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Ascenith Deen, a sales representative at S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes, Downtown, sets up a President Trump mask at the store display window on Sept. 6. She was putting up decorations for the Halloween season.
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#EssentiallyPittsburgh: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

#EssentiallyPittsburgh: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes

This is a weekly series shar­ing places and ex­pe­ri­ences that we love.

I had an #EssentiallyPittsburgh moment one day this summer when I wandered Downtown, looking to buy a birthday present for my about-to-be-12-year-old. I kept walking past the guy selling baby turtles on the street and was on the lookout for new retail places when I smiled to see an old one: S.W. Randall. 

This S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes store has been a local landmark since 1970, and I’ve also enjoyed its stores in Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. But there’s something comforting about its continued presence Downtown, where so much retail has gone away.

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I hadn’t been inside for a couple of years, but it was exactly as I remembered it, and in a good way. 

I took my time to peruse the first floor, but then climbed the steps to my favorite part — the second floor. I shopped through a nice selection of Legos, cruised through the model trains and lingered over the plastic models, with which much of my youth was spent. I had to ponder if my kid would enjoy gluing together and maybe painting one, too.  

Not only is this a two-story store stuffed with toys — as well as collectibles, jewelry, ties and other novelties — but the prices are good and the counter ladies, upstairs and down, were pleasant and helpful. Fun, even. 

If you have holiday shopping to do, for someone young or young at heart, you might want to pop in yourself. Real brick-and-mortar stores like this are one good reason to go Downtown.  

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Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.

First Published: October 31, 2019, 12:15 p.m.

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Ascenith Deen, a sales representative at S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes, Downtown, sets up a President Trump mask at the store display window on Sept. 6. She was putting up decorations for the Halloween season.  (Lake Fong/Post-Gazette)
A miniature railroad and models are displayed at S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes, Downtown, on Sept. 6.  (Lake Fong/Post-Gazette)
Lake Fong/Post-Gazette
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