A Memory Thanks To Toys R Us

It looks like another one of my favourite places from childhood is on the ropes.

I am of course referring to the current situation with the retailer - Toys R Us - which is in financial dire straits as of the time of writing.

My local Toys R Us opened in the mid-80s. I was a young lad at the time and going into that shop was something special.

I remember buying a Garfield book there on my first-ever visit. I still have it here. Somewhere.

However, my favourite Toys R Us memory is tied with one about my aunt.

We would always head to Toys R Us on Saturdays when we stayed at our aunt's flat while my mother was at work and my father was playing rugby.

I recall her buying me these plastic glow-in-the-dark spiders that had suckers underneath them that could be stuck to the walls or doors. In hindsight, they weren't that amazing. However, I remember my aunt telling me - once we had returned to her flat - to write a story about the spiders.

So, there I went with pad and paper in hand and wrote a story all about these creatures. It was a lesson in creative writing using a prop, but I didn't realise it back then. I remember reading the story out to her and her friend from upstairs 'Aunt Betty' and then having a round of applause once I had finished.