Why I'm Smitten with jaZams, a Toy Store in Princeton
I was in Princeton, NJ, this past weekend and made my first trip to jaZams, an amazing children's book and toy store in Palmer Square. Here's their site. They're also on Facebook. I see that Yelpers like them as well.
If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend an in-person visit. It's a large store with high ceilings, natural light, and a magical feel. Mobiles dangle overhead, and educational products abound. JaZams prides itself on selling toys that encourage imagination and creativity.
Among the products that caught my eye:
Magnets from Greggo. I bought the magnetic animal track tiles--because you never know when you might be at the fridge door wondering how to identify the claws of a nine-banded armadillo. They also have magnetic Braille alphabet squares, desert animals, composers, human organs, and lots more. While the site doesn't sell to individuals, you can find many of their magnets on Amazon.
Building blocks from Uncle Goose: Maybe I just have a thing for wooden building blocks, but I can't get over how great these are. Their high-quality blocks come in upper and lower case, Braille, foreign languages from Arabic to Chinese to Swedish (among others), Egyptian hieroglyphics, nursery rhymes, and US Presidents.
Mini easels and canvases: So cute, with obvious value for children (or adults) who want to create tiny art displays. They can paint their own works or try to mimic other artists' styles.
The store was jam-packed with other recommendable toys, books, and art supplies. I'll jot down notes about others on my next trip. If you know of any other particularly great educational toy stores I should check out or recommend, please let me know.
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