on sale at Amazon for half the price!!!! Even when you added overnight $50 shipping, it was still $25 less than what I paid for it at Purple Bear. It is not a surprise that when you call and ask them to give you a price on something, they refuse to tell you. When I called them to confirm the price on the dollhouse, they told me that I could return it for a store credit only....so that I can purchase other outrageously overpriced toys? No thanks!. If you are going to buy something here, I suggest doing your homework first. read more

i agree - very helpful staff. Friendly spot and I like the kinds of toys they have. @ nieces cleaned up based upon my last visit.

Horrible customer service!! While on vacation, my kids were wanting a beach game, spike ball, to play with the family. We were really excited to find a version of this game at a "The Purple Bear". We love to buy local and felt good about our $40 purchase. Unfortunately the game was complete crap. Really cheaply made and didn't work as it was supposed. The cheap plastic didn't hold up to the tiny ball and kept coming apart. We immediately repacked the game in its original box and armed with our receipt which said "returnable within 30 day for store credit" we head back to the toy store for an alternative game. A man met us at the register and refused to return item. He said it had been opened and he couldn't resell it therefore he would not accept it. After showing him our receipt he points to a small sign near the register that says they won't accept opened items, but that is not what the receipt says I pointed out to him and he still refused. Instead he tells me to call the manufacturer and have them send us a new one. We told him we were on vacation and said "well, they will ship it anywhere". Why would I want the same junky game? I work customer service and this is not how you treat people. Now I see how they are still in business. They sell over priced junk and mislead consumers with their small print return policy. Buyers beware!! I should of driven the extra 20 miles and gone to Target and paid the $30. read more