Love this place, went in for the first time today. Friendly, warm staff, delightful products and mission, I got some fidgets and free stickers, and will be going back for more on a day when I have more time (it's a small store but I spent over an hour). I love the try before you buy aspect! I was taught for years as a kid not to touch any products in a store unless I was planning to buy, so it was a little awkward to adjust to, but everyone was welcoming. Definitely mostly aimed towards parents and their younger children, but there's stuff there that I'd recommend to anyone, especially neurodivergent individuals. I was recently diagnosed with autism and have been attempting to pay more attention to how much I usually push down feelings of anxiety/being overwhelmed by light and noise and people, and letting myself feel that and leave if it's too much instead. I laid down alone in the sensory room for 20 minutes, it was very peaceful and quiet. I've rarely felt so calm, especially in a public space.
One downside of the try before you buy/aimed towards kids aspect was that many of the demo toys were very well-used. Similar to other places meant for kids, the Hands-On Children's museum in Olympia for example; although their stuff is usually very well-cleaned it does have the same smell. It's easy to tell that what's actually in the box is going to be clean and higher quality, but my hands felt rather dirty after playing with/touching things for a while. A few of the fidgets were more noticeably grimy to the point I didn't want to touch them. That's to be expected with stickier/squishy fidgets of course, especially over time. I found it informational, this is how well your item will last/ end up looking and feeling after you use it for a while. Giving advice feels rude, I'm probably not in the position to tell them what to do, but I already love this place so much, it deserves more. Maybe add a hand sanitizer spot on the wall, encourage guests to sanitize before & after handling things, as they come in and as they leave
The sensory toy/ "sand" tray made me laugh, it was very fun to run my hands through... but it was put right next to the sensory room entrance! Taking off your shoes before going in is a rule I 100% agree with (maybe add a rack for people's shoes?), but walking on scattered grains of rice in socks is the opposite of a positive sensory experience. Sweeping it up constantly is one (tiring) option, but maybe just position it somewhere that people have shoes on.
Deserves 5/5 stars for the passion and care put into it, but I can envision an even better version, cleaner & more aesthetically pleasing, perhaps made similar to a bookstore or library. 100% worth going to. I can forsee many afternoons with half an hour to decompress in the sensory room
Cutters Point is also right next door, best coffee shop, 6/5 stars for Sensory Tool House because of location
