New Toy Shop Opens at Dirty Janes Canberra

We have some super exciting news to share!!

We’re delighted to finally be able to share with you all the news that we’ll be opening a space at the fabulous Dirty Janes when they open their new emporium in Canberra in March 2020.

We can’t wait to have a store front again, and in, what is sure to be an Australian iconic location! We will be 1 of 90 stallholders in the former Geological Survey building in Fyshwick, which will have a new café, with an outdoor area, a veggie patch and a playground for kids! What more could we want!!

Be sure to follow @vintagetoybox for our updates and @dirtyjanes_canberra so you don't miss any news or updates on the build of this exciting new Canberra Vintage shopping and dining destination!

Dirty Janes Canberra officially opens on 25th March 2020, seven days a week between 10 am and 5 pm, and is located at 80 Collie Street, Fyshwick, directly behind Domayne Furniture.

We can’t wait to be part of this amazing new venture! In the meantime check out our online store for cool Christmas presents for the whole family.

#dirtyjanescanberra #dirtyjanesbowral #thebestofvintage#hercanberra #canberraweekly #outincanberra #canberralife #canberralocals #canberracreatives #canberravintage #vintagegames #vintagetoys #toys #games #gifts #newstore #openingsoon #upperargyle #festiveforagingmossvale #mossvalefestiveforaging #vintagetoybox

Our Classic Toy Shop | Take a Peek Inside our Toy Box

We have been very lucky to have the awesome Emma working for us here at The Vintage Toy Box in our Moss Vale toy store - she has been a breath of fresh air, a trusted and much valued employee, a window dresser extraordinaire, and now a great friend. Just before we close up the Moss Vale store in a couple of weeks to spend more time with our family, we wanted to capture Emma’s experience of sharing one of the most rewarding adventures that we’ve been on. Thank you Emma for being such a fabulous member of our toy store family - we couldn’t have done it without you!! Over to you Emma …

“Goodbye #UpperArgyle” by Emma Stuart

When I first applied for the job at The Vintage Toy Box I never imagined that working here would be so much fun. I mean, I knew working in a toy shop would be fun, but the vibe and energy that comes from the shop is way better than an average run-of-the-mill generic toy shop. There’s something really special about The Vintage Toy Box. The shop has been such a great place to work, the atmosphere and being around toys made my day – everyday. Not many people get to work in a place that they love to work in, nor do they get to have as much fun as I did as they work.

What made it more fun was the people. Customers, people just popping in to say hello, the local kids running in for their lollies after school, the local businesses that support each other, and of course my boss, Saskia (edit: Emma had to say that!).

I am so lucky to have had this experience. Saskia is such an awesome boss lady (edit: and again!). She accepted my areas for development and pushed me to the full potential of my strengths. She has helped me build my confidence and encouraged my creative side, which has expanded so much since I started working at The Vintage Toy Box.

Saskia asked me to put together a little write up about my favourite experiences working in the shop. It was so very hard to choose just a few, but here goes ….

I loved working on the window displays because not only did it showcase some of the awesome toys waiting just inside the door, but I loved watching people walking by, stopping to have a look and walking off with a smile. I’ve often wondered what triggered those smiles, was it a memory from their childhood? Maybe they played that hopscotch game at school; ran around the backyard with Spud Guns with their siblings; they could have had a toy robot similar to the one staring back at them through the window or maybe they played that board game with their family on family game night. It didn’t matter the reason behind the smile, it was just nice to know that just a peek through the window was enough to make someone smile.

I really enjoyed doing research and learning about the history of toys. How they used to be made and played with in the past is so intriguing to me. It is fascinating seeing through the decades how the toys have changed and what became popular based on the world changing, during and after war time and the difference new technology impacted the sale of toys and changed the way they were made.

Another personal favourite thing of mine about the shop is the stories that people would tell while they were shopping. Whether it was a story about begging their parents for a wind-up tin plane and how happy they were to open one up on Christmas morning, how they’ve treasured it over the decades and how it still sits on their shelf, or how they used to save the bone out of a lamb hock after a Sunday night roast and after they collected them up over a few weeks they would have enough to play Jacks with them. Stories about how they used to make knitting dolls out of old sewing bobbins and nails, or sitting down with a sibling or parent to draw and cut out outfits for paper dolls. Eagerly waiting outside the back shed door for their father to put the finishing touches on their wagon so it was ready to race with the kids down the road. It is so interesting to hear of the way toys used to be made by families who couldn’t afford to go to the shop and by the latest toys. I also enjoyed hearing the friendly bickering between family members as they reminisce about playing and there was always one cheeky cheater … who still denies it!

One day I was sitting at the front counter doing some history of toys research and I had Fleetwood Mac up full volume through the speaker, singing along as I worked and a nice lady worked in. I awkwardly laughed with embarrassment as I rushed to turn down the volume, she just laughed and said ‘turn it back up, I love Fleetwood Mac!’ so up went the volume and she sang as she shopped; it was great!

So there you have it, a few of my favourite memories from working at The Vintage Toy Box and what is next for me? Well, I’ll still be around, in the background, still researching, writing, putting together social media posts and helping Saskia with community events and all the new exciting things that she has planned and of course – turning up Fleetwood Mac until the speaker beeps at full volume.

