We opened the toy shop we couldn't find
Playtopia started because we were tired of choosing between toys that looked good and toys that lasted. The plastic broke, the flimsy ones got binned, and the beautiful ones cost a fortune and shipped from the other side of the world.
So we built a shop that only stocks the third option: toys made from real hardwood, finished with non-toxic paint, tested to safety standards, and designed so they don't look out of place in your living room.
Everything we sell is chosen the same way — would we put it in our own home, and would a child still be playing with it in two years? If the answer is no, we don't stock it.
2–9
Years of play
Four rules we don't break
Safety first, always
Independently tested to EN71 and ASTM F963. Non-toxic finishes, no sharp edges, no tiny parts on toddler pieces.
Made to be handed down
Solid birch, beech and oak with a 5-year structural guarantee — not the particle board that fails in a year.
Beautiful in your home
We choose pieces you won't want to hide when guests arrive. A toy can be a design object.
Gifting made effortless
Free wrapping, handwritten notes, ship-to-recipient and the price hidden. You just pick the toy.
Small shop, real people, careful choices
We test everything ourselves
Before a piece reaches the shop floor it's built, climbed on, wiped clean and left with a toddler for a week.
We work with small makers
Our play furniture comes from workshops we've visited, who use responsibly sourced hardwood and water-based finishes.
We age-grade with specialists
Every toy is checked against child development milestones, so the 2–3 shelf really is for 2–3 year olds.
We wrap every single one
Free tissue, ribbon and a handwritten note. Most of our orders are gifts, so we treat them like it.
Come and play in person
184 Sunbeam Avenue, Portland. Every toy in the shop is out on the floor and ready to be played with — no "please don't touch" signs here.