Local

I think most of us would say we take pride in our communities and want them to succeed. There are a lot of ways to do so, but one great way (especially with Holiday shopping coming up) is to participate in the third annual  National Neighborhood Toy Store Day November 10.

It makes sense financially to shop at your local toy store – Did you know that for each dollar you spend at independent businesses in your community, three or more times as much typically goes back into the local economy compared to a dollar spent at a chain store?

Of course, there are benefits for you to shop at a local toy store as well. Local stores typically have a small staff. This means that employees get to know their customers, and as a consumer you get more personalized service than you ever would at a “big box” retailer. You’ll also find quality merchandise at local stores – owners hand-pick items they think are worthwhile, as opposed to a broad range of toys being crammed into the shelves at large chain stores.

We received some toys to try out that are ones you can find at many local toy stores. I could tell right off the bat that these were high-quality toys. Here are a couple of the items we got:

This classic Brio figure 8 set is high-quality and will stand the test of time (and wear and tear from your preschooler).

LOVE this science kit! It combines fun with learning, and gets kids excited about science at an early age. Both the train set and the science kit encourage creative play, and will really engage your kids’ imaginations.

Those are just small glimpses of the kind of toys you’ll find at your neighborhood toy store – I hope you’ll stop in and check out all your local store has to offer on the Neighborhood Toy Store Day November 10! And of course keep up with all the latest news – LikeThe WooHoo Factor on Facebook and follow The WooHoo Factor on Twitter!

Note: I received samples in exchange for this post. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are my own.