2 Toy Businesses Hark Back to the Past

Miss the magic of the old toy sections at the department stores? Gone are the trains and whistles and bells. Santa has moved to the mall, and toy stores are warehouses.

But two local businesses hark back to the past, with people who actually wait on you, selling quality merchandise. They are Sanval, a miniature train store set within an airplane supply store in Van Nuys, and Intelliplay, a Sherman Oaks shop that sells educational toys and games.

Sanval is actually an airplane parts distribution plant, but proprietor Al Kramer, an LGB train buff, has turned part of his airplane supply store into an intricate LGB train setup. Kramer said he figured that he could offer other LGB nuts a better price and have his toys at work too. (LGB are outdoor trains, which are the larger G-scale variety.)

This is miniature devotee heaven. At least 10 trains are going at any given time, and the terrain is complete with outbuildings and attendants. Whistles and bells and smoke and all the magic are here along with the best prices in town for LGB trains. Everything on the shelves is 20% to 40% lower than anywhere else around, and the inventory is current and complete.

Model airplane fans also find Sanval a bit of heaven. Here you can buy 60 handmade (in the Philippines) desktop display models of every plane from a Cessna 172 to Stealth bombers. These museum-quality beauties range from $47.95 to $84.95, which is about 30% lower than elsewhere.

Sanval, 7444 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys. Open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and, in December only, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover. (818) 786-8274. At the new Intelliplay store, the motto is “Intelligent Toys for Growing Minds.” If you want good prices on educational toys and games, far superior to many of the products offered today, go here.

Some of their new-this-year games: Fast Card, a game of perception and fast reaction, is $11.95. A set of magnets, called Magna Shapes, with 110 pieces plus four magnet areas for $21.95. One we particularly liked is a board game called “Not So Scary Things” that deals with common fears such as bullies, darkness, spiders and snakes through drama, body movement and vocalization, and it is $18.95. The Elevation game, sold elsewhere for about $20, is $12.95 here.

Much of the inventory is from Europe and Israel. Many of the games can’t be found at the major toy stores. The Four Seasons game with six different puzzles made in Spain is $7.95, and since I’ve never seen it anywhere, I can’t give you a comparison price. Something else you don’t find in other stores these days is someone to demonstrate the toys. But at Intelliplay, they’ll show you exactly how everything works.

The Carnegie Collection by Safari is 30% to 40% less than in many of the specialty stores. These are museum-quality replicas of all kinds of animals, and prices range from $1 for a three-inch size to $25 for a three-footer. There’s the Sea Life Group, the Vanishing Animals, the Prehistoric Animals and the Wild Animals, but you buy them separately and mix them all up.

Another good deal is the GeoSafari, a computer learning game for ages 8 to adult. The going price around town is $100, but Intelliplay’s is $89.95. The Junior GeoSafari for ages 4 to 8 is the same price.

Some high-end toy lines such as Brio, Playmobile and Ravensburger are stocked at about 5% below other stores’ prices.

There are some truly wonderful toys here--not the run-of-the-mill stuff that permeates the marketplace. And the prices are better than competitive.

Intelliplay, 14425 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Visa, MasterCard, American Express accepted. (818) 906-2133. Geri Cook’s Bargains column runs every Thursday in Valley View. Questions about shopping may be sent to her, in care of Valley View, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Letters will not be answered individually, but topics of general interest will be discussed in future columns.