Children are first at this unique toy store in Charleston, SC

If you’re ever in Charleston, SC, check out this unique toy store in the City Market area…

                                                               

While my family and I were visiting the City Market area of Charleston, SC earlier this month, we came across an unusual toy store that sells one product; Kapla blocks.  The store allows customers to build their own creations in the shop on a large rug laid out for that purpose. All around the store, there are fascinating life-size models of various animals, objects and landmarks, all made from these very simple, yet wonderful blocks. Kapla is a term the Dutch-born inventor derived from the Dutch words kabouter, which means leprechaun, and plankjes, which means plank.

Following a dream… (Excerpt taken from http://www.kapla.com)

Born in Holland, Tom van der Bruggen is the creator of KAPLA. After studying the History of Art, he opened an antique shop, where he also restored furniture. At the age of 25, he sold his shop to realize his dream of building a castle in France.
As he was passing the Tarn river in the south of France, he fell in love with an old ruined farm that he wanted to change into a beautiful castle with little towers, fountains and a carriage entrance.
While making the scale drawings he played with wooden blocks to see what the structure would look like. Soon he discovered that the blocks were not at all well adapted to building certain elements like floors, rooves and lintels.
Unsatisfied with the possibilities of these blocks Tom van der Bruggen invented a plank based on the progressions of the uneven numbers 1:3:5. 3 thickness for 1 width and 5 widths for one length. This ratio between bricks and stones and beams and planks now opens a whole new way of building. With these identical planks the builder can construct with the precision of artwork and the stability of stones.

With the KAPLA planks kids as well as adults can now build and create all kinds of different architectural constructions, animals, extraordinary creations...