Due to an abundance of mom guilt, my middle daughter doesn't attend school on Wednesdays, even though both her sisters do. Wednesdays are my day to spoil the little one that got wedged in between big sister (who is 2.5 years older) and little sister (who is a mere 17 months younger).
So after a brief stint at Katherine Rose Park in Mansfield that ended in tears (both of us) because I refused to continue to stand and push the tire swing after the 20-minute mark hit, we decided to check out Sockmonkey Junction.
Sockmonkey Junction is on Main St. in downtown Mansfield, just down a bit from The Lot. It sits in an adorable house-like storefront with ample parking for guests. (316 S. Main St., Mansfield) It opened its doors in August.
The store itself is spacious, immaculate and very inviting to kids of all ages. Upon entering, guests are greeted with loads of toys from higher-end (and often imported) brands such as Haba, Hape and Melissa & Doug.
The first thing middle daughter noticed was the train table. Which, conveniently, is located in front of a couch for preggo over here to plop down on. Middle daughter spent some time spinning trains and vehicles around this track before heading over to the play kitchen to check out the facilities. As we were the only ones in the store at this time, she was delighted to not have to share the toys with anyone else (poor, poor middle child).
We wandered around for some time, checking out each and every toy SMJ offers. Middle daughter was determined to find something to purchase, so we looked and looked. The store has dress up outfits, STEM toys, stuffed animals, imaginary play toys, books, you name it. There is absolutely something for everyone, from bug lovers and budding chefs to bookworms and princess fanatics and every kid (or kid at heart!) in between.
On the side of the store furthest from the entrance, there is a large reading and play area. Books of every genre and a couch encourage parents and kids to pick a story and spend some time together, which I love!
Even better is the fact that SMJ has a FB page full of community-wide events that invite families in to enjoy the store! For example, next Thursday, September 15, is Family Game Night at the store. Families are encouraged to stop in at any point and learn about games from Mayfair Games. How cool is that?! There are also open gaming events, teacher events and puzzle events, to name a few!
SMJ is even setting up a playdate for Arlington Early Childhood PTA (insert shameless plug here!), where the kiddos can come in and play with toys, hear a story and check out this spacious new store.
In the end, middle daughter ended up with a little purse complete with a stuffed horse and three itty bitty dragon figurines for her and sisters (I'm fairly certain two are already missing. Hoping I find them before the vacuum does!). In total, I spent about $15 in the store on middle daughter, and we were there for probably close to 30 minutes.
This new store is certainly a treasure for Mansfield. Be sure to shop here for birthday and Christmas gifts- so much better to support local businesses than to give all your money to Walmart or Amazon!
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