Alphabet Soup

This was a nice place. Well organized and fun products. The prices seemed kind of high and the staff seemed a little cold but not terrible by any means. Just bored. They had some great products, games, puzzles, and projects. Fun to play around with some of them. They had an awesome large mobile featured hanging in the front windows that I thought was for sale. I asked them where they were in the shop and was told they don't sell them (?). I imagine that happens a lot. This is kind of like a really well stocked gift shop in a science museum.

Copied below is an email I sent to Alphabet Soup the evening of Tuesday, 11/24/2020. It will provide you with my opinion of this toy store. "Dear Alphabet Soup team, I live in North Carolina, but have family in central NY, specifically the Syracuse, Buffalo and Ithaca areas. One family member is a 3-year-old “nephew” (really a cousin twice removed, but you try explaining that to a little child) who lives in Ithaca. I always send gifts for birthdays and holidays, which can sometimes be a hassle living so far away. This year his mom told me about Alphabet Soup and I visited your online store. Wonderful selection! She made some suggestions, I found others, and in the end five fantastic toys were chosen. Your website is very easy to use and I couldn’t believe that gift wrapping was free and also offered the opportunity to have individual messages for each gift. I placed the order on Monday and his mom just texted me that all of my nephew's gifts were delivered on Tuesday and each was beautifully wrapped. She sent me a photo and I was blown away! All of you at Alphabet Soup are absolutely awesome! Thanks to you my nephew will now have some fantastic fun Christmas gifts from his “Uncle” and you’ve taken a HUGE weight of holiday stress and pressure off of my shoulders. Wishing each of you a safe and enjoyable holiday season and all the best in the new year! Richard"

A nice little shop with a decent selection of toys. JellyCat plushes, fidget toys, board games, educational toys, they have it all. The staff were friendly but not pushy or in your face like some places which I really appreciated. The prices are kind of high so I only ended up buying a few things, but I can definitely see myself going back to purchase gifts in the future.

Cute Harder to find plush!!! My Easter basket was mostly from here. Cloudina and her moth friend are loving their new home!

Lovely animal toys are here💓

I love this store and have been bringing my children here since they were very small. The entire store is filled with carefully selected quality toys and games, and their book selection is excellent. I contacted the owner to help me choose a gift for my nephew. After offering great suggestions, I ordered the "custom box" with a note about my nephew's favorite things to play. The box arrived filled with beautifully-wrapped (for free!) hand selected gifts that he loved. Thank you, Alphabet Soup!

This store is amazing; the books and toys are high quality --- not like some cheap stuff that will break immediately. But the real joy of shopping here is that the staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable. I've gone in there multiple times and described how old my nephew is and what he's currently interested in, and ended up with the perfect toy or book. They have never steered me wrong!

Staff is not that friendly. Toys are a bit overpriced, no special sales or discounts. Hard to find something for a 2,5 year old, most of the toys are either for small babies under 1 yo or for older kids. I would rather check other shops.

I used to walk by Alphabet Soup without giving it much thought -- just another toy store, right? Wrong. Now that I've fallen headfirst into the wonderful (and slightly dangerous) world of Jellycats, this store hits completely different. It's like discovering a hidden treasure trove of cuteness, and I'm officially addicted. Their Jellycat selection is top-tier (thank you for the sold out Sky Dragon that I couldn't find anywhere!), with a variety that keeps me coming back just to see what's new. Whether you're a collector or just dipping your toes into the plushie life, this place has something to tempt you. Plus, the store itself is vibrant and welcoming, making it an absolute joy to browse. Alphabet Soup has officially become my go-to spot for Jellycat plushies, and I'm not even mad about it. If you're in Ithaca and in need of a serotonin boost (or a new obsession), this store is a must-visit.

Lovely little upscale toy store. It's immaculate and appealingly displayed. The toys had a pretty good mark up, which you kind of expect in a college town like Ithaca. We still walked out with a new game and armful of new books. Masks are still required and they provide one if you don't have one. Worth a stop in.

Cute little toy shop to visit while in town. Not many toy stores around these days so it was exciting for my kids!

We were so delighted to find that our favorite local toy store was able to take an order for jigsaw puzzles-generally in short supply during the national Pause. We ordered on Friday and picked up at the store on Saturday, all care has been taken to fill orders hygienically. And they have more puzzles coming in the next couple of weeks (Ravensburger etc).

A visit to Alphabet Soup is not unlike taking a stroll through one's childhood. It's like being in kindergarten again, surrounded by colorful building blocks and old-school toys like marbles and picture books. Every time I come here, I'm struck by how some of my standby favorites are still popular with kids (The Paper Bag Princess, I Spy). Sometimes, I'm tempted to walk in just to oogle over the Hello Kitty display. Alphabet Soup is the perfect place to shop for a small child, but I've been there plenty of times with my friends. We've yet to notice any odd looks. Definitely the best place to go if you're in the mood for elementary school nostalgia or you want to buy Little Billy something that's not a new Pokemon game for his PS2.

A toy store and a whole lot more. You never know what clever, surprising little thing you'll find, sometimes for people a whole lot older than the clientele they're focused on. It's one of those fun stores for kids to hang out in and play and browse and discover interesting things - not overwhelming and commercially! Stuff for all ages.

A (way less expensive) mini FAO Schwartz located right on Ithaca's Commons!! Ok, it's definitely not as large as FAO and doesn't carry quite the same plethora of toys, but this cute store is filled to the brim with toys of all shapes and sizes. It's definitely the best place to buy toys in Ithaca, although the price tag will surely be a bit higher than Wal-mart. Nonetheless, I didn't find the prices outrageous, and I had a hard time deciding when to leave. Definitely a great place to take the kids while enjoying a sunny day at the Commons.

Nice toy store with a focus on creative and inspiring toys so that kids use their imaginations while playing. They also have a nice assortment of musical instruments for kids to play with.

A great local business. They have a good selection of toys for all ages, and the prices are not unreasonable for a non-big box store. They also send you a coupon for the month of your child's birthday, which is a really nice touch. I wish they had a few more books, but given the size of the store they have a wide variety of items.

This store has a really rude and obnoxious owner.I have had several experiences with the person whom I believe to be the owner (because she is never there and doesn't really work). I went there with a broken toy and she appeared to be training a new employee. She proceeded to talk about me right in front of me, saying that what I was doing was really kind of shady and she wouldn't normally let someone without a receipt return something (while i had just told her I would go back to the car to get the receipt if she wanted me to - and I purchased it on a credit card). And then she had the nerve to ask me (in a VERY condescending tone) if I tried changing the batteries because "we've never had anyone return one before," which I find hard to believe. The lights weren't working, so of course that was the FIRST thing I tried. She has treated me as if I was stupid several other times when she has rung me out. Finally, many of the toys and books are damaged,and she doesn't think there is anything wrong with selling them to people without offering a newer version of it or offering to sell it at a lesser price. Seriously, I am not going to give a toy with a damaged box to a child. There is something very wrong with that woman. In conclusion, I HATE this store but it is the only store that has that selection of toys. So I still spend plenty of money there, and I wish I didn't have to.