We're remodeling!

If you are a fan of our Facebook page, you might have noticed that we have been doing a make-over on our store. It's fun, sometimes, to shake everything up - and this change will make it so much easier to find the things you came to the Golden Apple to find! We started with new (used) fixtures from Borders in SF:










We started moving things in last week:










And we finished up the left half of the store on Saturday:










This week we're working on the right side - gearing up for Neighborhood Toy Store Day on November 13th. Stop in and see the changes, you'll be impressed!

Better Schools, Better Teachers?

Bill Ayers takes on the common wisdom that the problem with schools is the teachers:

Back to School: An Interview With Bill Ayers
Friday 01 October 2010
by: Maya Schenwar, Executive Director, t r u t h o u t | Interview

10 More Years!

A wonderful thing about being in our 4th decade is it gives us confidence. Yes, the economy is rough, and teacher stores are'nt fairing very well in general, but we've seen some of this before, and like a shark, you keep swimming or you sink.

It's easy to divide our business into decades, because we sign a 10 year lease. We just signed up again, and that decision generates ideas and thoughts on how we can improve. During the month of October, be prepared to see some dust, because we will be remodeling and rearranging our store to get ready for the next decade! I'll be creating a photo gallery and video gallery documenting the changes, and we'll let you know what these excitng changes will mean to you...

A Longer School Year?

President Obama has called for a longer school year, and increasing teacher pay.

Bring in the Fun, Bring in the Toyz

Seasons change fast, and the gap between Back-To-School and Toy Season is now non-existent. As we have increased our toy selection, we've found that our old way of waiting till the 1st of October doesn't fly. Many of the toy orders get booked in February, so stores are sure to have inventory in November. If we waited, customers wouldn't see the best and the newest on our shelves. We did place our orders, but we put a delivery date of September on them, so we wouldn't be up to our ears in both teachers and toys. Guess what? It's September - and the huge boxes (toys come in HUGE boxes) are arriving every day, and we are scrambling to find homes for things. Magformers came last week. The new Construction and Emergency sets are very exciting. Move over Plan Books!

Educational Trends - Sweet!

In case you were wondering what the trend for Back to School this year is - and aren't teachers are always the fashionistas? It was Chocolate Dots! Make of it what you will!

Annual Rep Day August 11th

The quiet sounds coming from our blog are due to Rep Day IX - the biggest day of the year for us, and most likely the biggest day for Teacher Stores anywhere on the planet! Cool weather will keep the store from boiling over with excitement - but don't let that discourage you - rep day is fun! Details can be found on our Teacher Page. Doors open at 10am. You'll love it.