The shop
Toys we'd buy for our own kids.
About 1,400 things live on our shelves, and every one was played with before it got a price tag. Turn the dial to see what fits the child you're shopping for.
Shop by age
All 16 toys, staff favourites first
Drag the knob, tap an age, or use the arrow keys.
Drag a toy into the chest to save it, or press Add to wish list.
Little loco train set
Fern & Engine
Three cars, magnetic couplings and twelve pieces of track. Joins every other wooden track we sell.
$54Chunky unit blocks, 40 pieces
Linden & Lark
Nine shapes in solid maple, all cut to the same unit, so towers actually stand.
$68Wobble rings
Linden & Lark
Seven beechwood rings on a rocking base. Finished in plant oil, so chewing is allowed.
$28Moon, Wait for Me
Small Hours Press
A bedtime picture book by a Maple Hollow author, and the most requested book at story time.
$18Rocket marble run, 80 pieces
Fern & Engine
Tracks, funnels and a launch tower that drops marbles onto a spinning wheel. Rebuilds a hundred ways.
$58Hush rattle
Pocket Workshop
A maple rattle with a soft clack instead of a clang. Sized for a fist the size of a walnut.
$16Tiny town magnet tiles, 60 pieces
Brightbox
Clear coloured tiles that click into houses, rockets and very tall garages.
$74Puddle duck pull-along
Hollow Wood Co.
Waddles when pulled and never quacks, which grown-ups appreciate.
$32Fat-brush paint set
Muddle & Co.
Six washable paints in stand-up pots, with brushes as thick as a carrot.
$24Backyard bug lab
Brightbox
A 40x pocket microscope, three specimen jars and a field guide to the bugs under your porch.
$34Felt pantry, 24 pieces
Pocket Workshop
Hand-stitched toast, eggs, strawberries and one very popular slice of cake.
$36Click brick builder box, 500 pieces
Brightbox
Five hundred bricks in thirty colours, sorted in a tray so the first hour isn't spent hunting.
$45Meadow floor puzzle
Small Hours Press
Twenty-four chunky pieces that make a meadow longer than a toddler.
$22Paint-your-own kite
Muddle & Co.
A blank diamond kite, fabric paints and forty metres of line. Flies on the first windy day.
$26Circuit critters
Fern & Engine
Snap together a buzzing beetle and find out what a switch really does. Batteries included.
$39Night shelf jigsaw, 300 pieces
Small Hours Press
A shelf of toys at bedtime. Once it's finished, the stars glow in the dark.
$21
The play room
An hour of play. Socks on, phones optional.
Behind the shelves is a bright room with a climbing arch, a train table, a reading nook and a craft bench we restock every morning. Grown-ups stay and play, or sit with a coffee and watch.
What it costs
Drop-in play
$9 per child, per hour
Grown-ups and babies under one play free.
Ten-hour card
$75 ten hours, any days
Share it between siblings. It never expires.
Pocket Pass
$42 a month
Unlimited weekday play, 10% off in the shop and a members' hour on Sundays.
This week in the play room
Mon
Closed. Deep clean and a nap.
Tue
- 9:30 amToddler morningAges 0–3, quieter lights
- 10:30 amStory timeFree, ages 0–5
- 12 pmOpen play$9 an hour
Wed
- 9:30 amToddler morningAges 0–3
- 12 pmOpen play$9 an hour
- 4 pmBuild clubAges 6–10, $8
Thu
- 9:30 amToddler morningAges 0–3
- 10:30 amStory timeFree, ages 0–5
- 12 pmOpen play$9 an hour
Fri
- 9:30 amToddler morningAges 0–3
- 12 pmOpen play$9 an hour
- 6:30 pmPajama storiesFirst Friday, $5, PJs welcome
Sat
- 10 amArt SaturdayAges 4–9, $12 with materials
- 12 pmOpen play$9 an hour
- 2 pmPartiesIn the party room
Sun
- 10 amMembers' hourPocket Pass holders
- 11 amOpen play$9 an hour
House rules
Socks on
Everyone in the play room wears socks, grown-ups too. Spares are $3 at the counter, and they have faces.
