Balich 5 & 10

Never know what you’ll find in here, so much fun. Everything from Golden Books, retro games, sewing notions, household items, gift wrap, christmas décor, sleds (seasonal), hula hoops (seasonal, fall actually, go figure), old skool candies, winter gloves for all ages, hats, candles, etc.

Adorable store with so much random stuff! I love browsing just to see what old-​school things I can find, and an excellent neighborhood resource if you just need a little something and didn’t want to go all the way to the Watertown target to find it. Support your neighborhood 5 & 10!

I love this place. I grew up a little over a mile from it, and would make the walk with some coins in my pocket and get all sorts of treasures. I just looked it up to see if it was still there, and was very happy to see it was. It’s a bit longer of a trek today, but I’ll surely take my son there to see what amazing things he can find in the depths of the old five and dime. If its anything like I remember it, its filled with wonderful kitschy toys, sold without the required irony and markup you’d find in a Cambridge curio boutique.

Balich 5 & 10 has everything. I don’t know how they fit it all in such a small space but somehow they do. They’re very strong on cleaning products, sewing notions, holiday ornaments. The only thing I wouldn’t get there are window shades. Sometimes I go in here when I don’t need anything, It’s so much fun to browse and I always find something I can use. Every so often they have some cool new old stock. I got my niece a circa 1972 Buster Brown skort, size 3T, in orange no-​whale corduroy, unworn with tags. Where else can you get that? My husband and I have a collection of rubber «tidy fish» bathroom caddies that are just adorable and must be old because the package lists storing cigarettes and matches as one of its many uses. This place is a treasure and one of the highlights of Arlington Heights.

We walked in and there was this pretty, unobtrusive Christmas music playing from what sounded like a music box but was actually a large, plastic, Mickey Mouse Disney Christmas thing in the window. I’m not into that sort of stuff but if the music had been contained in something less obnoxious I would have bought it.
THIS PLACE SEEMS TO HAVE EVERYTHING but a deli counter. I found yarn, shoe horns, mirrors, old fashioned Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas tree stands, unusual toys, long candles of every color, a blinds/​window shades cutter, candy, and just wonderful stocking stuffer ideas. I spent way more than I expected but I am extremely happy with what I bought. This is NOT a dollar store but the prices are reasonable.
If you have a hard-​to-​buy person on your list or don’t have any ideas for stocking stuffers you should definitely try this place out…

Every kind of metal polish I can think of. Crochet hooks and knitting needles and yarn. Kitchenware. All kinds of stationery. Brads, tacks, hooks, and hangers. Warm winter hats and gloves. And WASHBOARDS. And they cut blinds to size. But, honestly, WASHBOARDS. Next time Cousin Suzy breaks mine over the head of her no-​good husband, I know where to send her to get me a new one. Even she can afford to shop here!
77 and 79 bus lines, right near Penzey’s Spices and Wanamaker Hardware.

Great people! I will never forget them going into the basement to dig out New Years party goods in the middle of July for a student film I was making. This place has too many items to explore!

This store has everything. Well, everything except anything priced at either 5 or 10 cents — none of that. But everything else. Wrapping paper, construction paper, paper napkins; plastic chickens, egg timers (which came first?); yardsticks, candlesticks, pixie sticks; rock, paper, scissors; apron strings, knitting yarn, fishing line; measuring cups, flying saucers; batteries, extension cords; bakeware, cookware, hardware … you name it, they’ve got it. I’ve found stuff here I would have bought at Walgreen’s, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Williams-​Sonoma, a fabric store, a hardware store, a party supply store, a grocery store, a gas station, a museum shop, the post office, a garage sale…
Any place that represents the connection between Williams-​Sonoma and a gas station is a place worth visiting.
But the most amazing thing about this store isn’t for sale — it’s the guy who runs it. He knows where EVERYTHING is. And even though he must hear it 1000 times a day, he smiles every time someone cracks the «wow, you’ve got everything in here but the kitchen sink» joke as if it’s the first time he’s ever heard that particular compliment. What a treasure.

If you’re looking for a quick — n — easy way to take a trip back to 1952, make tracks in your DeLorean to Mass Avenue in Arlington Heights. The Balich 5 & 10 is a throwback to a simpler time, when beard-​grooming kits and curlers were sold in abundance and Aquanet was the ladies’ hairstyling product of choice.
This place is crammed to the gills with the outdated, the obscure, and the dirt cheap – from kids’ toys to toiletries to tube socks. Yes, some items look like they’ve been idling on the rickety shelves since 1972 – but that’s part of the charm. The owner is a friendly old buck with a thick accent.
This place is a trip – definitely check it out!

All these reviews are spot on. I wouldn’t go there if I needed a wedding gift but thats not the point of such stores anyway. I really hope this place stays and doesn’t go under like so many other old style stores. The place even has candy cigarettes! I’m pretty sure those are not supposed to be made anymore because some A hole thought it would turn kids onto smoking. But this place has them! You probably shouldn’t eat them though as they were probably made in the 80’s when you could still make them. They also have terrorist ski masks so you can rob the spice store across the street after you leave! Need i say more? The place is great.

So much fun. I could spend hours in here. Prices are higher than you’d find at larger stores, but the wide range of items and the wackiness makes balances that out.

I have nearly always found what I am looking for here! And it is in my neighborhood! It is worth a trip just for the experience, but be aware you will probably find something inexpensive you can’t do without.

You simply don’t find places like this any more. Literally, they have one of everything. If you don’t see it, ask. A total throwback to the days that every neighborhood had a five and dime. Check it out for sure

Yeah, I like this place because it’s a time warp. The prices, the products, and all the rest. But the real reason I come back is my 2 year-​old daughter — she LOVES the place. They have fun little toys stashed all over the place, and the family that owns the place is super friendly and helpful. We’re big fans.

Walking into this store was like walking back into my childhood. What an experience. I was swept back to 1982 playing travel hangman games with my brothers in our station wagon on our family trip to Hayward, WI. The vintage board games alone had me giggling with excitement. There are so many trinkets in this store that you had stored far back in your memory from childhood that will send you reeling. I walked out of there with 2 packets of vintage barrettes, a crazy apron, and a vinyl poodle toaster cover. Whoever loves a walk down memory lane must check this place out!