Finnegan's toys and gifts, aka Finnegan's toy store, is Portland, OR's premiere and one of the funner places to shop in downtown Portland. It is located at 922 SW Yamhill, about one block from the main Multnomah County library and two blocks from Pioneer Courthouse Square, and right on the MAX line. Directly in the middle of the action, as it were.
Although not huge, probably twice as large as your average shopping mall chain store, Finnegans is good for at least one thing: they always take the high road, and don't stock any violent or even consumerist toys. Everything there is an actual toy that is in someway interesting...not just a consumer item such as action figures. There are a few namebrand toys, such as the inevitable wall of legos. They are also an authorized, licensed and bonded Sanrio dealer, meaning that they function as a one stop Hello Kitty emporium.
To a great deal, this store is totally wasted on children, whose idea of amusing toys is probably to a great deal guided by the quest for social status of having what has been advertised on television. They toys here would probably appeal to the adult geek more then anyone else, especially since many of them are science oriented, including such things as microscopes, mineral samples, model animals of every genus and species, potato clocks, the aforementioned legos, and such.
The store has been in business since 1975, when it started as a stall at the Portland Saturday Market. After a somewhat slow start, it has been in its current location since 1980.
The Finnegan's toy store website is located at www.finneganstoys.com