SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

HiDoes anyone here remember the toy shop above! it was on briggate until early 90's. Used to have a great cafe called Farmhouse Kitchen too, I think    

don't remember Zodiacs toy shop but i do remember Kennedys toy & joke shop on the calls and Browns toy shop in the Queens Arcade.Kennedys was where i got most of my old toys from (especially my old Starwars toys lol) .and there was the toy shop in the indorr market as well (not the one that is there know) but there used to be one straight opposite it i think its a jewelers know (but i could be proved wrong on the jewelers as i'm not sure if it still is one.Then there was the Jolly Giant that was at the airside center.ah.....happy memories

I remember Zodiac Toys, it was around where the Body Shop and the electrical shop (Dixons or Currys??) is on Briggate. Was there a seperate entrance at the side of Zodiac that went to the Farmhouse kitchen ?

I think it occupied what was for many years Boots store on Briggate.

woo hoo this is my first post. I remember zodiacs i think it was where Schuh is on Brigate now. Also remember Jolly Giant at the aireside and childrens world (now mother care world) at crown point. It had a massive slide at the entrance. Apart from Argos don't think there are any toy shops in leeds now. Lewises always had a great toy department on the top floor, used to go see santa there!

When I was a kid there used to be a toy shop in one of the arcades called "The Dolls Hospital" - you could take dolls there and get them mended. But in those days of resale price maintenance and manufacturers controlling who could and couldn't sell their product, the Dolls Hospital was an official Triang Train outlet - so I used to go there for bits for my train set - like points, or extra coaches or signals. It was a vertiable cornucopia of toys - as I recall it was double fronted. There was another Triang outlet in Lower Briggate called Peter Tongs I think.

I very clearly remember going to the Zodiac toy shop, and the farmhouse kitchen for lunch after a hard mornings shopping with my mum, and nan. I seem to remember Zodiac being on the right handside of an arcade, maybe where a travel agents is now. I loved the shop though, they always had things to play on, I seem to remember it having a roundabout in the middle of it.My other favourite shop as a child was the k's shoe shop with the childrens section upstairs, it was kitted out like space with blue velvetty carpet on the walls, and a climbing frame.And while i'm on with this, I also loved the wooden snake in the bond street centre. Loads of fun.

Trojan wrote: When I was a kid there used to be a toy shop in one of the arcades called "The Dolls Hospital" - you could take dolls there and get them mended. But in those days of resale price maintenance and manufacturers controlling who could and couldn't sell their product, the Dolls Hospital was an official Triang Train outlet - so I used to go there for bits for my train set - like points, or extra coaches or signals. It was a vertiable cornucopia of toys - as I recall it was double fronted. There was another Triang outlet in Lower Briggate called Peter Tongs I think. That was in the County Arcade Trojan, I think, where the card shopp now is - remember it well, didn't the sign outside say 'Dolls Hospital' with a red cross on it?

chameleon wrote: Trojan wrote: When I was a kid there used to be a toy shop in one of the arcades called "The Dolls Hospital" - you could take dolls there and get them mended. But in those days of resale price maintenance and manufacturers controlling who could and couldn't sell their product, the Dolls Hospital was an official Triang Train outlet - so I used to go there for bits for my train set - like points, or extra coaches or signals. It was a vertiable cornucopia of toys - as I recall it was double fronted. There was another Triang outlet in Lower Briggate called Peter Tongs I think. That was in the County Arcade Trojan, I think, where the card shopp now is - remember it well, didn't the sign outside say 'Dolls Hospital' with a red cross on it? Can't remember, but you're right about the County Arcade. My cousin's very politically incorrect black doll called Topsy went their as an in-patient in the fifties.

Zodiacs was definitely the white building near the top of Briggate - think it's Schuh and Dune or thereabouts now - just down from Startbucks (not that that narrows it down much in Leeds - "Which Starbucks?" I hear you all cry...)Personally, I used to get most of my goodies from Toyworld in what was then called the "Bond Street Centre" - Britains farm series being a particular favourite.