Born from a lifelong passion for vintage toys and collectibles nineteen years ago, Cherry Bomb Toys has since become a staple of the Downtown Victoria community.
Although the beloved attraction has moved locations a few times over its nearly two decades in business, the goal has always remained the same, to provide a safe place to reminisce, with a motto of ‘Toys with Memories Included’.
“We have a lot of people come in and tell us their stories,” Owners Canadice Woodward and her husband B explain, “When someone brings in a piece, they tell us their history with it. We get to hear so many amazing stories.”
Cherry Bomb Toys showcases and retails its impressive selection of retro, vintage and rare collectibles, all bought locally. The store is also home to the National Toy Museum of Canada, a non-profit founded by the couple seven years ago.
“We really wanted to showcase some of the unique toys, because things come and go in our shop so fast that sometimes people don't even get a good look at them,” B explained. “We started the National Toy Museum of Canada because we wanted to have somewhere where people can come in and have that nostalgia, see things that are a little rarer, a little harder to find.”
In September 2022, Cherry Bomb Toys was given the unfortunate news that another move was on the horizon. After new landlords took over their Broad Street storefront, the couple began their search within the downtown core for their collection’s new home. Thankfully, only a few short months later, Cherry Bomb Toys had secured 719 Yates Street, previously Patch Clothing.
As Cherry Bomb Toys prepared to move its impressive collection once again, joining an evolving and exciting new interactive area of the downtown Victoria core, they sat down with Moonwake Magazine to reminisce on the memories and the overwhelming support of the community.
Upon hearing the news of Cherry Bomb Toys’ move, the community rallied together to gather donations for a Go Fund Me, extending their support far further than the buying and selling of the rare collectibles.
“The community has always been there for us,” B said, “Anytime we've had any issues downtown, a fire, our window broken, our community has just always been there for us and it's been so great.”
With a fresh new Yates Street location, Candice and B have big plans for the future of Cherry Bomb Toys and a much larger scale Toy Museum.
“We want to have an educational factor tied into the museum so we can have school tours,” the couple explains, “When you visit, you're not just seeing all these fun toys, but you're learning pieces of history, why they were made, what was going on with them and what was going on in the world at that time and how it was represented by a toy.”
Every collectible tells a piece of history, and Cherry Bomb Toys is overflowing with so much to be discovered.
Over the past two decades, Cherry Bomb Toys has secured itself as an integral part of the Victoria collectibles community, partnering with Victoria’s Ultimate Hobby & Toy Fair
and Capital City Comic Con annually.
“We love giving back to the community because
they’ve been so generous with us,” B explains.
Cherry Bomb Toys’ own Nerdy Craft Fairs specialize in crafts and art from talented local artisans with 100% of door proceeds donated to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. In 2022, their efforts and community involvement at their
Nerdy Christmas Craft Fair raised over $6000!
“We’ve been around for almost two decades so we have been able to see kids that started
coming to the store when they were five come in at 25 and we’re just like,
wow, that's crazy!” says B.
“Some of the kids that we helped back then, they're bringing their kids in now, which is just wild to see how many people grow up,” Candice agrees.
Not only is Cherry Bomb Toys a special attraction to those who live in Victoria, it's also an essential stop for tourists visiting downtown, with something for everyone.
“We have so many people visiting from all around and we want to make sure those visiting the city will have an experience that they want to share with all their friends.”
Cherry Bomb Toys’ new location is a fresh start, focusing on increased accessibility in a location surrounded by other fun and family oriented attractions such as the Interactive Board Game Cafe and Haunted Mini Golf. Supporting local continues to be encouraged in the new space, with a fresh new mural by artists Bryan Turnbull and Morgan Macaulay.
“We have a good little nerdy hub down here. Our little geeky nerdy hub.”
You can find the new, highly anticipated Cherry Bomb Toys and Canada Toy Museum at 719 Yates Street.
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