Does anyone remember Toy City??

[DrSamba]

I lived in Jackson Heights through most of the 1960s and I also remember Toy City being on 37th Avenue, and between 75th and 76th Street sounds about right.  I also remember the Greenglass store on the west side of 74th Street, between 37th and Roosevelt Avenue.  When I grew a bit older, one of my favorite hangouts, as it were, was Center Cycle on Roosevelt Avenue.  In addition to bicycles, they had a great selection of chemistry set supplies.

[Brian C]

I remember the Cycle Center too. In fact, my chemistry set probably came from there.

[Metsboy]

Toy City was on Roosevelt Ave..it was HUGE...took up half the block..its where i got my real first mitt and bat as well..in the late 70's ealry 80's..they had a couple of arcade games as well..Dig Dug ..and a racing car game..ahhhhhh good times

[Really4rob]

According to Todd's post about the city tax photo update, the 1980s tax photos means that one can finally get their Toy City photo! 

[Preacher]

Toy City was on Roosevelt Ave..it was HUGE...took up half the block..its where i got my real first mitt and bat as well..in the late 70's ealry 80's..they had a couple of arcade games as well..Dig Dug ..and a racing car game..ahhhhhh good times

I used to blow all of my paper boy money  (Long Island Press) on the race car machine in that place.  I also had a fixation on the little airfix toy soldiers they had there... not the normal sized ones (toy soldiers) but tiny and very detailed soldiers of many different specific military units from different eras of history.

[Hank Stamper]

"the place I am thinking of was on the south side of 37th, probably between 75 & 76 streets. "

There was indeed a toy store there - right next to a Kosher deli. A lot of their stuff was just laid out on tables in the middle of the store.

And yes - Baars?  across from the Post Office was great for Matchbox and Corgi cars and some brand of British soldiers? 

There was also a toy/hobby shop on Roosevelt and 86th? - Gerstenhabers. They sold everything from sporting goods, to plastic models to cribs.

There was also a hole-in-the wall hobby shop in the underground arcade -- offbeat European cars and soldiers.

I'm old enough to remember when there was a Woolworth's AND a Kresgie's on 82nd, basically across from each other.   
   

[earbears]

Gerstenhaber's was on the corner of 85th Street and Roosevelt. I remember so well. I loved to go through the aisles and look and even get things when my mom would buy them.

Do you remember Sears on Roosevelt between 84th and 85th Street. Would cut throught the store every day on the way home from school (I went to P.S. 89). There was a back entrance on Forley street and then exist the Roosevelt Avenue (main) entrance.

[StevenGrey]

I grew up in Woodside/Sunnyside Gardens, but fondly remembering biking over to Jackson Heights with a group of my friends at least once a week during the summers to shop at Toy City. We must've spent a small fortune there on sporting goods, model kits, and board games. (I actually can't believe my parents let me bike that far from home at that age! What were they thinking?) 

[Preacher]

Do you remember Sears on Roosevelt between 84th and 85th Street. Would cut throught the store every day on the way home from school (I went to P.S. 89). There was a back entrance on Forley street and then exist the Roosevelt Avenue (main) entrance.

I have a dreamlike glimmer of a memory as a very young child being there with ma and pa looking at refrigerators.  I also remember being fixated on the streamers they had in front of the air conditioning ducts flapping away.  I was still so young that it was an amazing thing to me.

I also went to P.S. 89...  4th and 5th grades... Mr. Tricarico and Mrs. Urban respectively.  I "think" the principles name was Mr. Kakalios or something like that.  St. Barts before that.

Wow... finding this site sure brings back some really old memories

Phil

[earbears]

I remember Ms. Urban. She loved to do galss mosaics. I remember putting glass things of different colors into bags and hitting them with hammers to get the pieces for the mosaics. Of course wearing gloves while doing this as to not getting cuts.

I had her in 6th grade. I also had chicken pox and german measles then too. One for Xmas and one for Easter. Great vacations.

[Really4rob]

Just an aside ... it is crazy how far we used to bike at younga ges.  I was maybe 9 or 10 and my friend I would ride to Flushing Meadows on a whim.  Craziness.

Also crazy to think that there was a time that you left for school and literally your parents didn't know if you made it or were alive or whatever til they got home from work at 5 or 6.  The era known as B.C.P.   (Before Cell Phones)

[Metsboy]

I grew up in Woodside/Sunnyside Gardens, but fondly remembering biking over to Jackson Heights with a group of my friends at least once a week during the summers to shop at Toy City. We must've spent a small fortune there on sporting goods, model kits, and board games. (I actually can't believe my parents let me bike that far from home at that age! What were they thinking?) 

Its funny , I live in that area now and have so for almost 25 years. JH had wayyyyy more things to do as a kid then woodside ever did.

[Really4rob]

Its funny , I live in that area now and have so for almost 25 years. JH had wayyyyy more things to do as a kid then woodside ever did.

Agreed!

[Really4rob]

And yes - Baars?  across from the Post Office was great for Matchbox and Corgi cars and some brand of British soldiers? 

BAARS, roughly where Novo or Strabucks is now, was the move for those superhero action figures of the early 70s!

[Metsboy]

BAARS, roughly where Novo or Strabucks is now, was the move for those superhero action figures of the early 70s!

thats where i got all my Stars Wars stuff