Lubbock Toy Stores-Were You A Toys R Us Or K.B. Kid?

For the longest time, there really were only two choices of toy stores in the Hub City.

Toys are on our minds with news breaking that the old Toys R Us store on Slide road is about to be the new location of Texas Roadhouse (here's hoping there's no giraffe on the menu). Toys R Us ruled Slide road for decades, eventually splitting the space (at least visually) with a Babies R Us store. I imagine that location was a dream destination for just about every kid on the South Plains.

K.B. Toys had a more unique situation, they were in the Mall when malls were really poppin'. That's the difference, with Toys R Us you had to plan to visit, with K.B. you could just tap your mom on the leg while she was at the mall getting your school close (not to mention it was a great way to shut you up).

The differences did seem to go a tiny bit deeper than location. I always thought of K.B. as a slightly more "grown-up" toy store.  It may have just been my perception at the time, but it seemed like there was more stuff for me to "ooh" and "ahh" over while I was shopping for baby Renee Raven.

Competition from bigger isles at Walmart and Target wounded the toy stores and I guess Amazon dealt the killing blow. I still find it incredibly sad that a kid can't get lost in a big toy store anymore.