Toys N Things

I’ve had a very good experience at Toys n Things. It’s a local hobby store with a community. Evan has always been really good about special ordering for me and following through. He offers a 10% discount if you follow him on Facebook for many items in store. He does have tables for Warhammer/​War Machine/​40K if you wanted to get together with some friends to play. Magic usually dominates the store during the week, but that’s because Magic dominates the hobby community across much of the country. If he doesn’t have something, he’ll find it for you and he’ll always be honest about it.
The other great part is his Role playing community and the opportunity to «escape reality» for a little while (as Evan says). I’ve been playing in one session for a few years and we get to play in a very collaborative environment with unlimited possibility. These role playing sessions go on various times during the week. Check them out for a great, wholesome time.
As this is store is community based there is a mixed bag of people who come here. Some older, some young. The more you go to events, the more effort Evan will put into the segment of business.
A good local store with a community based environment; I’ll be a customer for many years to come.

Mostly focused on being a game space for Collectable Card and Miniature games this small store is run by a husband and wife team who clearly love gaming but lack any form of finesse or people skills.
We went to a Magic drafting night which was billed as a casual game night where «players keep what cards they draft». Once we where there they had a vote to change to format of the game to one where the winners get to draft and keep the most significant rares. We voted to keep the format to the one which was advertised but were outvoted by very experienced players who ultimately picked a format that greatly benefits the more experienced. We should have left then. We then proceeded to get our clocks cleaned by a group, that we later learned, included at least one professional player.
When the store owner asked if we had fun, we voiced that indeed we did not, that the format was really unfriendly to new players, and the night really didn’t go as billed (it’s advertised that everyone wins at least one booster, which was NOT the case). Even though the store owner was aware that it went poorly and we had a miserable time, he really didn’t do anything about it.
Lots of options to help make the night right. I recognize that a store can’t completely control what happens at its events, but a small store like this could have been a lot more accommodating to new players, especially since they billed the night as one to appeal to them. Once the issue was voiced they could have easily remedied things, but again they didn’t seem all that interested. Even one booster pack to my son to say «sorry that you had such a miserable time and that we changed the game on you» would have gone a long way. But the store owners really didn’t seem empathetic to our experience.
Ultimately, my 12 year old son got fleeced. Because of the format a $ 15+ card which he got in his booster pack went to a guy who competes professionally. How is that not gambling? By staking rares worth money you create a financial pot which the winner gets, I don’t think that’s even legit (or sanctioned by Wizards of The West Coast)
It all was pretty shameless.
Harrison Comics in Salem isn’t all that far away and they’ve always been really great on the comic side of things. We will be taking our business there in the future.

Up until last week Pandemonium (PBG) in cambridge was the only gaming shop i’ve been to for my Magic the Gathering needs. The frenzy and claustrophobia of such a well attended event however doesn’t always jive terribly well with me so I sought to explore my options for other shops. I chose to call TnT first before going as I like to «screen» establishments trying to get a vibe from whomever i’m speaking to and react accordingly. A vibe I would indeed get from Evan, the hospitable owner of TnT, impressed by his engaging enthusiasm when talking about his shop’s modus operandi, Mtg specifically, and how they offer Modern (!) FNM as opposed to the lovable plague that is Standard. He seems to know and care a great deal about the game, not simply a business owner paying bills. Now imbued with this welcoming attitude, I decided to give TnT a shot.
TnT is a storefront in the quaint center of danvers alongside other small shops with ample parking on street or… (drumroll)… in the adjacent free parking lot! Simple bonuses in life are easy to take for granted until you’ve been going to larger cities on friday night and… yeah… not plentiful with parking let alone free. The entire shop space is roughly equivalent to just the upstairs portion of PBG so it’s surely more intimate. Admittedly I was expecting the place to be larger. It almost feels like someone’s homey living room in contrast with PBG’s cold concrete floors/​walls etc. Evan the owner warmly welcomed me to his shop recognizing me as the one he spoke to over the phone without my mentioning that at all. He subsequently spoke to me at length about TnT’s methods/​history with the infectious zeal of someone who is genuinely into what they’re doing. Scoping out the room, I see a smallish glass display of pricier Mtg singles, assorted Mtg supplies, more Mtg singles in binders tucked into a corner, a small drink cooler (with IBC root beer!), other games including Warhammer adorning one wall, and a handful of play tables.
After a poll of the present players, we happily decided on Modern instead of Standard or Draft. The event managed to be sanctioned even with a small group. SO GET THIS: included in the entry price is a few extra bucks for PIZZA. As in, pizza will be provided. As in, Evan himself is going to pick up pizza for us to enjoy because this is apparently a regular occurrence. Wow. I ended up staying at TnT hanging out and playing games even after the sanctioned tourney for SIX HOURS. This is a big deal for me because normally i’d be interested in doing my thing and leaving because i’m… well… «unique» at socializing and sensitive to environments. Evan himself was hanging out with us well past midnight when I left. Very cool. I’m unaccustomed to such easy-​going environments.
One criticism I may have is TnT seems very casual, almost too casual in the way the Mtg binders are shoved into a corner where Evan’s boisterous cute young son is often occupying that space. The tournament facet was rather less structured than i’m used to as well — though simultaneously less stress inducing which is surely a plus for me — in the way we weren’t quite sure which format we were playing until a consensus was reached and if we’d have enough players for said format at all. It was raining lightly that night so perhaps that played a factor. Still, I won what I felt was a generous store credit for my tourney result which Evan is cool with you using on future entry fees, cards, drinks, whatever. If I wanted to nitpick, TnT’s website design I would call less than stellar but as a smaller shop they might not have the funds for a more professional design. Not a huge deal.
If you prefer the energy of a larger-​scale packed tournament feel — while still being FNM of course — which can be hectic and overwhelming for some of us — I would point you towards PBG who again has a larger selection of cards/​supplies. If however you prefer a more intimate and casual-​feeling chill environment with a tight-​knit group I gladly suggest TnT. I myself plan to return very soon.

Enjoyable and fun place to hang out for me for the past 2 years!
Evan runs a great store here for the casual and tournament CCG players, tabletop gamers, miniatures collectors, and the like. I myself am a Friday Night Magic player and go maybe two times a week. The store owner is kind to players and often buys friday night tournament players pizza.
The space is big enough for about 30 players and if there isnt enough room the neighboring business, Giovannis, lets players use their tables.
Pretty good amount of merchandise too. He has a case with mtg singles and packs of the latests sets on hand. He often encourages and gets 4, 6, or 8 man drafts going. Definitely a good stopover if you just need sleeves, dice, etc.
Nice location overall. Lots of parking in the back, behind the storefront. Street parking is available but sometimes hard to come by. Good cheap places to eat nearby, CVS, banks, etc.

Toys N Things privides the North Shore area with a long overdue, sorely needed center for the gaming community. There are a few other stores in the area which sell games and some even run organized play events, but Toys n Things is the only one that deserves to call itself a gaming store.