When the weather turns, families staying in a cabin or condo want a game on the table or a book in hand, and Estes Park's book, toy and hobby shops are set up for exactly that. Twelve are listed, all based in the valley, and 10 are open Sundays. The mix runs from a new-book store to trading card games and stuffed animals.
Rainy day? Get a puzzle and a paperback and spread out on the cabin table. Honestly, some of the best mountain days are the ones where you never leave the cabin.
Downtown
Puzzles are the draw for a lot of people, especially the wooden ones and the brain-teaser kind, but the game selection overall is what keeps the place busy. Colorado Games Company is on East Elkhorn near the Riverwalk, next to Rocky Mountain Gifts and a few steps from Kind Coffee.
Colorado's oldest bookstore still sells only new books, from a building dating to around 1907 on East Elkhorn, steps from the Riverwalk and next to Caramel Corn. The shelves are broken into genre subsections, so finding the mysteries or the history takes a minute, not a search party.
Elvis, a five-foot singing bear, handles the greeting, and Gordy, a three-foot sloth, backs him up. Behind them are more than 1,500 styles of stuffed animals, including a proper Steiff collection that pulls in grown-up collectors as much as kids.
Pickle soda is the bottle people dare each other to buy, and it sits a few shelves from blue cream soda, fruit punch and a long wall of other glass-bottled flavors. This is the Estes Park outpost of a national soda and candy franchise, on East Elkhorn next to Hands Down Best In Town Therapeutic Massage, and the house taffy (blueberry, watermelon, tangerine, grape cotton candy) shares space with old-school brands like Nik-L-Nip.
Five trading card games carry this shop: Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Lorcana, One Piece and Flesh & Blood, with Magic and Pokemon singles in the cases for anyone finishing a set or building a Commander deck. It is out on East Wonderview, next to Notchtop Bakery & Cafe and Peaks Hallmark, about half a mile from downtown.
Estes Park has exactly one toy store, and this is it, on West Elkhorn next to Buckles of Estes. The shelves mix classic toys, some with a vintage streak, with current games and a few souvenirs, and the nostalgia tends to hit the parents before the kids.
Vinyl records and guitars are not the usual stock for a downtown souvenir shop, which is part of why The Phat Bear stands apart on East Elkhorn. The main business is soft Comfort Colors and embroidered tees, crewnecks and hoodies, many in the shop's own designs, and the sheer number of choices is what people talk about.
Hats are the reason to walk into Sports Hound, and there are a lot of them. The racks on West Elkhorn cover the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and college teams, which makes it one of the last shops around carrying all of them under one roof.
Right on East Elkhorn, by Bond Park and steps from the Riverwalk, Colorado Homestead is a bookstore that does a lot of its business in gifts. Its neighbors are Dakotah Jewelry & Gifts and Wear Me Out T's, and Elevations Eatery and Bar is a few doors down.
A block from Bond Park, at 300 East Elkhorn and right next to EPK Adventure Rental, The Mountain Vault is a small women's clothing boutique sized for a quick browse between other downtown stops. Most who wander in come away calling it a cute shop, and the help at the counter gets a mention too.
Around the valley
Seven thousand square feet of souvenirs, apparel, toys, stuffed animals, outdoor gear and home decor sit out Moraine Avenue, about a mile from the Park entrance. The size is the point.
Stuffed animals, every species that boarded the Ark and then some, fill most of this shop on Lone Pine Drive, not far from Lake Estes. The other side runs to antiques, vintage pieces, farmhouse decor and a miniature shop, plus puzzles, games and a slot car setup that gets plenty of attention.
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For books, Macdonald Book Shop sells new books only and calls itself the oldest bookstore in Colorado, in a building dating to about 1907. Staff can check inventory, take pre-orders and special order any book in print. Magazines are no longer sold there.
Games are well covered. Colorado Games Company sits along the river walk downtown with board games, card games, puzzles and travel games for all ages. Fabled Collections is the local game store for Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Lorcana and One Piece, with weekly events and a web store, and it carries miniatures for Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer.
For kids, STUFFED carries more than 1,500 styles of stuffed animals, Toy Mountain stocks classic and modern toys, and ESTES ARK is built around plush animals plus an antiques side. The category also picks up gift shops that carry toys, so the count of 12 includes places that are not strictly toy stores. Rocket Fizz sells bottled sodas and candy in unusual flavors, and The Phat Bear is a gift shop known for tees and hoodies. Both are fun stops with kids, but neither is a bookstore or a game store.
Yes. Macdonald Book Shop sells new books only and describes itself as the oldest bookstore in Colorado. It takes pre-orders and can special order any book in print. It is open Sundays, and magazines are no longer sold.
Fabled Collections Game Store specializes in trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Lorcana and One Piece, and stocks miniatures for Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer and Battletech. It also runs weekly events and has a web store.
STUFFED carries more than 1,500 styles of stuffed animals, including a 5-foot singing bear mascot named Elvis. Toy Mountain has classic and modern toys, and ESTES ARK focuses on plush animals, toys and games. The Mad Moose also stocks toys.
Mostly. Ten of the 12 listed are open Sundays, including Colorado Games Company, Macdonald Book Shop, STUFFED and Toy Mountain. Fabled Collections and ESTES ARK are not flagged for Sunday, so call ahead for those.
