There used to be a Discovery Channel Store in Pioneer Place mall. It was right on the corner of 5th and Morrison at ground level. Over the years I had purchased many, many items there, particularly during the Christmas season: A weather station, DVDs, various electronic gadgets, and a plethora of stocking stuffers.
Now it’s been replaced by a shiny, new, pink, Juicy Couture. I sincerely feel that this has not been an even trade. And it’s particularly disappointing after Pioneer Place already lost Toy Bliss, which was a toy store up on the third floor full of wonderful toys and geeky collectibles. Although they were expensive, you could find items there that you were not going to find at Finnegan’s (or even Toys ‘R Us).
Maybe this part of downtown can’t support a toy store. After all, Pioneer Place is not Washington Square, or Clackamas Town Center. It’s smack in the middle of downtown, in the high rent district as it were. Maybe there wasn’t enough business to support a toy store, or an educational store (although they always seemed busy whenever I was there).
But I have my doubts that sales were the whole issue. There are a lot of workers downtown who need to buy things, things that aren’t always clothes. It’s incredibly convenient to be able to run out at lunch, or after work, and grab that last-minute birthday present, or just a new stuffed animal because your kid has been having a rough week. To the extent that commercial diversity exists within walking distance of Pioneer Square, it is certainly appreciated.
Regardless of the reasons stores like Discovery and Toy Bliss have for leaving downtown, I think they have left the area poorer for their departure, and created a void that the presence of a “Juicy Couture” just makes bigger.
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Discovery closed all of it’s stores, not just in Portland.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/end-of-an-era/discovery-stores-close-everywhere-geeks-weep-266753.php
What about Finnegan’s? I love that place.
I love Finnegan’s, too, but it caters to younger kids, and mine are 9 and almost 13, well past the “Thomas the Tank Engine” stage. For my kids I have better luck at Little Finnegan’s next door, or Art Media.
Huh, I didn’t know Toy Bliss went away. Pooh.
Unless I have the story wrong, I believe Toy Bliss was owned by a man whose father is named Ty Bliss, who happens to go to my church. I always found that humorous.
Finding toys in this town IS tough, in my experience as a doting auntie to 5 and honorary auntie to six, soon to be seven, more of their cousins.
I was shocked to find the Toys R’ Us at Jantzen Beach had been leveled — I was looking for a Bob the Builder video (toys R us was a good place for videos/CDs and a certain brand of train set I’ve gotten for every family kid under 3 that was much beloved and sized for people not ready for Brio/Thomas.) And I think the toy store at Lloyd Center is shuttered, too. These, in addition to those you cite.
When I feel like traveling (I live in inner northwest Portland), I head down to Lake O and go to Toy Bliss in the Lake Grove area (the original store of the one in Pioneer Square) but it, too, is quitting business soon (hopefully after Christmas — they have a really good Lego selection as my nephews also are past the Thomas stage). I also hit Learning Palace stores, one outside Clackamas Town Center and another outside Washington Square, that stock some good brands, including Rokenbok, an interesting and expensive marriage of erector-set-like building sets and remote controlled vehicles — good for older kids (toy bliss in Lake O also stocks it).
I did see a sign recently for a toy store in the Pearl, off Lovejoy, but I didn’t get the name.
I’d be interested to know about any independent toy store around the city since a bunch of birthdays and Christmas are on the horizon. I prefer to buy local.
But in the absence of that, I hit Amazon, Hearthsong and a few others on the Internet — I also go straight to Lego and Rokenbok websites when that’s what I’m looking for. And because my little guys have cousins on a midwest farm, John Deere toys and videos are quite popular and easily found on the web. And in the Wal-Marts on SE 82nd. Freddy also stocks john deere stuff — which appeals to guys. And my niece.
I suspect web shoppers are one reason local stores are going under.
I do like Finnegan’s but agree it’s best for younger kids. Their non-popular-culture Lego collection isn’t so good. But they have a good board game collection for older kids. Child’s Play on 23rd is also a regular stop.
My biggest complaint is a lack of steel trucks and construction vehicles. Other than the big Tonka dump truck, it’s hard to find quality metal vehicles.
Oh, and there’s a pretty good toy store in the airport’s A-C concourse. I forget the name. Unfortunately I don’t fly enough these days to make that a regular stop.
There used to be a great toystore on the corner where the Great Harvest Bread Co is now (if I recall correctly) down in the Yamhill area. I believe it was called City Kids and had a lot of neat kinetic and building toys, which were my thing when I was a kid.
It was pretty much Finnegan’s and City Kids for me; we weren’t much of a Toys ‘R Us/chain family, though I did buy my share of My Little Ponies (I KNOW, shudder) at local Freddy’s stores.
@Talea – Talea, you should definitely check out Thinker Toys in Multnomah Village. Great independent toy store with lots of cool toys. http://www.thinkertoysoregon.com/
@Talea – I think you will be hard pressed to find too many metal construction vehicles. I love those and have shopped everywhere to no avail. I think it may be a safety issue thing.
You could always hit the Antique stores and get them a vintage one.
Juicy Couture in Portland? I’m really concerned that a brand that’s made it’s name by putting its “Juicy” on the butts of women is now a flagship in place of a toy store. BOO, I say.
Yes, Juicy, lets highlight behinds as a means of sales. Let’s infuse young women with the idea if no one is looking at your booty, you aren’t cool. What, your butt says nothing? You can’t sit with us at lunch! UGH. Help us.
Juicy Couture will be the new ironic clothing of the hipster set.
Ah, Thinker Toys, I had forgotten about them. Thanks for the reminder — it is a great store.
And, dieselboi, I know steel toys are hard to find, but they do last longer — at least at the hands of the rambunctious boys my extended family seems to spawn — none of which have been injured by said toys. That’s one reason I like John Deere toys — while they are producing more plastic stuff, you still can get the steel replicas of current tractors, construction equipment and combines from John Deere directly (made by Ertl). And my brother, father of two of the more rambunctious boys in my life, often picked up small metal versions of construction toys when he traveled to Germany and Japan.
The fact that Tonka’s best selling truck is that big yellow metal dump trunk SHOULD signal there’s a market for metal toys in the U.S. Smaller-scale versions would be less likely to cause injury.
I… am toy Junkie! I still collect them and play with them and can never pass a toy store without going in.
There is a toy store in the Pearl that I checked out a while back and it seemed pretty cool. They’re called Green Frog Toys and the website is here: http://www.greenfrogtoys.com/
Aside from that, I get a lot of my toys online. I know it’s not the same as shopping, but it’ll do when you have something specific in mind and you can’t find it anywhere! It’s a sad state, however, when you can’t find a toy store, let alone a decent one.
Have you tried this place?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/2867777467_e5300ed802_o.jpg
After all this toy talk, I had to drop by Finnegan’s. What did I score? TWO squirt guns ($3) and the world’s most perfect rubber chicken. ($3.50)I’m amazed at how many laughs a rubber chicken still gets. You can’t argue with the classics!
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