Treehouse In The Glen

Lovely selection of toys and I really appreciated how the owner took out so much time to help me select developmentally appropriate toys for my son. She also took out a chunk of time to help me learn the Waldorf process of helping my son understand watercoloring. Very good experience.

I definitely was curious about this toy store in the Glen. It was small but had an extensive amount of toys for young kids. With my nephew to shop for, I noticed that they carried an extensive selection of Goki toys, made from wood for parents who don’t want to get plastic type toys for their kids. I checked out the pricing and it was reasonable for what they are asking.
Their hours were limited but right now during Christmas shopping time, they have extended hours and a Santa workshop in the front of the store at various times of the week.
As my nephew get older, I may get my stuff from here as my nephew’s mom prefers wood toys for my nephew so I’ll likely be back here to get something.

The store is fairly small but they are dedicated to arts and craft. In fact, they have an area just for that so kudos to them for their commitment to arts.
The toys are not that interesting and some of them looked like they’ve been in the store for a while.

Cute store, friendly staff. I’m always looking for fun kid items. Love the natural toys! Def a place for crunchy moms! HA Next door to a yummy yogurt shop! Worth a pop in!

Not the greatest experience in this store yesterday. I’ve bought a game and several wooden animals here before for my waldorf parent friends and sister. Not cheap. Wandered in with my son and his aba therapist (he’s well behaved and started playing w the marble toy display). Different salesperson than previous times, may have been the owner bc usually they’ve been younger. I realized some wooden Alaskan
animals for my sisters kids’ collections would make a nice welcoming gift. They are moving here fr Alaska next month. I ask what they have bc display is in a corner and doesn’t turn. She tells be to look in the catalogue bc she «doesn’t know» what’s there. Since I’m too dumb to find it she has to make it a couple steps to front of store to give it to me. Never offers any more help than that. No one else in the store. Person w me thought she was «bitchy» to me. Embarrassing. That stuff’s too expensive to be so unhelpful. I guess I didn’t look like I was a buying type. I’m sure not now. Nor will my sister be.

In a world of Pokemon and Disney, Treehouse in the Glen is such a breath of fresh air! I have to agree with some of the reviewers that the one-​of-​a-​kind hand crafted items (wooden or fabric heirloom quality) are on the pricey side. I have splurged on those items once or twice for special gifts only.
To me, Treehouse in the Glen’s sweet spot is their vast assortment of games – and the staff’s ability to suggest a game for any age, interest or intellectual challenge. Getting their advice on the right gift for a child or adult who is hard to shop for is priceless.

We recently attended a birthday party here in their craft room and for the most part, it was really cute. It was for a bunch of 3 or almost 3 year olds and the project was painting ‘fairy” houses and making fairies. The Fairies were WAY too high for these kids but the painting was fun. The gripe was, during the lull between activities cleanup and cake, the store hostess didnt seem to have anything planned to keep the kids happy and entertained. So, we as parents ended up making sure the kids didn’t break any of the very expensive toys in the store! Also, the store hostess was still in charge of rining people up. Though the place was great for a party, it didn’t seem to have all the «kinks» out yet…
TITG is located off busy Linoln Ave right by the now CVS which has a driveway RIGHT in front of one of the doors to TITG… during a party closing that door MAY be a good idea to prevent squished 3 year olds who escape (even with good parents it happens people!). The toys are wonderfully crafted but, like others have said, very overpriced. We have a few «one of a kinds» from here but I don’t see us going back until the prices come down more.
TITG– I LOVE your dedication to children and the whole feel of the store, I want to give more stars but can’t until I can actually afford to visit more often!

Ok, I get that this is an independent toy store. I get that it’s supposed to be ecologically friendly, and I get that it’s Willow Glen… But $ 20 for a small puzzle? Come on, seriously?
I do think the seemingly permanently empty Santa Chair out front all holiday season was weird, although maybe I just kept missing him. I dunno… I walked in on Christmas Eve to find a toy for my friend’s 5 year old son, and like I said, found a puzzle that he could paint himself. But for the price, I was a little shocked. I noticed most of the toys in the store seemed a bit overpriced as well. The staff was friendly enough, although I thought it was a bit strange that the girl at the counter asked, almost sneeringly if I wanted to save a tree and skip the bag. I hadn’t planned on asking for one for the item I purchased, but still, it just felt… awkward.

