don't let the man hold you down

last week, while the teen was getting her hairs cut, the bean and i wandered up and down glendora avenue. i'd been meaning to take her to the blue chair, a cute-looking independent children's bookstore for ages, and i finally got my chance.

inside, it was just as cute as can be - colorful murals painted on the walls, a nice selection of books for all ages, fun toys, and even a store mascot.

the best part was the room in the back. i'd already seen signs that advertised birthday parties here, and this was obviously where they do them. there's a climbing wall on one side, a comfy chair in one corner, and some really cute melissa & doug toys. of course, the bean was drawn to them like a magnet.

she's too little yet for that climbing wall, but the rest of the goodies kept her busy for quite a while.

there were lots of silly, cheesy signs like this posted all around.

but this one, on our way out, made me think of "you've got mail," where meg ryan is fighting to keep her little indie bookstore alive despite the invasion of a big, bad corporate superstore. i decided right then and there that from now on, i'm going to forego the giant barnes & noble and buy all of the bean's books here. i'm all about supporting little mom & pop shops, and this is a good one.

yay for hidden gems! if you happen to be in the area and are so inclined, check it out. you'll dig it.