The Toy Store
Photos By: Emma Highfill
The Toy Store has been a Topeka staple for so long that owner Margaret Warner is helping customers who were first-time parents in her business 30-plus years ago, now shop for toys for their grandchildren.
“We love our customers, and we love seeing the generational customers come back in,” said store merchandise manager Emily Guffey. “It’s nice to continue to have the same customers for years, literally, even if we go decades between seeing them.”
One of the largest independently owned toy stores in the world, The Toy Store was first opened in downtown Topeka in 1976 by Mary Warner, Margaret’s mother, before eventually settling at the current location at 5300 S.W. 21st St. (across from Fairlawn Plaza). Margaret has run the store since 1984.
Additionally, Margaret’s son Nick Guffey, store manager at the downtown Lawrence location (936 Massachusetts), and his wife Emily are part of the third generation of the family to help run the store.
Guffey said the store inspires creativity, individual thinking and community awareness through play and reading while offering a wide selection of hand-picked children’s toys, books, games, gifts, puzzles and more.
“Staff is trained in child development and play, so they’re able to help anyone pick a toy for a child at any age at any stage,” Guffey said.
“We have a nice mix of what people would consider current trendy toys but also very classic nostalgia toys that people really love and appreciate.”
The store’s top-selling items recently, Guffey said, are Legos and Squishables, which are plush pillow-type stuffed objects.
“Business is good,” Guffey said. “We’ve kept growing. Like everybody, we did have a small dip during COVID, but we’ve come back stronger this year, and it’s been really wonderful.”