This tiny store is a real find! I went in last week and saw tons of things my family would just love to have. The prices are high, so I only left with one item, but I have a full wish-​list and know where I’ll go when my kids are ready for more! They had some really fun kids versions of games the grown-​ups in my family love (Settlers of Catan, Carcasonne, etc). The owner graciously unpacked some of the store’s copies and let me check out the figurines and boards and see which ones would be best for my family. I just could not decide and she was very patient about that. She reminded me that I can pick one now and come back again for the next one when my kids are ready for a new game — no pressure. Very nice and very helpful. Thank you!

This toy store is one of the best out there if you are looking for great heirloom quality toys or otherwise! You just don’t get anything better than this. I have a 4 year old son and we both LOVE toys. I search for different things up and down the peninsula, and this store has the best! Don’t get me wrong, I can’t afford everything in the store, but I wouldn’t invest on an heirloom toy anywhere else. Others may say, why get the handmade wooden toys from other countries, when you can get Melissa and Doug products cheaper just about anywhere. Yes, Melissa and Doug are cheaper, and I like Melissa and Doug, but Melissa and Doug are NOT heirloom toys. They are not likely to last my son’s childhood, and I don’t think they are meant to.
The high end toys are expensive because they are made to be played with and to last generations! If you check other online resources for some of the same toys they carry, you will find the prices at Treehouse in the Glen to be some of the most reasonable. Those who say they are too expensive are either looking for a different kind of toy (i.e. poor quality, low craftmanship) or are completely unschooled in the price range of handmade toys.
Aside from the high end toys, you will also find all kinds of unique, affordable, and well-​made products. You can tell that each product in this store is hand picked by someone who has an eye for quality and also LOVES toys.
Each time I have come into this store, the owners have been extremely helpful. It is a small toy store, but OOOH, the treasures inside are amazing!!!
In this age of consumerism, why buy something that your child will outgrow or will be thrown away in a year or two? Buy something that your entire family will love for generations to come.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a cheap gift that a child will destroy, go to Toys R Us. If you are looking for sturdy and unique toys that a child will LOVE, learn from, and possibly pass down to their grandkids, go to Treehouse in the Glen.

Excellent resource for San Jose moms! Love their toys, crafts and service. My son recently got the «Perplexus» that they sell, and its the greatest toy! I call it the motor skills video game…
They are competitively prices with other «waldorf» toy store, even online! All natural toys are pricey, but they last FOREVER!
They even have a few items on their website that are available for purchase which makes online shopping for out-​of-​town nieces and nephews easy!

I was excited about trying this place. It was listed under furniture and baby gear, of which I found neither. There were some cool wooden toys, but most were over priced. Very disappointing.

This is an adorable shop. All wooden toys. I love how you walk into the shop and they have lots of fun items for your kids to touch and play with– a wooden rocking horse and marbles ect… They also have tables with games outside… very cute! My kids love the penguin, egg game. I bought them a wooden elephant and whale. They look very cute sitting on a shelf in their room. Its very high quality. The owners are very nice and helpful!

I have a hard time giving this place 2 stars because they do have some great wooden toys that make kids actually use that thing called an imagination — I know crazy huh?
As I walked around the store I was enjoying all of the cute stuff and I found this funky looking stuft animal/​monster looking guy… he was so unique and ugly cute I thought he would be prefect for my friends baby boy. Then I looked at the price — $ 93.99 — I honestly thought it was a typo. Who in their right mind would pay that much money for a stuft animal that a kid will A) lose or B) destroy… I moved on thinking it was a mistake
Then I stumbled upon a wool hand stitched looking alligator — he was so cute, about 8 inches long — yet another cute gift I could get. Oh and he was a bargain — priced down from $ 70 something dollars to $ 46…WTF? Seriously? I knew that other price I saw earlier was not a mistake… this was insane
Nice concept and cute stuff — I don’t mind paying higher prices for better quality but Im thinking even Baron Trump isn’t walking around with a $ 100 stuft animal… these prices were simply a turn off

Great toys. So much thought went into every toy in this shop. I went in looking for a birthday gift for a child in my class. Some stuff was out of my price range for his gift but I found a beautiful hand crafted toy for him that I think he will love and should be able to give to his children.
I also found a few great finds for my classroom! One of them was a game for young children age 2 and 3. Games for this age can be difficult to find so I was thrilled!
I love the blocks and hand crafted animals and grocery toys. If I had my own small child I would take my child there at least every two weeks to get a small toy in hopes that they could build a great collection of beautiful toys.
I love this shop and I can’t wait to go back in!

how cute is this place?!
cute little kid toys. has an old school touch to them.
like wooden rocking horses. and puppets. and lots more things.
if i were a kid, i’d come here all the time.
oh, they’re really helpful too!

