Grandpa’s Toys is a toy shop nz owned and operated by Amanda and her three boys
All of whom are great toy testers! (Harry, James and Thomas). Toys NZ - We are situated in the beautiful township of Geraldine, South Canterbury on the main street along with a number of boutique and unique stores.
Grandpa’s Toys is a dedicated toy world for children in NZ, specialising in quality and educational toys.
Her toys includes brands such as Le Toy Van, Hape, Djeco, John Deere, Siku, Majorette, Big Jigs and many more. Amanda works on the principal when introducing new toys, games, etc, if her children test it and love it, then you will find it in store and in the online shop. This is how the introduction of the All Black range, Fidget toys, watches, jig saw puzzles, activity trackers, headphones and gaming products came about. All our childrens toys that you see in store are available online.
Here at Grandpa’s Toys we listen to what it is that you are after, if we don’t stock it we research where we can get the toy for you. If we have run out of stock on that particular product we will order it in for you. If there is a particular brand such as majorette, hape, sylvannian families and you would like to start purchasing, and what to shop locally, we will research to see if it is viable to bring into Grandpa’s Toys.
An added benefit of being in a small town is we are able to help with selecting birthday presents for all those birthday invites that just keep coming. Keeping in contact with our customers is key, by knowing what gifts other customers have purchased so there are no double ups for the recipient. All gifts wrapped or if you wish purchase a roll of gift wrap, and a card and you are all ready to go. We work on keeping things simple. There is no point stressing - you could even order online ahead of time and the gift will be all ready to go.
How did I become the owner of an awesome toy shop? After 11 years working in Office Management for a local business software company it was time for a new challenge. I thought about study, going back to tourism and just like that our local toy store Grandpa’s Toys was up for sale so why not! The boys and I were customers for many years so it really made sense instead of buying toys why not buy the toy shop!
History of Grandpa’s Toys:
Grandpas Toys, one of Geraldine’s most well-known businesses, started in 1991. Founder John Rule was looking for a change in direction and decided to try his hand at making wooden toys. Soon enough orders were flowing in and his garage at home in Woodend was a bustling workshop. Soon they progressed to a large workshop in Loburn where they employed three people. Soon it was time for John and wife Joanne returned to John’s home town of Geraldine and opened a shop in the old Mobil petrol station (now the Running Duck). They continued to make wooden toys but also sold other children’s toys and established a nation-wide reputation as one of only a handful of independent toys shops left in New Zealand. Around 2014 Grandpas moved to its present site in the heart of Talbot Street. In 2018 John and Joanne handed over the reins to new owner and local, Amanda Taylor and her three boys (Harry, James and Thomas).
