MYSTERY SHOPPER SUMMARY
Colchester High Street’s offering of independent toy shops may be slim, but quality certainly outdoes quantity here. A short trip outside of the Essex town and an array of quirky indies wait on the Essex/Suffolk boarders, and for those willing to search them out, each delivers a uniquely charming experience. Osbourne and William delivered on all counts with location, product and customer service.
OSBOURNE AND WILLIAM
Squinting with my ears to hear the endearingly quiet shop assistant, I was lead to a table sprawling with exciting takes on traditional board and card games from the likes of Brainbox and Djeco. “It is quite a tough age to buy a board game, but some of these can be keepsakes,” she told me,
High Street, Dedham, Colchester
holding up a traditional wooden Britannica Board Game. “This one has various games all in one, maybe something he can learn and grow up with?” The store itself had an intimate, charming feel, boasting a collection of not only wooden toys and games, but LEGO, arts and crafts
sets, dolls, pre-school toys and a range of clothing. “These card games,” she continued, “are great fun whether you’re eight or 80, you want to teach him to play pirate poker?” I laughed, but the Pirate Casino Card set from Djeco in the palm of her hand told me this was no joke. I’d
struck gold. With Tim Burton-esque illustrations of Pirates and Skeletons, the design was superb. Could it be a bit young? “Not at all,” I was reassured. “It’s all about bluffing, you can make it as difficult or as easy as you want. Plus, with your budget, you get this Magic Card set too.”
VERDICT: Set in a beautiful location, this store had a range of traditional and charming products. Friendly service was supported with knowledge of the toys, placing importance on customer relations befitting the intimacy of the shop.
Crammed with puzzles, lines from Wow Toys, games, play-sets and even a stuffed
giraffe, the display alone was enough to send any child into a frenzy.
TOY CRAZY
Living well up to its name, this store, based in the quiet little town of Halstead, greeted me with a window display of sensory overload. Crammed with puzzles, lines from Wow Toys, games, play- sets, and even a stuffed giraffe, the display alone was enough to send any child into a frenzy. Dodging said frenzied
child as I entered, I was hit with an odd concoction of nostalgic sweets behind the counter and 90s power
Weavers Court, Halstead
ballads on the radio. It worked. Remembering the task at hand I approached the jolly looking gentleman behind the till. “We have Revell model sets, Wasgij puzzles and a few science kits, ideal for boys that age.” He led me to a shelf boasting chemistry labs, crystal laboratories and space exploration sets. “Boys go mad for this stuff,” he informed me. “As for board games, my favourite is this,” he smiled holding a
Shut the Box set from Gibsons. “Of course though,” he continued, “Meccano is always popular as a set to get kids concentrating and learning.” The man was full of ideas. He showed me a set featuring a sports car that could also be made into a helicopter. “Construction kits like these have the same qualities as puzzles and science kits.” The man certainly talked the talk and I prepared to walk the walk, all the way to the till.
VERDICT: This store boasted plenty by way of popular construction toy and girl’s brands, however the board game selection was somewhat limited. Enthusiastic and friendly service elevated the excitement of what the store had to offer.
www.toynews-online.biz 4/5 5/5
TINETTY’S TOYMASTER
“Kids love catapulting pigs and lopping off heads.” A sudden fear that this could descend into a scene from Lord of the Fliesgripped me. “So Horrible Histories is really popular right now,” the kind store owner added to my relief. “This is more of a play- set though, for games we have things like Articulate, Risk and Battleships, all very popular lines.” She showed me both the electronic version and the classic version of the Battleships game, followed by a box labeled ‘Stratego’.
Gaol Lane, Sudbury
“In fact, anything with a bit of fighting does well for boys that age.” The cavernous store stretched and towered with toys, board games, puzzles, models and play- sets, plenty to choose from. “This Horrible Histories puzzle is quite popular too,” the shop owner added. From the shelf, a collection of Magic Sets from Drumond Park screamed out at me. Giving it a brief
acknowledgment as I picked it up, our time was cut short as she left to “let me think it over.”
VERDICT: A quirky store brimming with exciting ranges. The service was very friendly but a few of the owner’s suggestions felt too safe to really exciteme.
4/5 November 63
STORE STAR
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