Fifty years ago, a small toy shop opened inside Old Town’s Bazaar del Mundo with a simple idea: sell toys that kids actually want to touch, build, and play with, not just stare at on a screen. Half a century later, that shop has grown into Geppetto’s, one of San Diego County’s most recognized independent toy retailers, with nine locations spanning the region, including two storefronts in the Village of La Jolla.
Geppetto’s marked the milestone on September 19 with a countywide celebration across all of its stores, featuring giveaways, discounts, hands-on activities, and live entertainment for families. As part of the anniversary, the company also announced a $50,000 donation to Rady Children’s Hospital, funded through sales of its popular NeeDoh fidget toys, continuing a decades-long habit of tying business success to community giving.
Current owner Brian Miller took over the family business after gaining retail experience on the East Coast, and has kept the store’s original philosophy intact even as big-box retailers and online shopping have reshaped the toy industry. Miller has spoken about the “magic” of walking a child into a real toy store, where they can pick things up, test them out, and discover something unexpected, an experience no algorithm-driven product feed can replicate.
That philosophy has clearly resonated in La Jolla, where Geppetto’s two Village locations serve a steady mix of local families and visitors browsing the neighborhood’s boutique-lined streets. In a shopping corridor increasingly defined by national chains, an independent toy store surviving five decades is a notable case study in what keeps small, specialty retail viable: careful curation, genuine community ties, and repeat customers who’ve been shopping there since they were kids themselves.
Beyond La Jolla, Geppetto’s has supported hundreds of local organizations over the years, including Toys for Tots and Words Alive, cementing its reputation as more than just a retailer. For San Diego-area business owners, the story is a reminder that longevity isn’t just about surviving changing consumer habits, it’s about building a brand people want to keep coming back to, generation after generation.
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