Until next time, Emma. x

If you want to show your appreciation for Emma, as much as we do, vote for us in the Australian Local Business Awards https://thebusinessawards.com.au/business/48911/The-Vintage-Toy-Box . Go on, it’ll make Emma’s day.

Moss Vale ... it's been fun!

Some decisions come easier than others. Some decisions fly at you like water off a duck’s back, and some need to be digested, regurgitated, revisited, prodded and pruned. Last week we made a decision that falls into the latter category, but now that we’ve made it, we’re relieved and thankful that we have.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we know it’s the right one for our little family, and we’re now ready to share it with you, in the hope that in doing so, you’ll decide to come on our next journey with us, because we sure have enjoyed having you all along for the ride!

The next part of our journey begins on the 1st July 2019, exactly one year to the day since we began our last chapter, the opening of our wonderful and magical Moss Vale store. What a chapter it’s been! It’s been fun, games, laughter and friendship. We’ve met some beautiful people (big and little) from our mini wonderland, and have been welcomed into such a wonderful community with open arms. We’ve been embraced, we’ve been loved, and we’ve shared joy. So much joy. We truly can call Moss Vale home. For that we are thankful.

Whilst we have been hanging out in our magical emporium however, we had a niggling feeling, one that wouldn’t go away. We realised that whilst we were watching other children have fun in our store, we were missing out on spending precious time with our own little person. We weren’t following our own message of ‘enjoying the little things in life, before they become big things’. We realised that we’d missed out on a whole year of Saturday fun and family exploring.

So, Moss Vale, it sure has been fun, we’ve loved being part of the high street, but we’re ready to now take a back seat and enjoy the landscape from a different angle. We’re looking forward to some foraging of our own, enjoying all that the beautiful Southern Highlands has to offer, but enjoying it as a family.

It’s not’ goodbye’ however, it’s merely a ‘see you soon’, as we’ll still be completely online. To say a big thank you to Moss Vale and to the Southern Highlands we’ll be offering a free drop off or pick up service for all online orders to anyone within a 15km radius of Moss Vale town centre, after we close the front door of our bricks and mortar shop for the last time on Saturday 29th June 2019.

When one door closes … another one opens. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who have supported us on our journey this far. We look forward to sharing the next adventures with you … here’s a clue … you may see up pop up in Fyshwick in Canberra very soon!

The Vintage Toy Box family x

Check out our awesome Closing Down Sale with a whopping 30% off all our large items. Available for in-store pick up only and while stocks last.

Our Toy Shop Values

We are guided by our values. 

Awareness, Community, Compassion, Creativity.

To have awareness is the ability to know, perceive, feel and be conscious of things and people around you. It’s about tuning into feelings, emotions and reactions, and responding in an appropriate way to each situation. 

Community means living as a collective group in harmony, sharing a common purpose and goal. 
Strong communities have members who look out for each other and contribute towards the common good. 

Communities hold each other up. It takes a village to raise a child.  The more people work together as a community, the stronger they will collectively become. 

Connection, Family, Contribution, Fulfillment. 

Courage, Giving, Empathy, Humility.

Moral courage involves doing what is right by others, particularly when the potential risks may involve shame, opposition or their disapproval. 

Courage is not about who we claim to be, but rather who we reveal ourselves to be through our words and actions.  Actions speak louder than words.   

Humility is the quality of being humble and realising that you are no more important than any other person. Those that are humble have little vanity or ego, but realise their own value in society. 

Those that are humble put themselves on an equal footing to others around them, seeing too the value in them, and how much more we can be together. 

Someone who spends their life taking care of or looking out for others shows humility, by working towards a greater good. 

We are greater than ourselves. 

To have empathy is the ability to connect with other peoples emotions, and imagine what someone else might be thinking or how they are feeling. It’s about understanding other people and acting with sensitivity towards them. 

Empathy is to walk in someone else’s shoes, walk their path, and feel their pain. Empathy is to feel more than your own emotions and to be aware of more than your self. 

Fairness, Integrity, Frugality, Kindness.  

To demonstrate fairness is to think about how your actions may affect other people, and act accordingly. To be fair means to listen with an open mind, without discrimination, treating everyone as equal whilst remaining impartial.   At The Vintage Toy Box we promote fairness as we believe every person is equal and should be treated the same.

Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral and ethical principles that you choose to live and act by. It’s about doing the right thing by others and feeling comfortable that your actions led to something good. Integrity is about choosing to be a decent human being.

Kindness means doing something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return. Kindness is about being respectful and helping others without wanting someone to help you back. The act of being kind is not just being nice but showing empathy and understanding.

Harmony, Loyalty, Honesty, Questioning.

Living in harmony means to live peacefully with others, having an unspoken agreement to have different ideas and feelings and considering this before taking action which may upset the balance.

To show loyalty means you have a strong feeling of support towards someone, and will demonstrate this support to them, and if necessary defend them if required.  True loyalty comes from the heart.

To be honest simply means being true to yourself and true to others. 