I have to agree that the toys in this store are nice and unique. My poor rating is for the prices and my experience with returns. The prices are just way too high for most families to afford. I agree that its important to pay more for higher quality items but there is a limit. The toy I bought was made in Thailand, not handcrafted in America. I was able to purchase toys for my niece that are handcrafted from America at the toy store in Los Altos and the Books Inc. in Mt. View for a lot less money (the Melissa and Doug line). I find these kind of prices a bit snobby.
When I returned two days later to return the unopened toy, the owner inspected and counted every item, and then asked where items that were pictured on the box were. In the end I cleared up the confusion by showing her the picture of everything included, but I felt strange, like I was being accused of stealing part of the toy. It made me uncomfortable and I won’t be returning.

I appreciate Treehouse in the Glen for many reasons including providing safe, nontoxic toys for my children, open-​ended play opportunities for my girls and a strong sense of community.
I just heard another report about the quantity of lead in our toys. The report said that there are «high» levels of toxic chemicals are found in ¹⁄₃ of all toys tested from toy shelves (
).
I’m happy that the owners of Treehouse in the Glen go to GREAT LENGTHS to provide us with natural, healthy products. It is our job to teach our children that thinking about the environmental impact of our choices is important. No, your children may not care if something is environmental… now. But later in life, they will remember and know the quality of toys their parents provided.
Natural toys feel different in your child’s hand; they are substantial and real. If people don’t notice this difference, then the price tag might be difficult to understand. But by choosing these toys, we are prioritizing what we buy and making fewer, higher-​quality purchases.
The quality of toys at Treehouse are not only extremely high, but many are designed to be open-​ended. They encourage and prompt children to use their imaginations, rather than having the toy entertain the child. It is more valuable that our children think and create from their own curious, developing minds, rather than being lead through activities that adults and toy manufacturers think are valuable.
Finally about Treehouse specifically. The owners have done great things to create good will in our community. They are providing free puppet shows monthly and doll making workshops. They will open and let you/​your child play with any of the toys. They have created a lovely courtyard with potted flowers and benches for anyone to sit and rest or sip your coffee, while watching children play with toy kitchen appliances that are placed outside. They are creating wonderful environments such as the large pirate ship for Halloween that the kids walked through and received bottles of bubbles. And during the holiday season, there is a lovely tent for Father Christmas to visit with children.
This store is investing in our community and in our children’s imaginations and developmental growth. They care about making the world a better place through the sustainable materials used to create the products, as well as wholesome, imaginative, creative play for our children.

I’ve known the owners of Treehouse in the Glen (Dan and Stacy Scott) for a while and they are both top-​notch people. They are part of the local food movement in Willow Glen and they are the host family for Live Earth Farm (which is how I met them). The owners have deep ties to the Waldorf community and, in my view, they have put together a really amazing store.
I have been to Treehouse a bunch of times and I have never seen so many happy kids — and not just mine.
Vikki nailed the description so I won’t duplicate her efforts, but rather just say «ditto.»
Yes, the toys at Treehouse are more expensive than the toys at Target /​Walmart, but I notice that my kids play more with the «Waldorf-​style» wooden toys that can be found at Treehouse than the plastic-​y toys that are carried by Target /​Walmart.
For Waldorf-​style toys, Treehouse has really competitive prices — one just needs to compare those prices with the other high-​quality toy stores in Palo Alto, Los Altos and Los Gatos — and not with Target /​Walmart.
I don’t know what C.S.‘s problem was with Treehouse, but I encourage you to give Treehouse a try.

I absolutely love this place, but I’ve got two issues:
1. How dare you charge so much for children’s toys? For the love of god, $ 20 for a jumprope? A $ 150 iPod holder stuffed animal?
2. The age for toys stops around age 5 in development. I’d love to see the toys grow in age range for kids in school (especially since WG Elementary is literally a block away with hundreds of potential customers walking by daily).
But, the goods are unique, passionate owners and obviously a love for well made products. My mom calls this place a «grandma zone» — since no parent would pay that much for a set of blocks.