Mastermind Toys

Did you know Canada.. we travelled to London Ontario on Saturday to visit the new Mastermind Toys store. Mastermind has been Canada's Premier Toy Stores Since 1984 and been online for the last 13 years, it's a true Canadian icon.

I had reservations about visiting the new store, it had previously been the Toy Shoppe, a favourite of ours for Birthdays, Christmas and just a fun place to go and we weren't too sure we were going to like the change. But the new Mastermind is simply unbelievable, I can not tell you how impressed I was. Thankfully the owner of the Toy Shoppe, Cylde, is the manager of the new Mastermind Toys and it was fantastic to visit with him. I was really pleased to see how accessible Cylde was, he gave a tour of the new store, listed all the fantastic new features, introduced me to the staff, including the new assistant manager Mike (Hi Mike! - he said he would check out my blog).

Really, I have to break into point form to explain everything I'm loving about the new store..
* the building is one wide open square (an improvement on the previous design that had multiple rooms and high shelving)
* all the shelves are very low and spaced so that no matter where you are in the store you can see almost everything - perfect for keeping track of the kiddos and helping you find exactly what you are looking for
* the atmosphere is amazing - colourful, bright, there are awesomely huge animals everywhere, it looks like something out of a storybook, it really does, I have never been in a store that projects that look
* multiple play stations for children to check out the toys, including a Thomas table, a Chuggington table, a big garage toy and more
* the book display is fantastic, the way it's set up makes it easy to see everything, the boys had a great time checking out the rows of books

During our trip we got 2 Thomas trains the boys have been dying for, Molly and the Thomas Christmas engine. We also got 2 books - Thomas and a Toopy and Binoo, 2 Halloween candy kabobs and I can't tell you about the last one, it's a Christmas present (yes, I'm Christmas shopping already!!). I was so excited to hear they provide free gift wrapping in very cool paper that's exclusive to Mastermind. The boys took off with their stuff so fast all I could get a picture of was the Christmas present and one cute Halloween kabob..haha..

I highly recommend Mastermind for presents, a treat for the kids or just a fun visit.  From the moment you walk in and are greeted right away, to checking out the really cool animals and displays, finding toys - many of which I have honestly never seen at any other store, to seeing the wonder on your child's face, it's a fantastic experience and a new gem in London Ontario.

I know I'll be heading back for their Grand Opening Party October 15th and 16th - who else is going to be there??