With toys overspilling from its front door and a life-sized Playmobil Santa greeting customers, the warm lights of jaZams toy shop invite anyone needing a last-minute gift or an end-of-the-semester treat. The first thing one notices is that every square inch of walls to ceiling is covered with toys and books for any age and any style.
By the entrance, display towers store a wide range of stuffed animal brands from Jellycat to Aurora toys. The stuffies aren’t neatly stacked or behind glass display cases like those in your average Target toy aisle. But the clutter added to the toy shop charm, a much-needed trait during this holiday season.
JaZams has an impressive selection of Legos, puzzles, board games, and collectibles. From Lego Star Wars to Formula 1 to Lego flower bouquets — big and small in both size and price — the ranged selection makes it a great place to start when shopping for Lego lovers. The store has a table cluttered with demo toys such as a mini foosball, a wooden pinball machine, and shelves underneath displaying Labubus, Smiskis, and various other blind boxes for any trinket-obsessed friend in your life. And for those Smiski lovers, by the front counter where you pay, a glass case labeled “for trade only” offers a unique opportunity to trade any duplicates for a new friend in your collection.
The shop also has your usual toy sections categorized on displays that took up the floor, from play dolls to Pokemon cards. A toy car section containing Hot Wheels and matchbox cars was displayed across the play-pretend costumes of knights, princesses, and everything needed in between. While far too small for your average college student, something about the whimsical display of make-believe props excited my inner child.
This trend of exciting my inner child continued with the hidden details within the toy shop’s library section, scattering booknooks within shelves and plenty of cozy seats. With a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, puzzle-piece-shaped chairs, and other unique seating options, the space was set up to read books there for hours, forgetting that you were in a toy shop. The little details of this space added to a special vision and joy that any average toy aisle lacked. The mini secret gardens between the Greek Myths book section was an extra special treat.
Throughout the store, jaZams does offer brand familiar options such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Legos. But what makes jaZams worth the effort to visit this holiday season are the more unique and small brands lining their shelves. Every shelf was filled with toys placed with extra care and attention. The ceilings of the shop displayed wind chimes and wooden butterflies. There was no urge nor pressure to enter the shop and leave with something, but instead to just enjoy the space as it was intended: to cater to the whimsy and joy of everyone’s inner child, especially during this holiday season.
Amanda Hugas is a member of the Class of 2027 and a senior writer for The Prospect. She can be reached by her email at ah0942[at]princeton.edu.
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