Toy Joy

2900 Guadalupe, 320-0090
Sunday-Thursday, 10am-11pm; Friday-Saturday, 10am-12mid
www.toyjoy.com

Toy Joy sticks out on the northwest corner of 29th and Guadalupe like a Technicolor acid trip. It is impossible to miss, and if you’ve never been inside, words don’t do it justice; take the virtual tour on its website for proof. Every single square inch is packed full of treats. Whether you’re an infant or an octogenarian, all ages will find something here that fascinates and creates giggles.

A huge candy section features all kinds of sweet madness and sugary treats, of both domestic and foreign origin, including a big selection of nostalgic candies if you happen to be Halloween-party-bound. But Toy Joy trumps the normal candy places by also offering a zillion little geegaws and toys for those trick-or-treating hobgoblins, especially in the racks and bins in back: Remember the hours of fun you had with your first Chinese finger puzzle or a groovy little plastic rocket? Toy Joy: The name says it all.

This article appears in John McCain.

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Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.