Kinder Haus Toys: My Next Door Toy Store

Moses the cocker spaniel is always welcome

Moses is a fluffy off-white mixed cocker spaniel that is a regular at Kinder Haus Toys. Every morning his owner Kim takes him for a walk in Clarendon. His steps get a little livelier and his rear end starts to wiggle when he approaches the toy store.

That’s because he knows he is going to get a treat that is waiting for him behind the counter. Moses is such a favorite of the staff that his picture appears on the front door. There is another sign on the door that says, “Sweet Doggies Welcome.”

Kim lives in the condo building next door to the toy store. It is a special part of her day to bring Moses in for a visit where he is always fussed over and cuddled. It is a special part of the day for Kinder Haus Toys too.

Neighborhood Toy Stores Have The Nicest Customers

Back in 1982, when our youngest child, Jeff, was a seven-month-old baby, I was working solo in our then, tiny 600 ft. toy store, Kinder Haus Toys. As I often did before Jeff started walking, I took him with me to the store where he resided in a portable crib with a collection of toys that he liked to either play with or throw on the floor.

The customers often made a big fuss over the baby-in-residence and that entertained him as well. All things considered, he was a contented little guy. I think, too, he enjoyed all the color and stimulation of the toys all around him.

  
 

One chilly, winter afternoon Jeff came down with a cold and a slight fever. I had about three hours to go before I could close the store.

One of the customers, who was in the store and understood what was happening, ran home to her house and got extra baby blankets and other provisions to get us through until closing.

Jeff is twenty-nine years old now so this happened a long time ago. I still remember her kindness.

Kids Don't Always Need The Biggest Toy

A few years ago, about a week before Christmas, a young man came in to shop for his young son. He told me that his son loved Playmobil, which is line of role-playing toys. Playmobil is a German company that manufactures their toys in Malta. It is popular with children all over the world.

The young man told me that he drove all the way over to Arlington from a neighborhood in south Alexandria because he likes our selection of Playmobil and also the service. He went on to say that because of family circumstances, this year it would have to be a smaller Playmobil set.

I told him that when my girls were little they seemed to enjoy going through the Sears catalog as much as playing with the toys. I suggested that he take a give-away Playmobil catalog that showed the whole line and give it to his son.

He came in many weeks later and said his son had poured over the catalog dreaming of all the toys he might have someday. He loved his new, small Playmobil set too.

It's amazing how innovative people can do a lot with a little

A lady who works in our store a few hours a week is from a tiny village in Bolivia. She has never forgotten the people back home.

We give her the slightly broken toys that come in our shipments, and her husband mends them. Then she sends them to her village in Bolivia with her own money.

It took a while to figure out how to get them through to the village and not be stolen but now she knows how to do it and has gotten six shipments through.

The children in the village are thrilled. The villagers sent pictures of the children playing with all the toys that were sent.

The children looked very happy. At our end, we’re happy about it too.

"I don't want my umbrella to get wet!"

This September we had an unusual amount of rain. Sales of raincoats, boots, and umbrellas were brisk.

A little girl about three came in with her Dad and they bought an umbrella. The umbrella was very beautiful with multi-colored stripes.

As they were leaving the Dad started to open the umbrella but the little girl cried, “No Daddy no! I don’t want my umbrella to get wet!”

They continued to discuss it under the awning outside the store where her Dad convinced her that since it was pouring down rain that she should use her new purchase.

"Please Mommy, I'll listen"

One day a little girl about six and her Mom were looking in our front windows. The windows were filled with eye-catching toys and dress-ups.

The little girl only had eyes for a beautiful pink princess dress that was covered in sparkles. When they entered the store, the little girl went straight for the dress.

The little girl asked her mother for the dress many times. Her Mom said “Not today maybe for your birthday. We’ll see.”

The little girl was overheard to say the magic words: “Please Mommy, I’ll listen.” This entreaty evidently carried great weight with her Mom because they left with the dress.

Where are the trains?!?

Fast forward to 2006. We moved our business from our Lee Highway, Arlington, VA location of many years to our new location in the emerging, exciting neighborhood of Clarendon.

In the new location we have 5,000 feet of specialty toys, children’s clothes, books, and sporting goods. There is plenty of room to display everything well.

The store is decorated with beautiful Victorian woodwork and tile. We have a lovely play area with a canapé decorated with carousel horses. Inside the play area are two very popular train tables.

One day, a little boy about two or three came racing in the store ahead of his parents who were struggling to stay up with him. He made a dash for the train tables and stopped in stunned disbelief. They were gone.

We were having an event in the play area and had moved the train tables to another location in the store. When the little boy realized they were still there, he broke out in a huge smile. What a relief!

“These toys are all mine!”

When Jeff (my youngest) was two and one half years old, I took him to the store one night after closing. I kept the lights off so people would know we were closed.

In those days, the store was very small, long and narrow with a high ceiling. It was in a strip mall with other specialty stores such as a wonderful bakery, a flower shop, and a decorator.

Every shop had its own awning color. Ours was red. The name of our store, Kinder Haus Toys, was emblazoned on the awning in German Gothic. Our logo, a rocking horse, appeared on all the shopping bags.

This night, Jeff roamed around the store nodding at all the different sections of toys. He checked out the games, the Lego, the Brio trains, the Britain’s soldiers and the brightly colored balls. Those were his favorites.

He circled the dimly lighted store a few more times. Then he stopped, put his hands on his hips like a little pirate surveying his bounty and proclaimed to nobody in particular, “These toys are all mine!” That night I didn’t argue with him.