Fairfax Variety

I'll admit that this review is absolutely biased as I grew up in Fairfax from 1960 -1991 before leaving Marin County. I stop in whenever I'm in the area just to walk through and enjoy the memories.....from the moment I step in and hear the old, original creaking floors, exactly the same as I remember 50+ years ago. Still the same novelty items only found in these out of the way old-timey small town stores. Thank you for the memories and the capacity to keep these historical places alive for countless generations of children, just as much as older adults like me that still remember the place as if it was just yesterday!

Loved this amazing little store. It has a little bit of everything. I loved all of the books and games and I had a hard time not grabbing a bunch. Bought the cutest little wind chime to remember this amazing trip to Fairfax. The owner was so lovely to talk to and added to the already great experience.

Hands down the Gem of Fairfax!!!! At first glance in the windows you think it's just a toy store with all these great classic items that bring you back to your own childhood, and there are interesting looking books that grab your attention and draw you in. Once inside you realize every conceivable thing you could need is perfectly curated and beautifully displayed and reasonably priced from Legos to undergarments to thank you cards and art supplies as well as interactive educational items to occupy and entertain the kiddos. There are artisan soaps handcrafted to look like a crystal that are simply divine, literally I could list all the magic however it's best seen in person as there is still one lil corner I never got to explore and for which I'm saving for my next trip to Fairfax! The shop owner is delightful and one of the people the kids and I miss terribly. I highly recommend this shop if you're ever in Fairfax!

My boyfriend and I were on a road try that brought us to Fairfax looking to get some breakfast. The restaurant we were going to go to was closed for Mardi Gras so I came here to ask the owner where she thought served up a good breakfast. After having an AMAZING breakfast that she suggested we came back to check out this super cool shop. I loved it. There is a variety of candy to choose from so that you feel like you’re in a candy shop on one side of the aisle and on the other side are a bunch of retro toys I remember my mom getting me for Christmas as a kid. There were a lot of different quirky cards to choose from and almost everyone I know is a Spring baby so I found an artist I particularly like and got almost all her birthday cards. The owner even told me more about the artist because she knows her personally. I also started longingly at the book aisle but decided not to get any...yet.

TLDR, there’s a variety of things to choose from as the name suggests. My boyfriend got a bag of candy and I got enough birthday cards to hold me over for a few birthdays. Not only that, but we had a great time talking to the owner. I saw so many things in there to get for people I know that I’m determined to drive up from San Jose to get it from HERE. This is the kind of place I want to spend my money.

My favorite store in town..... well this and scoop- I highly recommend it because the clerk is very nice, there is a great Variety of different items, and they are just always there for me!!!!
Great for kids to adults - from penny candy to toys - nice people to more nice people - and a great location!!!!

In the cold weather I needed some gloves and they had them at a very reasonable price. I also love their unusual candy selections!

This place does a great it has awesome employees and their products are great quality. I would highly recommend Fairfax Variety for any occasion or to just treat yourself.

From penny candy to cookbooks, Fairfax variety has it all!

Great toy selection

I've been going to Fairfax Variety for a while - around seven years. The selection given is a decent amount of items, and there's not much to complain about considering the items available. The owner/worker at the front has been rather rude and snarky for as long as I can remember. The candy selection is unusual, but good, as you can't find that many candies of such a large variety in many other places. It's rather small and crammed inside, too. The prices are unreasonably high on select items, but it's rather affordable for other items. Overall rating - 6.5 / 10.

The owner closes at random not go by hours posted

Great items but the woman running the store (geared towards kids) isn’t friendly in anyway. I’ve shopped there 3 times because they have cool stuff. But each time her attitude and shortness made me uncomfortable and wasn’t a safe space for my daughter to look at items because she wasn’t having any of it. This was at least 6 months ago. My husband came home today after shopping for a bday gift for a classmate of our kid and said “the lady in that variety shop was mean, like I’m not going back”. I never mentioned my experience and with that I felt I should leave a review. You can have the greatest shop, but if there is rotten fruit running it it stinks up the whole joint!! I’m not a transplant, I’m born and raised here and I believe in supporting my fellow small businesses but I boycott this place after 4 attempts.

Worst toy store ever. They literally kicked out my 3-year-old daughter for not wearing a mask.
The lady was very rude and was yelling.
Definitely will never be going back here again.
You lost my business and any of families business in the future.
The lady working there was super horrible, rude & mean surprise she still in business. My daughter was super upset leaving the store The lady there literally made her cry.
Thanks for being a horrible business owner.
Im not one to give bad reviews but, This store definitely deserved it.

The shopkeeper here is worth avoiding unless you enjoy being talked down to and verbally demeaned as a paying patron of the store. I actually had forgotten about the last trip my husband and I made to this store during which she yelled at him for bringing in a closed beverage and asked him to leave the store until this trip in which she yelled at my two going on 3-year-old child. Had the store had clear signage that children of all ages including babies are required to wear masks, and had she yelled at me as the mother rather than my child, perhaps I would not be so irked by this awful woman in her tiny, cluttered store. However the fact that this store had wide open doors, no clear signage about required masks on toddlers, and the fact that this woman went to my child and screamed at her, making her cry, is worth an honest review stating she has lost our business forever. This is not a trip I will forget and forgive. Luckily there is a toy store a block and a half away, also a small locally owned business where I can spend my money instead. Thank you, but no thank you I will not return to your store to spend my money being accosted and verbally demeaned and leave with my child in tears. I would never speak to my own child with the tone of voice this woman yelled at my toddler. *expletive* her!

Can I give zero stars? Do NOT spend money here. The owner is a miserable crab who is rude to children (her main customer) and basically everyone. Will never spend another dime here.

This store does not allow children in. The clerk isn’t friendly.

The lady at the register was extremely rude, very unwelcoming!