L.B. businesses offer few options for child’s play

While Long Beach is rich with bars, restaurants, clothing and specialty shops, the barrier island offers few options for parents in search of the perfect toys for their children.

Kings ’n Things Toys, on West Beech Street at Illinois Avenue, is a specialty store carrying everything from wrapping paper and books to this year’s hottest toy, Zhu Zhu Pets, the mechanical alternative to a live hamster. “We carry anything and everything parents can imagine,” said co-owner Elayne Kirshner, who opened her doors in May 2008. Kirshner’s store is one of the few specialty shops that carry toys by Melissa & Doug, a brand of wooden learning toys like puzzles and blocks, and a brand of German toys called Bruder Trucks. Kirshner said both brands aren’t sold in major chain stores such as Toys ‘R’ Us.

“If it’s hot, we have it,” said Kirshner of the Zhu Zhu Pets craze.

While new surf shop Maritime Surf, on West Park Avenue, doesn’t sell mechanical pets, co-owner Mike Falmmer said the store offers boards and accessories in sizes made for half-pint surfers. The shop opened last April and specializes in custom boards, which can be made to suit any size of rider, including children.

“Boards and wet suits sell best for kids,” said Falmmer. He noted that his shop does sell clothing, but parents tend to leave with sticker shock, since children’s clothing is similarly priced to adult’s. “It’s the nature of the product,” he said.

Maritime Surf also sells long board skateboards for kids, which he said act as cross training for young surfers.

Like Maritime Surf, Local Cycles on West Park and Laurelton Boulevard also specializes in custom products like hand-made bicycles from Germany and Holland. With the store still in its infancy - it just open last month — owner Nick Lalli said his shop has already sold several children’s bikes, but noted that the big bike season is in the spring rather than the winter.

“The kids want electronics for Christmas,” Lalli joked, adding the days of kids getting bikes for the holidays seem to be over. He acknowledged that he’s still building up his inventory, but is marketing some hats and sweatshirts to get through the season. Maritime Surf is also celebrating its inaugural Christmas and despite being a new store with active competition from veteran shops, both Long Beach Surf and Unsound Surf, Falmmer said business has been good.

“I think considering all the factors and all the things that could have happened, we’re cautiously optimistic,” Falmmer said of his first holiday season. “I think in general we’re already starting to see decent days.”

Kirshner said business is better at her store than last year, which was hit hard by the recession. “It seems people in Long Beach don’t like to leave the beach,” she said. “They like to shop locally.”

Asked why Long Beach has so few shops catering solely to children, Chamber of Commerce President Michael Kerr speculated that it may be that business owners don’t feel Long Beach offers the target audience their products are looking for. “I think for a business to come to Long Beach something has to attract them and they have a product that will do well,” said Kerr, who also cited low vacancy rates as a potential factor.

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.