Back-to-School Block Party Delights Young and Old Alike

Dilshanie Perera

Hulfish Street was closed last Friday evening, not for construction, but rather for a back-to-school celebration hosted by the toy store jaZams, which recently moved from Hulfish to its new location along Palmer Square East.

Hundreds of children of all ages and their parents could be seen dancing along to the tunes of Alex Mitnick of the Kaleidoscope Band, eagerly requesting balloon animals, making art at one of the various booths set up along the street, snacking on various delectables, and playing games.

A trio of stilt-walkers dressed in colorful garb handed out balloons to children who marveled at their height. Three teenage boys proficient at using “flybars,” or high-tech pogo sticks, performed airborne somersaults, backflips, and other daredevil feats to the gasps and applause of an awed crowd.

In short, it was a festive evening. Joanne Farrugia, the owner of jaZams, described the block party as “great fun” and an effective way to “reach out to other people in the area who are child-oriented,” as well as neighboring businesses in Palmer Square.

Having researched starting up a toy store for ten years prior to opening her own, Ms. Farrugia wanted a business that would incorporate teaching and working with children. She opened her first toy store in 1996 in Montgomery, with the store in Princeton opening in 2000.

Ordering from more vendors than most other stores, jaZams harbors an eclectic but well-curated collection of toys and books for children. “Now that I have a baby, I definitely have strong opinions about what I love and what I carry in the store,” Ms. Farrugia said regarding favorite kinds of toys. “I’ve always been much more partial to the wooden toys, and I love the book department,” she added.

Her baby, Felix, accompanies Ms. Farrugia to the toy store locations in Princeton and Pennington where she and her partner, Dean Smith, both work. She described the ability to run a business while simultaneously caring for Felix as “quite hard” but added that she “wouldn’t have it any other way.”

JaZams staff go to toy expos in places like Germany and New York in order to peruse and test out the latest toys available. The result is the collection of toys, games, books, costumes, and other intriguing items that can be found in the store.

Regarding the new space, Ms. Farrugia said that it is “great” because they can showcase more toys, and most important, “kids can play more.”

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