The Saturday play corner: what to expect

Every Saturday morning, the back of our shop becomes a play corner. Children can take any toy off the shelf and play with it, for as long as they like, before parents decide whether to buy anything. It started as an experiment in 2021, and it is now the busiest part of our week.

The corner opens at 10 am and closes at 1 pm. It is a carpeted space of about 15 square metres, with low shelves, a wooden ramp for trains and cars, and a small table for puzzles and stackers. There is room for about eight children at a time. On busy mornings, families may wait a few minutes; we keep a list at the counter.

Any toy in the shop can come to the corner, apart from the tricycles, which can be tried on the pavement outside with a parent. Children under three must have an adult sitting with them on the carpet. We ask that toys stay inside the corner and go back to the shelf at the end, which older children often enjoy doing.

We serve small cups of fresh juice at around 11.30. Shoes come off at the edge of the carpet, so socks are a good idea. There is a clean nappy-changing table in the back room and a tap for washing sticky hands. There is no charge and no expectation to buy. Many parents tell us they come simply to see which toys their child keeps returning to, and then buy that one for a birthday months later. That is exactly what the corner is for.