September has arrived with a bang!  We are in the midst of a couple of busy weeks renting band instruments with Sight & Sound to various schools around Prince George and also in the store.  We also have band books and many accessories for the instruments in store.  

Our staff have also had a busy summer and there are some big changes!  We want to congratulate Stephanie on the birth of her healthy baby boy, Simon.  We also want to wish Nycol the best as she pursues other endeavours starting her own daycare.  Finally, we are excited to welcome another Stephanie to the Gingerbread crew.  Stephanie shares our enthusiasm for amazing customer service and we can't wait to put her to work!

In just a few short weeks our new store catalogue will be arriving and we're busy getting all the finishing touches done.  Kate and Megan had the pleasure of working with a couple of awesome children while constructing the cover.  Thanks, Alden & Adira!  If you haven't been receiving the catalogue and would like to, please call the store and we'll make sure you're added to the list.

This is also the time of year that our fall shipments come in and Christmas presents need to be thought about.  If there are specific items that you are looking for or something you need to special order, now is the time to let us know to avoid disappointment.

Speaking of Christmas, did you know that we provide a gift service for corporate Christmas parties?  Give us a list of children (with ages and genders) and a budget and we'll make sure that each child receives a unique gift.  We'll even take care of the wrapping!

Keep watching this space for more updates!  

It's been a busy couple of months packing up the Hart store and consolidating everything into the College Heights store.  One of the really awesome things that's come out of the move is it's given us an opportunity to help out our community in ways we never expected.  

When a young customer came in a couple of weeks ago and told us that his school was burning down we were shocked and like many people and businesses in our generous city we wanted to help but weren't sure how.  We know how much of their own money teachers put into their classroom supplies and with the School of Education at UNBC were able to provide gift certificates for the teachers with a considerable discount to help them replenish their classroom supplies.  As we were packing up we also realized that we had some surplus stock that would fit really nicely in some empty classrooms.  The picture above shows a bit of what we were able to donate.  We've got some fixtures and shelving headed their way too!  The timing was perfect for us to be able to do this and it felt really good to be able to help the teachers and students in a practical way.  

Also, when we started packing up we realized we had more Playmobil demos than we knew what to do with.  So we decided to sell them and some extra fixtures and shelving with proceeds going to the Child Development Centre.  Our customers were incredibly generous, many donating more than suggested and as a result we were able to drop off $1375!  

Being able to do these kinds of things has really made us feel better about the difficult decision to leave the Hart.  Thank you all for your patience and support during the somewhat chaotic move!  See you in College Heights soon!  

Change is never easy but sometimes difficult as it is, it becomes necessary to move forward.  With that in mind we want to let all our customers know that we are closing the Hart location of Gingerbread Toys to focus our time and resources on the College Heights location.  It has become apparent over the past couple of years that more and more of our customers are shopping on that side of town and by combining the two stores we believe we will be better able to serve you.  

We want to thank our loyal Hart customers and if you haven't ventured up to College Heights yet, come visit!  We've LOVED being part of the Hart community and that community has made the decision to move a difficult one.  

In the next few weeks we will be having a big sale to help us condense from two stores to one.  We'll be updating facebook with some awesome deals from the Hart store.  To kick things off, everything in both stores will be at least 20% off!  

We're looking forward to this new chapter, and hope to see all of you in College Heights soon :)

With only two weeks until Christmas it's getting to that time of year when panic starts to set in!  Don't worry, we've got you covered with lots of gift ideas to fit any budget.  

Kanoodle is one of our staff favourites!  Different levels of difficulty in both 2D puzzles and 3D challenges.  Easy to play, difficult to master, lots of fun! ($17.99)

Engraving Art is simple to do and a fantastic price, too ($7.99).  Comes with pre-printed engraving boards, a scraping tool and a practice sheet (Ages 8+).

Pump rockets are tons of fun!  Launch the foam rockets up to 150 feet!  Great indoors or out.  We also have replacement rockets if you happen to lose yours ($15.99).

Bath toys are always sure to please.  Alex makes some of the best bath toys around.  We especially like the Tub Tunes instruments ($9.99-$29.99).

These terrariums are guaranteed to grow and feature some of the coolest (and strangest!) plants around.  Micro terrariums are perfect stocking stuffers ($4.99), larger terrariums ($14.99 and up) make a great gift for anyone interested in the weird and wonderful world of plants.

Hama beads facilitate creative play at its finest.  Kits include pegboards, beads, and ironing paper to melt the beads together.  The possibilities are endless! ($4.99 and up)

It's acceptable to play with your food when you're using it as ammo! Marshmallow shooters come in a variety of sizes and styles, using both large and mini marshmallows as ammunition.  Kids (and adults) will have a blast with these! 
(15.99 and up)

The one and only, original DoodleArt.  Set of four minis or the classic large size ($24.99).

These shopping baskets are packed with some fantastic play food.  Lots of different baskets to choose from ($29.99).

Wedgits are an amazing construction toy unlike anything else on the market.  Wee Wedgits are soft and have slightly larger pieces for the littlest builders (1 year and up) or the regular size is great for older kids (3 years and up).  ($19.99-$49.99)

Raggedy Ann & Andy have lost none of their charm and are ready to endear themselves to a new generation ($15.99-$49.99).

