Berkeley independent toy store, Mr. Mopps, is delightful

I want to give a shout out to the delightful North Berkeley toy store, Mr. Mopps.

Jenny and Devin (for full story on change of ownership, see Berkeleyside.com), Mr. Mopps is open and ready for our business this holiday season. The shelves are filled and getting fuller as the new owners update the merchandise selection to suit their vision.

It sounds like Jenny and Devin may bring a bit of a hipster vibe over from San Francisco where they live. They told me that Parker Jacobs, a designer who works on both the Paul Frank brand and Yo Gabba Gabba (two families of images with immense popularity in my house) will be doing a revision of the Mr. Mopps logo for some exclusive merchandise.

I was pleased to see our new favorite toy HEXBUGs on their shelves, along with old favorites Melissa & Doug, Playmobil, and of course LEGO. With it’s dime-store style bins of cheap party favors like plastic rings, erasers, and kazoos, Mr. Mopps is the ideal place to stuff stockings or find Hanukkah treats.

Locally-owned business are the backbone of our economy. Or maybe the mortgage industry is.  I don’t know, but the first one sounds more inspiring.

So let’s shop Mr. Mopps for holiday gifts and save Target for the late-night diaper runs.

[photo source: Berkeleyside]