Five Little Monkeys

I seldom have call to go into toy stores. Just when I need a gift for a child in my life or when I’m w/​Rinky. Wednesday she and I had lunch at Suzette Crêpe Café, which is right next door. I had seen it, of course, but hadn’t gone in. After lunch Rinky asked if I’d like to go and and of course I did. It’s much bigger inside than it looks from the outside, two storefronts and lots of different areas to explore. The first thing that caught my eye (actually, I think Rinky saw them first) were some zombies about the size of the little troll dolls from the 60s/​70s and the texture of soft rubber duckies. When you squeezed them «brains» at the top of their heads popped up. I’m not a particular fan of zombies, but I loved these. The thing that really captivated me, though, was in the next room, a complex structure of ramps and slides and such. You drop a marble into one of several holes and it rolls down ramps and into other holes. Unfortunately many marbles had become stuck, so I took it upon myself to free them, although I didn’t get them all. If I had the space I would love to have something like this in my house!
Wandering around the store I saw a collection of small metal cars, truck and buses, pink purses and other dress-​up things. There were a variety of games, books, toys, puzzles and diverse amusements. There were hand puppets and sundry things to fuel young imaginations. At the front desk they had several choices of wrapping paper and I gather they do free gift wrapping. On the wall behind the desk were an array of emoji pillows. The people who worked there were friendly and helpful. This is a lovely store and gives me another place to go should I need to buy a present in the future.

A stellar kid-​friendly neighborhood toy store and our favorite go-​to shop for birthday and christmas presents for the grandkids. The owner grew up in Albany and knows the town well. Staff are helpful with suggestions. Free gift wrapping and a loyalty plan (percent discount after a reaching a set $$ level in purchases) round out the offerings.
They even have water outside on the curb for passing doggies.

A nice little neighborhood toy store and has been for years. Lately however, the customer service has been less than stellar. They used to have a good crew, but lately it’s a lot of young kids chewing gum, talking about last night’s dates, comparing tats and showing their selfies — these are their clerks! You can stare at them for 5 minutes and no reaction. They often have an ad in for new workers and I suppose you don’t get much for minimum wage.

Great local toy store for the more niche toys. It’s not going to be the ToysRus collection, but a lot of european looking stuff, lead-​free paint stuff, and really expensive little animals. But the niece loves this place, they are super friendly, and they will wrap your toy if needed.

Great local toy store. This is our go to place for birthday party presents. It’s small enough that you can get in and out in a few minutes, the selection is good, prices are reasonable, and they wrap for you.

They have everything here. I work nearby and had to find a last minute toy for my little brother… mission complete!

Excellent toy store. The staff clearly love and understand kids. They are OK with them playing with stuff on the shelves (within limits of course, as it should be). They are very knowledgeable about their products, and I’ve often purchases gifts based on their recommendations. Big plus that it has free gift wrap, great for birthday parties. Generous return policy. They have a play area in the back, and if I had to say one negative thing, it would be that they use the area for storage sometimes and close it often. Otherwise, great neighborhood store on Solano.

I love the variety of toys and free gift wrapping service! The staff is extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgable about appropriate toys for different age groups.

Time: 4:33pm
Purpose: I remember getting a gift at the walnut creek shop so I said let’s take a look had time to kill.
Set-​up: Toys for kids ages 1 month-​15yr old. Most toys here are no lethal meaning no lead paint for the little ones as kids you know like to gnarl at things. Everything from educational to the hobbyist enthusiast can be had here. There is two side of store here and everything is categorize from age limits.
Staff: One older lady with 3 girls as helpers junior high age level. Very helpful as they all asking who hasn’t been help yet.
Cleanliness: Clean for toy store nothing to say here.
Products: Plant, foam, plastic, metal, magnet, wooden toys can be seen here. Hard to decide as I saw one lady in there holding boxes of toys looking confuse maybe she wants the best for her niece or nephew.
Punch Line: Eco friendly toys some are locally made some are one of a kind. Most important that they’re are not the cheap heavy leaded toys of the past. Some toys here are even water base colors.
Final Thoughts: We all want the best for our kids and this place will do just that. Pay a little more and get toys that will last years to come with no recalls.

I’m a kid and my mom let me write this review. I just love Five Little Monkeys so much because they have all these great toys and I like to get them when I’m allowed. We buy gifts for our friends here because my mom likes the quality of the toys (the owner chooses carefully) and the great variety. Best of all, they wrap the toys for us!
The staff are friendly and helpful.

I“m totally into this place. I was at the café next door when my daughters went wandering in there like they owned the place. Worried that I would get spanked by an angry store-​owner, I stuck my head in and called out, «Ladies, remember what happens when children are unattended in a toy store…»
And an employee piped up, «…They have fun?»
You might think an independent toy store packed to the rafters might not be a welcoming environment, but you’d be wrong. They have two different play-​spaces for kids, a cushy chair next to a bookshelf, and incredibly warm and friendly employees. Plus, I was kicking myself, because my daughter is crazy about cars and I just went to a big-​box store to get her pull-​back race cars because I hadn’t found any I liked in my usual haunts, and guess what? There was a nice big box of much higher-​quality pull-​back race cars that TOTALLY would have fit the bill. So this will be my first stop before any birthday parties.
Also, sale table: scored a half-​price cow-​girl halloween costume and a slightly-​damaged nerf-​style sword at deep discount. YEAH BITCH!