Pogo sticks will always be a great choice for an active gift.  Two sizes to ensure optimal hopping fun! ($59.99-$79.99)

Lite Hawk R/C helicopters are easy to fly and fun for hours ($59.99).  Flite School ($15.99) has everything you need to set up courses for time trials or to challenge your pilot skills.

Rody is the perfect companion for toddler bouncing fun ($74.99), Scramblebug is a foot to floor ride-on that has multi-directional wheels to scoot in any direction ($79.99), and Plasma Bikes are an awesome balance bike ($89.99).  Don't forget about the ever popular marvel of physics Plasma Car! ($89.99)

Check out our extensive selection of Carrera slot car racing sets ($119.99-$179.99).  Lots of different themes and styles to choose from and we also have extra cars, track, and other accessories too.

Alex's wooden magnetic artist easel has a chalkboard on one side and a magnetic white board on the other side ($169.99).  Don't forget extra paper and paint!

Plan's wooden rocking horse is simply beautiful, made with Plan's trademark quality and attention to detail ($99.99).  Kettler's Walk with Me Wagon is a perfect first wagon ($129.99).

We carry many HO & N scale train sets and all the accessories too ($84.99-$179.99)!

There's less than a month until Christmas and it's time to start thinking about stocking stuffers!  We've compiled a list of our favourite stocking stuffers.  All under $10, too!

Minifigures are a great stocking stuffer idea!  Lego minifigures are always popular with Lego lovers of any age.  Playmobil figures are separated into female and male figures, and Filly Princess figures have a sweet little pony and stickers in every package.  Prices range from $2.99-$3.99.

We love Engraving Art but it's a tad big for most stockings.  These mini Engraving Art kits are a fantastic price ($2.99), and there's a variety of different things to make.  Scratch a keychain, some, stickers, a bookmark, or a door hanger with the enclosed engraving tool.  

Beanie Boos and Beanie Ballz have been very popular all year and are perfect for stuffing stockings ($4.99).

Sticky Mosaics singles are easy and fun to do.  They come in a wide range of themes like robots, trucks, animals, sports, and sparkly princesses.  Perfect for the 4-7 year old on your list ($7.99).

These fluffy pens are girly, fun, and princesses of all ages will appreciate finding  one in their stocking ($4.99-$5.99).

We also have a large selection of pretty Pink Poppy jewelry and hair accessories ($3.99-$9.99).   

Perfect for the Lego fans on your list, Lego erasers, sharpeners ($5.99) and Star Wars Lego pens in a variety of characters ($9.99). Judging by the reactions in the store the adults are just as excited as the kids for these! 

Who doesn't love to indulge their sweet tooth during the holidays?  We have a large selection of old fashioned candy like giant lollipops and big jawbreakers.  Fudge and Pop Rocks too! (.25-$3.99)

Filling the littlest ones' stocking is always difficult.  It's hard to find things safe for babies that will fit in a stocking.  Here's some of our favourite things to fill stockings for babies!

Lamaze has a variety of high contrast rattles and small toys safest for the littlest ones on your list.  The Bend & Squeak Penguin is one of our very favourite things.  Easy for small hands to grasp and get noise out of, and super cute, too! ($9.99)

These wooden toys will fit into a stocking perfectly.  The mini bead mazes ($6.99) are pretty much endless entertainment, and the wooden snakes ($3.99) are seriously fun to play with and manipulate.  

Tommy Toot ($9.99) is a perfect first whistle, easy to get sound out of and a pleasant low tone.  How about a rubber duckie for the tub ($5.99)? Or our most popular teething toy a teether ball ($6.99)?  Or maybe make some noise with animal jingle bells or bead shakers ($6.99-$9.99).

These Tolo First Friends ($10.99) click, squeak, and move.  Chunky enough for small hands to easily manipulate and lots of fun!    

Coming soon!  Our holiday gift guide!

This week has been quite the week!  We opened the Hart store on Monday morning to some of our ceiling drenched and falling down around us.  We discovered just how disgusting wet ceiling tiles are, and spent the day closed and mopping up.  Fortunately, the damage was minimal all things considered.  It also resulted in our Chicken Little Sale (a few items with slightly soggy packaging are greatly reduced!).  

Wednesday and Thursday we had our annual Invite Night.  For us, Invite Night always seems like the "official" start to the Christmas season.  Thursday in College Heights was crazy busy!  It was somewhat chaotic, a lot of fun, and we very much appreciate our customers' patience!  

Finally, we're having a silent auction for one of our Thomas train tables and a generous box of engines too (easily over $1000 value).  Bidding closes at 5 p.m. on November 19th.  Proceeds will be donated to the Child Development Centre.  Phone bids are welcome too!  

We are incredibly excited to FINALLY have a new website.  There’s a lot going on around the store as we get ready for Christmas.  Our annual Invitation Night is coming up next week (Nov. 7 in the Hart, Nov. 8 in College Heights) and you should have our new catalogue and your invitation in the mail.  If you aren’t on our mailing list pop by either store for your invitation! 

Our plan is to use this space to share with you some of the cool things we come across in the toy business.  Not only do we stumble across some awesome products we have some pretty amazing customers that are a constant source of inspiration and we think it’s kind of selfish to keep it to ourselves.  

I’ve noticed quite a few newcomers to Prince George coming into the store and if you’re finding us for the first time, Welcome!  We hope to see you in the store soon!