Play Toys & Gifts — Local services in City of Beacon

My family and I went to play for years and loved purchasing toys from them until we stopped by one day around Easter and saw they were displaying rabbits in their front window. We have rescued a total of 4 rabbits over the years and we're fortunate enough to have received great care guidelines from our rescue since day 1, but understand that not everyone knows the proper care rabbits require. The bunnies at play were in a tiny enclosure, one side of which was glass open to the sidewalk, that offered them no place to hide. There were no toys and the food was empty when we walked by. Not to mention, there were multiple rabbits in an enclosure that was ridiculously small. When we were passing, a child loudly banged on the glass, visibly scaring the bunnies, and it took us a while to see the tiny sign asking people not to do this. The child was not old enough to read, nor are children going to stop to read the tiny card before gawking at the baby bunnies in front of their faces.

Play is quite literally a novelty/toy store. Don't sell living animals alongside toys. And at the very least, give the animals proper care. Bunnies require a ton of space to run and binky. They need mental stimulation and unlimited access to hay and water. They are also prey animals, which makes it incredibly cruel to expose them to everyone passing by on the street with no where to hide and feel safe. Their enclosure was Easter themed and they were babies...bunnies have a lifespan of 8-12 years and are by no means easy starter pets. Marketing them as an Easter gift encourages impulsive purchasing and is the reason many bunnies end up in rescues a few months after Easter when the novelty has worn off.

I completely understand that some just simply don't realize what rabbits need, which is why I politely reached out via email voicing my concerns and offering to get Play in touch with the rescue I adopted from. In response, they said they were looking for good candidates to "adopt" the bunnies out to and that the bunnies did have a tunnel, it just wasn't there at the time. Selling animals in a store is not adoption. And not addressing the other concerns made it obvious Play was not truly concerned with the well-being of the animals. We loved the store, but lost all respect we had for them after this incident and have not been back since. It's been a few months since this occurred, but I wanted to share it for others to take into consideration before...

This store is great! They had lots of cute colorful jewelry, trinkets, toys, games, gag gifts, funko pops, socks, etc. Every square inch is packed with fun. This is an especially great spot for collectors or those like play therapists who are always on the lookout for these fun pieces. The pricing isn’t outrageous, and the owner was very polite and helpful. Additionally, there was an old dog named Butters walking around. Although he may not be out all the time, and it looked like there is an area for him to go to in the back on his own accord or if needed, it is a point to keep in mind for anyone with a strong dog allergy. That said, he is very calm, (even if you are eating food next to him), sweet, and enjoys pets and belly rubs. I would totally recommend to stop in, or enjoy a longer trip to take in the heaps of cool stuff. Definitely a...

Frankly, I had no idea what to expect here. My son & I walked in due to the cute name (and we happened to be in Beacon on errands from New Paltz). The shop has a bunch of eclectic toys and some throwbacks (Etch a Sketch, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, miscellaneous odds and ends).

Per Sam, the owner, the location is their 2nd, they're looking for a 3rd) I got a bit nostalgic seeing Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and HAD TO buy it for my son. The shop feels like a 1980s/1990s mom-and-pop style shop, which fits the motif of Beacon beautifully.

I've already encouraged them to explore New Paltz and add to the community. It'd only be logical given the whimsical & lighthearted nature of the space.

Much...