I remember clearly today, when I was living in the neighborhood of Palm & Clinton in the late 1960's When I was done collecting for my newspaper routes from the Bee and Fresno Guide, I would ride my bike all the way over to Shields and Blackstone. First I'd get a double cheeseburger, fries, and a Chocolate shake from McDonalds. When finished, I go across the way to Arthur's Toy's and spent agonizing time over which military Airfix military figure sets I'd buy. Most of them costs only $1.00 each. What a shame when Arthur's Toys was sold. Some years later I moved to Bakersfield and found that the new owner had opened a store next to Montgomery Wards. Sometime after that the store burned down under mysterious circumstances. The then owner was charged with Arson.

I used to go to the one on Blackstone & Barstow because I lived in the area. I don't remember ever going into the store on Chestnut but remember driving by it from time to time and for some reason I thought it looked cooler. I think they sold more pool stuff there than they did at the n. Blackstone location, but I could be wrong.

I remember Cameron's Toys it was on Tulare Street across from the old Coney Island Hot Dogs in Downtown. Then they moved to the Fulton Mall location near a men's clothing store and the new (what was then Long's Drugs).

You might be remembering Grand Central Toys, just NW of the Crest Theater.

I'm a bit older than those posting so far...cuz, I remember Authors as being on the south side of Broadway, just north of Kern or maybe Tulare avenues. My mother put some fancy dolls on "Lay-a-way" for my sister and me. The store manager would bring the dolls out and let us play with them every time my mom went in to make a payment, what a nice kind thing to do. It had to be in the early 1950s.

Hi Lindsay (hope you get this message); I have fond memories remember your father Brent, at the Fulton Mall Store in the early 70's. He helped me numerous times with models and slot cars. He was very kind and fun. Is he still with you? If so give him a hug for me.

Any pictures of when it was on Chestnut?

Does anyone know anything about the people who owned Arthur's? Just wondering, always been curious. They bounced around a ton at the very end and even just did pool supplies for a time!

*Note from admin: Newspaper clipping added from 1969 showing Arthur's ad for a swimming pool.

I grew up with Arthur's Toys - the location on Blackstone that's now Whitey's Pets. I remember Arthur's was a great mix of high end toys and just plain fun stuff. Along with the usual board games and yo-yos', there were fancy dolls and little model steam engines. As a kid I wondered "who buys those steam things?" I remember during Christmastime they would put up a moving display in their window - these little figures rising up and down from inside these boxes. In later years they left the display up all year long - but it wasn't running. I remember my family driving to Arthur's just to see the display one Christmas. When I got bigger I remember getting lead figures to play Dungeons & Dragons when it first came out. They were kept in a glass counter. When I walk through Whitey's now I can still remember the section where that counter was. It was a special store and I had a lot of fun visits.

I remember Arthur's on Blackstone south of Barstow, where Whitey's Pet Shop took over. It was sad to see the aisles at Arthur's, which were once packed with an interesting assortment of toys, become comparatively bare near the end. I have a vague memory of another Arthur's, but I was very young. I also remember a TV commercial touting both Arthur's and another toy store called Cameron's, but I have no recollection of the latter at all. Does anyone else know where/when Cameron's operated?