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What to do with kids on a rainy day? in Boston and area? Magic Beans!

By
Real Estate Sales Representative with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

What to do with kids on a rainy day? in Boston and area...

Labor Day weekend spoiled us with great weather - sunny, warm, but not too hot, perfect for a barbeque in a backyard, or for a trip down the Cape... Yet - Fall is officially starting now, a season of beautifully colored trees and rain weather. Much anticipated Earl - earl-ier this week - was the sign of it. 

So, if you have young kids, what do you do on a rainy day like that, when all playgrounds are wet and lonely? Yet you don't want to stay home the whole time? 

Here's what comes into play - a place called Magic Beans. It's a chain of stores (there are 4 at the moment), maybe better called boutiques, that sell toys, furniture and gear for children, from newborn till about end of elementary school age. They also have playground type of space inside the store. It's a gated part of the room, with toys for children, and benches for parents. You don't have to pay to be there, you also don't have to buy anything at the store in order to use the playground. 

There are currently 4 Magic Beans Locations:         

- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)  -that's the "Flag maclaren stroller store", the first one that opened

        - Cambridge (Huron Village)        

- Wellesley

         - Hingham

Please check store locations for driving directions and store hours. Also, keep in mind that there are "winter hours" and "summer hours" (summer hours being longer), and one day per week the store is open later the on other days, till 7 or 8 pm (but again, this varies from store to store, and from season to season, so check the website first)

If you are new to the area, I highly recommend subscribing to Magic

Beans news letter. They will never spam you, and advertizement of new products is only half of the info. Another half is a wonderful list of things to do / places to go to with your child (Puppet theaters, cinemas, performances...) 

You can also subscribe to "Moms Going Out group" who have common outings about once a month, that you can join. Also, just when sitting in the play area, you can chi-chat and get to know other parents in the area, and your children will find their new friends as well.

Now, if you don't have children, or they are grown and finishing logo college - still take notice of Magic Beans' website: mbeans.com

 

 

It can so happen, that you are invited to visit a family with small children, and you don't know what kind of present to buy. It seems, there's a new toy coming out every month, it's hard to keep up with the industry even when you have children. I'm personally at a loss when I have to choose a present for a child, who is in a different age group than mine, or different gender. So, on the website you can browse presents by categories and AGE GROUPS. There's huge selection, and everything can be ordered online, gift wrapped and shipped - either to you, or another recipient.

A lot of baby gear that is sold there is considered "high end". If you dig this - the place will be dream come true, because there's a generous display of strollers, high chairs or cribs, and you can play with them to your heart's content. Staff is very knowledgeable about their selection, and will be able to not only point out what the main perks are, but also show you and teach you how to operate the thing, for example, how to FOLD afore mentioned strollers - 'cause that might be tricky!

If you don't dig high end stuff and always wondered why a stroller costs as much as your first car did - here's your chance to take a look. I didn't say "AND change your opinion". Not everything is worth the MSRPrice, I am the first one to agree with that. Yet, I would suggest to take a closer look at strollers. Selection is wonderful, and is geared towards people living in the city, who are pushing strollers on uneven sidewalks, walking quite a lot for errands and relying on public transportation. Life style might be different from where you lived before, and a good stroller choice is almost equal to a good car choice. It might be worth saving up for, and skipping on a few other things. But that's a whole new topic. Maybe for another blog.

 strollerMagic beans also has it's own blog, that might be fun to read, and

once in a while there are generous give away contests. 

Also, strategically speaking, if you have small children, and live close to a MB store, you can always use it as negotiation ground, when out and about running errands with children in tow. Because IF they behave, and be good boys'n girls, they might get rewarded by going to Magic Beans playground... Especially on a RAINY DAY. But ONLY if they behave... 

This store also received "Best of Boston Award" 3 years in a row, as well as a bunch of other awards - Nickelodeon Parent's pick, Best Shopping Website, etc. You don't get those easily.

Disclaimer - I AM NOT affiliated with the store in any way, and was not asked to promote it. I happen to like it and value what it offers. I also know it's hard to miss when you need it most - when you are new to the area. 

Please fell free to email me with any questions you might have - I'm always happy to help. 


 

Posted by

Anna Glebova

REALTOR®

If you are looking for an agent to help you buy or sell a home

in Brookline / MetroWest Area

give me a call: (617)966-7949 

Brookline, Framingham, Natick, Newton, Sudbury, Wellesley, Wayland and more 

Anna Glebova on Zillow

Comments (1)

David Saks
Memphis, TN
Broker / Industry Analyst

Fine post. Thanks for sharing this terrific information. Have a fine day ahead.

Nov 23, 2014 02:29 PM