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Michael Amsler Best Toy Store YOU CAN FIND A TOY STORE with more fluorescent-lit conspicuous consumption, one of those cavernous places where the Parker Bros. board games are stacked from floor to ceiling, where even Barbie packs a pistol (or at least one of those nifty Gulf War grooming sets), Nintendo is king, and the shiny new bicycles are lined up three rows deep. But it wouldn't be as sweet as Hearthsong. Sure, it may not boast as much stuff as that mega-mall toy warehouse, but it's kid-sized--built to scale, you know? Plenty of gizmos and costumes and kids' music and scientific gadgets and handmade wooden things to spark young imaginations. It's one of those places where magic happens-- and isn't that what childhood is all about? Hearthsong,156 N. Main St., Sebastopol; 829-0944. --G.C. [ Sonoma County | MetroActive Central | Archives ]