Grown-ups stay
It isn't drop-off. You can play, read or drink coffee on the bench, as long as you're in the room.
Snacks at the bench
Food stays at the window bench so the play room stays crumb-free. Water bottles are fine anywhere.
Tidy-up song at :55
Five minutes before the hour we sing, everyone puts one thing back, and the room resets.
Birthday parties
Birthdays, minus the clean-up.
You bring the cake and the birthday kid. We bring a host, the play room, a craft table and a vacuum.
You're pencilled in.
This is a demo, so nothing was sent and no party is booked.
From the fridge door
Notes from grown-ups.
We came in for a birthday present and left two hours later. My daughter still asks about the train table.
Priya R. Mum of a four-year-old
The Full Pocket party was the easiest birthday I've ever hosted. Juniper ran the craft table, kept fourteen six-year-olds happy and boxed up our leftover cake.
Marcus T. Dad of twins
Toddler mornings got me through February. It's calm, it's clean, and there's always coffee for the grown-ups.
Hannah L. Mum of an 18-month-old
I know nothing about magnet tiles. Ellis asked me three questions and found the perfect thing for a nine-year-old I see twice a year.
Ruth A. Grandma of five
Build club is the one hour a week my son doesn't ask for a screen.
Diego M. Dad of a seven-year-old
Gift finder
Three questions, three toys.
Shopping for a nephew you see twice a year? Answer three questions and we'll pull three things off the shelf, the way Ellis does at the counter.
Rummaging through the shelves
Try these three.
Gift wrapping is free at the counter, brown paper and string.
Gift cards
Or let them choose.
Good for toys, play hours, parties and the sock basket. They never expire, and we keep the balance on file if the card goes missing.
Visit
Come play on Market Lane.
We're the yellow door between the bakery and the library. Step-free entrance, stroller parking just inside.
88 Market LaneMaple Hollow555-0142hello@example.comShop and play room hours
Tuesday to Sunday
| MondayToday | Closed so the toys can nap | |
|---|---|---|
| TuesdayToday | 9:30 am – 6 pm | |
| WednesdayToday | 9:30 am – 6 pm | |
| ThursdayToday | 9:30 am – 6 pm | |
| FridayToday | 9:30 am – 7:30 pm | Late for pajama stories |
| SaturdayToday | 9 am – 6 pm | |
| SundayToday | 11 am – 5 pm | Members' hour from 10 |
Last play room entry an hour before closing.
Parking
Free for two hours behind the bakery. Spaces by the back gate are for strollers and wheelchairs.
By bus
The number 4 stops at Market and Orchard, a minute's walk.
Accessibility
Step-free door, wide aisles and an accessible restroom with a changing table.
Questions grown-ups ask
Do we really need socks?
Yes, in the play room. Everyone wears them, grown-ups too, and bare feet are not quite socks. If you forget, spares are $3 at the counter.
What ages is the play room for?
Zero to eight. Toddler mornings (Tuesday to Friday, 9:30 to 11:30) are kept for under-fours, with quieter lights and the big climbing arch roped off.
Can we bring food?
Snacks are welcome at the window bench, not in the play room. Party packages include the party room, where cake, pizza and juice are fine. We're nut-aware, not nut-free.
Can I leave my child while I shop?
Not in the play room. A grown-up stays in the room with every child under nine. The shop floor is a good place to take turns.
Do I need to book open play?
No. Walk in, pay at the counter, play. On rainy Saturdays we cap the room at 30 children, so the Pocket Pass gets you in first.
Can I return a gift?
Within 30 days with a receipt for a refund, or any time for store credit if it's unopened. Gift receipts go in every wrapped present.