A Toy Store Near You – Brian Volk-Weiss Exclusive Interview

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

If you’re a toy aficionado, you should know the name Brian Volk-Weiss. The creator of Netflix’s popular The Toys That Made Us, Volk-Weiss is perhaps the world’s preeminent toy historian. However, it’s not just the history of toys that interests Volk-Weiss. Rather, he’s concerned with the practice of collecting and, most importantly, supporting the people that deal in these beloved childhood relics. 

Given the current state of the world, it’s no surprise that, at first, mom and pop toy stores were badly hit by the pandemic, but then, as the latest season of Volk-Weiss’ A Toy Store Near You shows, many of them rebounded and, in some cases, are even thriving. In our exclusive interview, Weiss explains why, and how his show managed to film during a pandemic. He also goes into the reason so many of us are devoted to the toys we can’t let go of as we become adults, and an intriguing dream project he has involving the weird tie-in toys that came out for Star Trek – The Motion Picture back in 1979! 

A Toy Store Near You is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Also – make sure to check out our own show, JoBlo Collector's Corner!