It may be very hard to be honest at times as sometimes being honest can lead to consequences if you have done wrong. Being honest though shows integrity in wanting to right the wrong. 

People appreciate honesty, it shows you can be trusted. 

It’s always best to be as transparent as possible. There is strength in admitting our faults. We are after all only human.   

It is important to question things around you. Questioning is the most simple and most effective way to learn. Brilliant thinkers never stop asking questions because they know it is the best way to receive a deeper insight. The more questions we ask, the more knowledge is gained.

Reliability, Sharing, Resilience, Strength.  

Sharing is a vital life skill and our most basic form of human interaction and well-being. Sharing allows us to develop, and most importantly, keep friendships. When you share you get to experience the enjoyment together. 

Sharing is caring. 

To have resilience means you have the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or tough situations. It means that you have the ability to adapt well. To be resilient means you can 'bounce back'. What doesn’t knock you down, makes you stronger.

Gratitude, Respect, Tolerance, Truth.  

Having respect for yourself and others is one of the most important qualities a person can have. Respect is a positive action or feeling towards someone or something that you consider important. You can show respect for others in simple ways like by using polite words, by using positive comments, playing fair and listening to what someone is saying to you, even if you do not agree. 

To be tolerant means you have the ability and willingness to accept others. 

Teaching children about tolerance is important. As they grow they will learn to accept people who are unlike them in a fair, objective way.

Tolerance is about being patient, having understanding, and accepting ideas, beliefs and opinions in a respectful way.

The world would be a very dull place if we were all the same. 

Being truthful allows us to grow and mature and allows others to put their trust in you. When people trust each other they grow together and can conquer anything. Trust is important for society and for forming social bonds.

Teach our kids today to be the adults of tomorrow.

Classic Toys | Kaleidoscope

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Amaze the eyes with brilliant colours and patterns with the classic Schylling design. These beautifully illustrated tin kaleidoscopes continue to dazzle all who lay their eyes on them, and little hands always make a beeline for them in store.

The kaleidoscope is thought to have been invented in 1816 by Scottish inventor Sir David Brewster, with its name originating from the Greek words meaning ‘beautiful form watcher’.

Did you know that Sir David Brewster went on to advance lighthouse lens and stereoscope designs.

The visual stimulus provided by the kaleidoscope therapeutically promotes positive joyful emotions and promotes good mental health through colour therapy. We always new that traditional toys were good for you!

Classic Toys | Jacob's Ladder

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Our Jacob’s Ladder is a traditional wood and lace click-clack toy and is a timeless classic, and a perfect edition to any toy collection. The Jacob’s Ladder is the original fidget spinner, perfect for busy hands.

The true origin of this classic toy, which produces visual and kinetic illusion is a mystery, however many believe that the toy finds its origins in China. We do know however that it received its earliest toy review in a 1889 American scientific article, describing the magic behind the mechanics.

In the 1700’s a Japanese polymath constructed one which was called Gennai’s Wondrous Click-clack; a name that is still around today. Another popular variation of this classic toy was an American 1940’s version, which had an indentation for a penny to disappear & re-appear.

Wherever it came from, the Jacob’s ladder is here to stay!

New Traditional Toy Shop Opens in Moss Vale, Southern Highlands NSW

We’ve officially launched our gorgeously fun and funky bricks and mortar store, down in the beautiful NSW Southern Highlands.  

We’ve set up shop in the heart of the region, Moss Vale, just a short distance away from the historic town of Berrima and the popular tourist destination of Bowral. 

We have something for everyone in our amazing treasure trove of goodies. We have toys and games galore, and have partnered with our other family business, Motique, purveyor of gifts and games for the discerning gentlemen in your lives. 

So, roll up, roll in, and step back in time as we take you on a trip down memory lane.  

Our beautiful mural is courtesy of the fabulous Paul Settecasse. Design by the equally fabulous Angela Settecasse of Angela Farrell Words • Ideas • Designs. 

Vintage Toys in Australia

After moving over from the UK over 8 years ago, we've noticed that there is a wide shortage of vintage toys in Australia, compared to the UK. This really isn't surprising, considering the brief history of Australia, compared to Europe, where there's a huge abundance of toys from yesteryear flooding the market.

This makes it all the more exciting for us though when we go foraging and come across an old toy from decades ago, often still in great condition. We take great pleasure in then finding out from the owner a bit of history about the toy, particularly details about all the children who used to play with the toy, and who've had so many hours of pleasure holding it in their little hands.

Often though, more times than not, we find that whoever has the vintage toy in their hands often has no idea about where the toy has come from, perhaps picking it up from a market themselves, an antique fair, or perhaps a house clearance. In these instances we need to do a bit of research, in tracking down the history of the toy. Things to look for are details of the manufacturer, the year it was produced, which stores it was sold in, the location of the stores, and the original selling price of the toy. This will generally give you an indication of the demographics of the family that was the likely original holders of the toy.  From there you can piece together your own little story about toy ownership, the child, and their family.  We love doing this, as it takes us down memory lane, without ever needing to have our own memories to fall back on.  It's like stepping back in time, but without the step - what could be more fun?!