I have been shopping at Five Little Monkeys since I moved into the neighborhood 10 years ago. I like to support independent businesses whenever I can, and this store makes it easy. I can always find something cool for whatever kid I’m shopping for.
Today, the most amazing thing happened. I realized that I had not received a receipt from my purchase last night, and I had received $ 10 less in change than I should have. The time of my purchase was closing time, and there were a whole bunch of customers trying to buy toys and have them wrapped; it was easy for the employee and me to not notice. If this had happened at a big store like Toys R Us, I would have been out of luck. After all, I can’t prove anything. However, today, the manager at this store looked up my purchase and realized that the discrepancy in my change was the exact amount that was extra in the register last night after closing. She cheerfully handed me a $ 10 bill and a copy of my receipt. It’s this kind of customer service that is hard to find these days.

I took my nephews here and they just about lost their little minds. So nice finding an independent toy store with such a huge selection! Was very impressed with the range of toys they had and also appreciated the fact that things weren’t too overly gendered in their categorization as far as I can recall. Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 though because the layout had me constantly worrying about knocking something over (especially with so many little ones running around). Would have also been nice to see items for children a bit older.

This store makes my ovaries explode. No joke! I don’t have kids, but coming in here makes me wish I did. Luckily, my super cute niece provides me with an excuse to come shop around their abundant selection of toys, stuffed animals, and more. It does seem like their wares are a bit pricey, but nothing I wouldn’t already expect for a shop on Solano.
The bonus is their very helpful and patient staff. They generally can help me find what I’m looking for even with my ambiguous scavenger-​hunt-​style questions («Umm. what would a three-​year-​old with a brand new baby sister want?» or «What can I get for a two-​year-​old with an arm cast?»). On top of that, they’ll wrap up any items you buy at no extra charge. Superb!

Shopping for children is a bit different than shopping for adults. When you ask a kid what they want for Christmas they will rarely reply with something like «oh, you know me… I’ll like anything you choose.» No way. They’ll say, almost before you finish the question, «I want the slinky-​dog just like the one in Toy Story!!!» or, whatever their fascination du jour may be.
Whether your shopping list is specific or flexible, Five Little Monkeys is stocked with gadgets and games, trinkets and toys, both educational and for pure play. Really high quality, unique gifts unlike the plastic crap you’d find at a megastore, with a good mix for boys and girls, ages baby to brat. I once needed some Italian alphabet blocks and found them here, and only here. I also found the original slinky dog for my sister. Yes, JUST like the one in Toy Story.
The only downside is it’s a bit cramped for comfortable browsing. The cash register is in an odd location right at the entrance so you feel like you’re totally in the way of people entering/​exiting while you pay. Besides that minor detail, they’ve got their finger on the pulse of childlike wishes, so you can retain your «best (mom, sister, aunt, godmother) ever» title.

This is a really great toy store!
They have a wide variety of toys you wouldn’t find at a major retailer like Toys R Us.
Plus, they have a bathroom!
The staff are friendly.
Definitely, check it out if you are in the area.

Best toy store in the East Bay. Local, close to home and they really do have something for everyone. Boys, girls, young, old, you are guaranteed to walk out with something age and gender appropriate.
It’s packed, but well merchandised and doesn’t feel overwhelming.
Oh, and free gift wrapping!

Reason for visit: um, it’s a toy store!
Visit date: September 11, 2011
First time? Yes, and definitely not the last!
Five Little Monkeys is my new favorite toy store! (How old am I again?)
They had a great selection of toys for a wide age range; it was perfect for shopping for my niece/​nephews. They have a lot of environmentally conscious toys, toys that evoke imagination and curiosity, and hey — they offer free gift wrapping!

I will never go to Toys R Us again. seriously.
love this neighborhood toy store. no overly commercialized junk here. lots of quality toys, arts & crafts, puzzles, books, etc. something for every age & price range. you can tell the owner, Stephanie, carefully selects all the items.
great free gift wrapping. friendly, helpful staff.
also very community-​minded– when our school was collecting money from families to buy holiday gifts for families in need, they gave us a big discount (25%, I think) on items we bought there.

The selection at Five Little Monkeys is top notch. While shopping for children’s gifts I typically become bitter and cynical as I look at the aisles and aisles of overpriced, over packaged pieces of sweatshop produced plastic from China. This is resolved with one trip to Five Little Monkeys. They have great toys made sustainably from wood, bamboo and recycled materials. Not to mention limited packaging. They offer gift wrapping and all the latest toys, including the playmobil line.
The down side is the staff. I have never encountered such chaos. I had to dodge a ball that the staff was tossing around. There were six staff members, three customers, and none of the customers could find what we were looking for, though no one asked us if we would like assistance. So while the store is fantastic, customer service could be improved upon.