Well today I made the mistake of going shopping! I was originally looking for some thermal underwear I had seen advertised, and while I did succeed in finding this, I also succeeded in finding lots of other things! After hopping off the train at Piccadilly Circus I took a stroll up Regent Street until I found the exciting attraction I had seen on my map – Hamley’s Toy Shop, which is celebrating 250 years in London. This place is insane! Seven levels of toys! There was a section for boys, one for girls (with a giant barbie doll collection and some stunning dollhouses), one for pre-schoolers, one for hobbies, one for games (board and interactive) and a whole level dedicated to soft toys (I had to have a very high resistance in this shop – and yes there were penguins – there was every animal ever created!) There was a giant section for teddy bears (and there were some lovely ones), a giant section for other critters, an area where you stuff your own bear, and a collection of the very expensive Steiff bears. I think the dearest one of these I saw was around $1,000. I saw a great penguin keyring, but it was tiny and still about 20 pounds. They layout of the place was also amazing, with sections made to look like the red London bus and other displays that went on as far as the eye could see. Collectors would have a field day, with highly crafted tin soldiers, and limited edition Harry Potter, Batman memorabilia and more. There was even a lolly section, and it’s safe to say their mint/choc fudge is exquisite.
On each level there were not only a number of friendly staff, but performers and interactive toys, either just set-up for playing with, or with staff offering demonstrations. I’ve never seen that in a store before, where they are happy to let people try things. You have never seen anything like it –there were toys I have never seen before in my life! Massive and gorgeous puzzles, giant seas of lego, even a pamper area where kids can get their nails and stuff done!
The kids party room was also pretty impressive – wouldn’t walk out with those kids without paying for it! Well being the big kid that I am I had to purchase something – so I walked away with three souvenir teddies (a bobby, a beefeater and a highland teddy) and a lovely set of tea towels and bag celebrating the stores landmark anniversary. Oh yeah, and I got a money box where a cat leaps out and steals your coins. Hey, I have all these extra pennies and nowhere for them to go. It doesn’t matter if you’re not into toys – this is a place you have to see. Regent Street is crazy – with fancy heritage buildings housing massive department stores, including Apple and Nike.
Then I headed along the more affordable Oxford Street and purchased a few souvenirs and a cloche-style hat (my head has been freezing and I’m afraid that I look appalling in hats, so this was the least offensive style I could find). Then with my wallet a little lighter, and my parcels a lot heavier, I trekked home.
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