One of the nice things about having Ballet Atlantic in downtown New Rochelle, in addition to its great new facility and easy access, is the fact that we can conveniently visit restaurants and stores during our children’s classes and also run errands with our kids after class. One of my very favorite post ballet excursions with my children is a walk to Merry-Go-Round Toy Store which has been a fixture at 188 North Avenue for 60 years. It has been popular among families for six decades because it remains fully stocked year round, not just during the holidays, offers competitive prices, and for me, most importantly, is child friendly and offers knowledgeable service. For us busy parents, it is also open seven days a week, and oh, provides free gift wrapping. What more could a parent want?
While I have been taking my children there for years, this week after ballet class I brought Mary Balogh from Pelham, her 6-year old daughter Eva, and 3-year old son, Alexander to Merry-Go-Round for the first time. Upon entering the door, Alexander remarked, “This place is fantastic! I think we need to take something home.” Frances, my 9-year old daughter, led Eva straight to the doll aisle, where they discussed all the Barbie, Dora and Corolle options. I knew that Mary would be impressed with the breadth of toys, from board games, crafts, educational items, Playmobil sets, wooden trains, dress-up, and even rubber chickens, that fill the shelves, literally from floor to ceiling. What caught her eye almost immediately, however, was a battery-operated train set that her son had wanted and that she had been searching for. Alexander was enthralled – he knew what he was taking home! After Frances chose a perfume-making kit and Eva picked out a “Pinky” rubber ball (ah, the simple pleasures,) we finalized our purchases and had a very engaging talk with the owner, Greg Choron, who always seems to be at the store chatting with customers and the kids and helping them all find the perfect toy.
Greg mentioned that he loves coming to work in downtown New Rochelle be
cause he is able to spend time with customers while they shop for that special toy for their children. Because he has such a vast range of toys, both classics and the newest trends, and therefore can satisfy almost every child’s dream, it is always a rewarding visit for parents. And if he doesn’t have it in stock, which is rarely, he has such good relationships with all the major toy companies, he can usually get it so no child needs to be disappointed. He also takes great pleasure in the growing number of three generation families where parents who shopped for their children, now return to shop for their grandchildren and even their great grandchildren. Knowing that we are involved with our local schools and PTA’s Greg mentioned that Merry-Go-Round also helps sponsor writing and essay contests with a gift certificate to Merry-Go-Round as the prize. Watching our kids happily bustle around the store, I knew that a gift certificate here will certainly be a welcome reward or a great present for any child.
Since I wanted to write a review of this, one of my favorite stores, I asked Greg about some of his more popular toys. He carries full lines of LEGO’s, Playmobil, Mellisa & Doug, Thomas trains, Madame Alexander Dolls, Leap Frog learning toys, bikes, trikes, scooters, sporting
goods, radio control cars, educational games, arts and crafts, telescopes and microscopes, books, STEP II, Nintendo WI, Xbox 360 and DS, Play Station III, erector sets, baseball cards, puzzles, stuffed animals, doll houses, and party goods and supplies and for parents with young children, he also carries cribs, car seats and infant products. Whew! The list continued but I think you get the picture. If it’s a toy that will make a child happy, you can find it at Merry-Go-Round.
Walking out the door Mary spied some child-size plastic snow-shovels and remarked that she knew what she would be coming back for. Incidentally, Alexander loves his trains so much that he slept with them on his pillow the first night he brought them home.
Merry-Go-Round Toy Store
188 North Avenue
(914) 632-4119
Monday through Saturday: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sundays: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
The Merry-Go-Round is in the
The Merry-Go-Round is in the same location it was as early as Xmas 0f 1966.As a teenager I worked there with the then owner Phil and his wife.
Re-thinking the date after my
Re-thinking the date after my last post I realized that it could have been Xmas of 1967. It was defintely not any later.
Merry-Go-Round Toy Store & Baby Boomers
Merry-Go-Round Toy Store is not at the same location it was at in the 1950-70’s.
It used to be at the corner of North Avenue and Main Street, and was a larger store. It moved to its current location, I believe, in the 1980’s or even early 1990’s.
One of the reasons New Rochelle’s commerce was booming in the 1950-60’s but greatly dropped off in the 1970’s was that the incredibly large and influential Babyboomer generation was growing up. Suddenly, with so many children around, there was a growing need for toy stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, furniture stores, book stores, music stores, and sources of entertainment like book stores, music stores, bowling alleys, movie theaters, etc.
So in the 1950-60’s there were more of these stores around, but New Rochelle’s Babyboomers became adults, starting in the late 1960’s. Babyboomers had less children per adult than their parents, and mostly began to have children later in life than their parents. So beginning in the late 1960’s and increasingly in the 1970-80’s and into the 1990’s, many of New Rochelle’s toy stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, furniture stores, book stores, music stores, bowling alleys, movie theaters, etc., closed, or were downsized like Merry-Go-Round.
I am glad to see that Merry-Go-Round remains on the South End, and find it sad that we have lost Big Top in the North End.