Here’s a toy story for you. Toymeister Toys and Games, which claims to be the biggest toy store in Virginia, is an eclectic, hidden gem on the second floor of the Virginia Beach Antique Mall on Bonney Road.
Rick Womack, owner of Toymeister and the Antique Mall, started his toy story with a 130-square-foot booth inside the Virginia Beach Antique Mall when he opened in 2013.
Womack loved taking his kids to Toys “R” Us and quickly got into collecting the Spawn and Jurassic Park figures with his son. As his love of toys grew, so did his collection. When Womack first opened a small toy booth, he wanted to see if customers had interest in buying toys inside an antique mall. His inventory included his son’s toys, a variety of 1980s and 1990s action figures.
“As soon as the doors opened, the community came with toys to sell,” said Womack. “What we thought would be a trickle, ended up being a tidal wave. Customers started bringing toys from the 1960s, 1970s and from all different years.”
The space continued to expand, and now is a mega-toy store boasting 15,000 square feet of toy treasures. Womack said Toymeister has the largest selection of toys on the East Coast.
“We offer so much variety,” said Womack. “If you played with it as a kid, we probably have it.” Toymeister has sections dedicated to toys from the early 1900s and offers a wide selection of new toys. Customers will find everything from Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Marvel, Anime toys and many other toy lines.
“We love that customers, no matter their age, can come and relive their childhood,” said Womack. “You can come here and really be a kid again.”
Toymeister is known for large toy collections such as Star Wars, Transformers and a “Girls” section. The Star Wars collection spans over 8,000 square feet and includes a mixture of stand up glass displays with newer figures and vintage lines dating back to the 1970s. Guests can find 15 showcases of loose Transformers and a 5,000-square-foot “Girls” area filled with new and vintage Barbies and Disney treasures. Also, customers can look through a huge selection of comic books, Hot Wheels and board games.
Dave Livermore, store manager, came to work at Toymeister after retiring from the Army after 20 years. Livermore was a customer and fell in love with the toy store.
“There is no better place to see treasures that take you back to a time when all you had to do was have a little imagination,” said Livermore. “Customers often say, ‘I had this toy as a kid.’ We are truly a store for all ages.”
He added that the store buys toys every day, so the shelves rarely look the same. “We are not a traditional retail toy store,” said Livermore. “We are a store in a time capsule. We are 50% museum and 50% toy store.”
Source: The Virginian Pilot
