Route 73 Kids

They do stock great toys — but more expensive than other places and service is very poor and arrogant.
Final straw today was witnessing the manager being rude to a customer (he only asked if his little boy could use the loo) — she then moaned about him to another member of staff after he left. We took umbridge at this lack of professionalism, put down our purchases and left — and she followed us out onto the street shouting that if we had something to say we should say it to her face! Hmmm not a particularly welcoming customer service approach… I’d prefer to go to one of the toy shops in Islington — or Olive Loves Alfie which is just a few doors down.

It’s coming to that time of year when you worry what to buy the kids for Christmas. Now this doesn’t even matter if you don’t have kids, I don’t have kids, but there is always a small troupe of children that require presents from «Santa» AKA Auntie Lizzie.
So with that in mind I think of this place. The great shop that has toys for all ages. They even separate it out like that making it easy to browse. They have classic wooden toys and puppets as well as educational and fun stuff too. It’s small and the staff know their stock well so if you have a child/​gift dilemma they can most certainly fix it!
I personally think things are more expensive than other toy shops but this may just be the area and expertise that you’re getting. Well worth popping in though and a lot less terrifying that Hamleys!

A labyrinth of all things to indulge and amaze kiddies winks. This is a great little toy shop. I was brought up with only wooden toys, nothing plastic and American! So this place reminds me of the type of toy shop my parents would take me to when I was little. And I’m still as delighted by such a place as I was then. They have a big table in the middle of the shop with all sorts of little odds and ends to entertain and delight, perfect for kids who are looking for alternatives to sweets to spend their pocket money on. I spent an hour in this shop before Christmas trying to decide what to buy for all the under fives I know. There is so much to choose from and dare I say it don’t ‘alf make you clucky. But wow! Are toys expensive! If you do walk through the door keep a hold tight on your wallets because you invariably won’t leave without forking out at least twice what you’d intended. Oh to be young again, this would be top of my favourites list! I’ll just have to stay satisfied with buying up the shop on behalf of my young friends. And no chance of taking out that second mortgage for a while

God I would hate to work in this shop. Kids are great and everything but the ones in Stoke Newington are spoilt beyond belief. I went into Route 73 today and it was full of brats screaming «Mummy!!! Can I have this?» It’s five days after Christmas, FIVE DAYS! It can’t have been all of their birthdays and they should have been at home playing with the organic, wooden toys they already have.
Having said that, I was a big fan of the Early Learning Centre as a child and Route 73, named after the bendy bus route is like a mini version, and as such I imagine, completely irresistible to kids. They have everything a spoilt little Stoke Newington resident could ever want, apart from real life ponies of course.
The thing that struck me most was how cheap everything was, relatively I mean. I know nappies, rusks and school fees are expensive but if I did ever happen to glance the price tag of things as a nipper it literally blew my tiny little mind. 50p seemed as unobtainable then as flying to the moon. Now that I’m a grown up though, I can buy as many £1.50 Roald Dahl sticker packs as I want, because quite frankly, you can never have too many.

Route 73, a shop named after a bus route, lovely! I guess this shop was born from the multitude of young families setting up home around the ever gentrifying Church Street, i imagine i’d have been pretty excited by a shop named after my bus as a kid. Seriously.
They have a predicably lovely stock of clothes and toys for your youngsters, although they’re a bit on the pricey side.
They have an amazing dress up section, and it always really upsets me when i can’t fit into the clothes! A really great little shop to take your kids, or buy their presents. May well unleash the child inside you too!

Route 73 Kids is a traditional toy shop in the middle of Stoke Newington Church Street, selling innovative toys and gifts for babies and young children up to the age of about 12. They specialise in well-​made, colourful toys (think Early Learning Centre but with fun toys) and also have an excellent selection of small gifts for stocking fillers/​party bag toys.
This is a good place to buy ethical, educational toys as like the Early Learning Centre there are no tacky, branded toys. They have a large selection of fancy dress costumes– we went in around Halloween time and find a beautiful baby chimp outfit.

A toyshop for both adults and kids! You’d be sure to find a present for a child in here, ranging from the traditional to the new. There are also bags and accessories to attract the older children in us!
There are a wide range of prices to suit every pocket — or even pocket money as the case may be. I went in here to find some board games for the cold and rainy weekend afternoons, and ended up browsing for a while. Its a great place to pick up Christmas presents, and its not too expensive in comparison to some other shops.
I found the woman inside to be lovely, and very knowledgeable on the latest and most coveted toys for kids. Its the perfect way to spoil someone!

A nice shop where you can be sure to find a gift for a child.
Traditional toys or new games are available there.
You can be interested by purses or small bags even necklaces or bangles for children but for adults too.
The prices are nice for the area as Church Street can be very expensive for shopping.
I’ve always seen a nice woman in the shop but last time when I went there a very old man was inside and he was very very rude.
So when you go there, be sure to avoid the man.