Toys In Toronto, Part Four: Kool Stuff Filled With Retro Gems

The final part of CityNews.ca‘s Toys In Toronto series is a bit of a cheat, in that the store we visited, Kool Stuff, is located in Hamilton. But we believe it’s worth featuring and we hope you’ll agree.

For anyone who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, stepping into Kool Stuff Toys and Collectibles in Hamilton will undoubtedly twig a few fond memories.

The crowded shelves in owner Jeff Smith’s store teem with vintage Star Wars collectibles, Smurfs figurines, California Raisins, Transformers, and G.I. Joes. A Millennium Falcon hangs from the ceiling, a homemade Jawa peers out from behind the front counter, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade plays on a small television.

Smith tells CityNews.ca it was always his intent to open a collectibles shop.

“Back in the 1980s I was collecting comics, cards and it got to the point where everybody and their brother was doing that as well. I knew one day I wanted to open up a store, but I wanted something a little different and so I got into the toys, started collecting those as a kid. It just kind of went from there,” he reveals.

After 20 years as a youth worker, Smith made the toy store his full-time business eight years ago. He’s been at his current location on King St. East since early 2007, and customers can buy, sell and trade there. However the affable Smith adds there’s no pressure to.

“I wanted it to be a place where you didn’t have to come in and buy something, but it was kind of a throwback to a different time. A lot of memories,” he muses. “Some people come in and are totally overwhelmed by what they see. They don’t know where to look first.”

Smith trawls eBay and toy shows for items, as well as trading with customers who walk in with their own original pieces. But not everything’s for sale, he concedes. Certainly not the original Planet of the Apes costume he bought for $1,200 and transformed into the store’s unofficial mascot, Heston.

“I picked up one of the original outfits that a background actor had worn in Planet of the Apes. It was on eBay about nine years ago,” he explains. “I wanted something for the store, kind of like a small version of Planet Hollywood, where something’s on display. A friend made a rifle for it, a friend’s wife got me a mask for it, so I put it on a mannequin and called him Heston. Since then, he’s been a mainstay.”

The most expensive item for sale in the store is a Pee Wee Herman doll measuring about three feet high and priced at $425. It’s a rarity – only 2,000 were ever made.

Though Smith was forced to give up working with youths when he decided to run the store full-time, his generous spirit didn’t waver. Last year he and his wife Betty, who have an adopted child and four foster children, opened up the Kool Kloset in the basement of his store to help out families in need.

“(The Kool Kloset contains) free clothing, toys for kids, primarily for babies up to age 16. We get a lot of donations. We’re now getting things like formula, cribs, buggies,” he says. “We always wanted to give back the community.”

Kool Stuff is located at 847 King Street East (at the corner of Gibson Street) in Hamilton. For those who can’t visit the store in person, Smith also auctions off items on eBay. To see what’s currently on the block, visit the store’s site here.

Toys In Toronto, Part One: Monster Factory’s Unique Creatures
Toys In Toronto, Part Two: Mixing Art And Play At Magic Pony
Toys In Toronto, Part Three: Gone But Not Forgotten Characters Make Up Unique Collection