In 2001, Stephanie Sala was the sole employee at her 830-square-foot specialty toy shop, Five Little Monkeys. Now, Sala employs numerous San Francisco Bay Area residents as the owner of eight brick-and-mortar stores, serving thousands of kids and collectors.
Sala’s business, which takes its name from her role as the eldest child of five, has had a crucial family focus from the start. Building a specialty toy store strengthened her connection to her younger siblings and her parents; Sala’s father designed the Whoozit toy line, and her mother founded the kids’ clothing company, Sweet Potatoes. Now, families can strengthen their own bonds as they browse the aisles and attend events together.
Five Little Monkeys has grown into a community staple with highly curated shelves, local events, donation programs, and a streamlined digital platform. The retailer recently won The Toy Book’s Pulse of Play Award for Retailer of the Year (Independent, Specialty, and Hobby), a testament to its staying power and a direct result of the team’s dedication to community and customer service.
SPECIALTY SHELVING
Toy selection is at the core of Five Little Monkeys’ in-store and online services. Catering to a wide age range, each location aims to mix new desires with nostalgic needs. Its team of toy experts wholeheartedly believes that kids learn through play, and stocks accordingly.
Sala considers price, quality, trends, environmental impact, packaging, play value, and more when building an assortment. She also considers her own expertise and reactions. “My most important deciding factor is my gut,” Sala says. “If I don’t instantly love something, I hesitate. The curation of our stores is a critical part of our success, so it is important to stay true to.”
Shoppers will find selections from The LEGO Group, Schylling (including its NeeDoh collection), Jellycat, and more. While the products themselves can provide shoppers with a happy experience, the Five Little Monkeys crew wants guests to feel welcome and seen.
“Our original mission was to give every customer exceptional customer service and encourage children and adults alike to come and explore our toys firsthand,” Meghan DeGoey, Marketing Director at Five Little Monkeys, says. “This mission has expanded to include customers who shop with us online or through our social media channels. We want to make sure that every customer walks away feeling better than before.”
DeGoey and other staffers monitor guest feedback online and at each location to ensure that kids get more from their visit than just a few toys in a bag.
PROGRAM-BASED PRIORITIES
While a well-stocked, curated store benefits visitors with playtime in mind, Five Little Monkeys aims to serve in other ways as well. The team runs several donation-based initiatives — some helping individual families integrate play into their lives, while others have a wider impact.
“When I started this business 25 years ago, I made a commitment to support the community that supports me,” Sala recalls. “I feel strongly that every child deserves to have access to quality playthings… [we] decided that rather than giving money back to people who could already afford to shop at our stores, we would rather use that money to help people who could not afford to shop gain access to quality playthings.”
Programs like the September Food Bank Program benefit customers, businesses, and residents in the Bay Area. When shoppers donate $20 to a local food bank, they receive a 20% discount on their toy purchase.
“Our favorite is an event we offer every year called ‘The Give Back Program,’” DeGoey adds. “Schools and organizations can sign up to receive a code to shop in-store and online from Nov. 1-15, and we give 15% of those purchases back to the organization.” Since 2020, the program has grown from 30 partner organizations to more than 100 last year.
CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITIES
Five Little Monkeys wants families to have new experiences in the store — whether that’s learning about a new play pattern, discovering STEM subjects through its educational offerings, or meeting someone with similar interests at a community event.
Each store hosts several gatherings each month, designed for kids of all ages. Just last month, visitors had the chance to make a LEGO Star Wars TIE Advanced Mini Build during a May the 4th event and build their collections at multiple Sonny Angel x Smiski Trading Events, which also featured giveaways and raffles.
“We want to make sure that every event engages our core mission, which is to give a positive experience to anyone who attends,” DeGoey mentions. “Whether it is a Sonny Angel trading event geared toward the collector or one of our popular summer activities meant for children, we want every participant to walk away saying, ‘Wow! I want to come back and do that again!”
Looking ahead, Sala is focusing on new technology and fine-tuned training to shape the next 25 years of business. “We realize that a well-trained staff is key to our success and a huge differentiator in the marketplace,” she says. “We are excited to incorporate new technologies into our workflow that will maximize efficiencies and free up valuable time so we can focus more energy on developing our people.”
Even when the doors close or the site is idle, Sala and the team behind Five Little Monkeys are working hard to make great play experiences accessible while fostering a strong sense of community for years to come.
Stay on the Pulse of Play!
A version of this feature first appeared in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Specialty Toys & Gifts Issue. Read the full issue here!
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