About Us

Update on Reopening from Owner Greta Perl

Reopening has gone amazingly well.  It feels so good to see kinds in the store again, and it reminds me why I am even in this business.  Everyone has been so careful and respectful of our new health and safety guidelines, and the community has not seen any increase in the infection rate.  Keep up the good work everyone; we should all be beaming with pride behind our masks.  Alphabet Soup is open for in-store shopping Monday - Saturday from 10-6, Sunday 11-5.  We are also continuing the curbside pickup and local delivery options.  If you come and shop with us, we ask that you follow these guidelines:

1. Wear a mask. 
2. Please use sanitizer provided at the door.
3. Children under 2 should not wear masks.  They must stay in strollers or baby carriers.
4. Parents must supervise their children.
5. Maximum 10 people shopping at a time.

The staff has all been trained on how to keep the store clean and safe, and we are following all NY State and CDC guidelines.  Many toys have been put in bags as well (stuffed animals especially).  Our play tables have been put away for now.  We are sanitizing surfaces twice daily and washing our hands as often as needed.  We hope you can shop with confidence, knowing our store is safe, clean and sanitary.  If you have any questions, or need any special accomodations to help you shop, please contact us.

See you soon,

Greta

 

About Us

Alphabet Soup has been a specialty toy store on the Ithaca Commons since 1984 and one of the biggest compliments we get from our beloved customers is that stepping into Alphabet Soup is like stepping into a time gone by. Children joyfully interact with high-quality, educational toys -including the best classic toys and the newest releases- while adults marvel at our vast sticker wall and muse affectionately about remembering similar walls in their local childhood toystores.  One trip into our store and you'll feel yourself transported into a world of magic and simple, joyful times. We want to get kids unplugged and having hands-on fun. Alphabet Soup is locally-owned, independent and truly one of a kind. The locals have treasured Alphabet Soup for generations, most recently by honoring owner Greta Perl with the 2020 Retailer of the Year Award!

 

 

Here are some reviews of our store from our Souper customers:

  • "I shopped here when I was a kid and now I bring my kids- fun for generations!"
     
  • "Charming old fashioned toy store. My kids love to enjoy all the fun toys out on display! They have regular turn over of items so it never gets old."
     
  • "Excellent experience all around. The staff are cheerful, helpful and informed. They subtly lead you towards the right purchase without being pushy or giving a sales pitch. I was pleased with how endeared both employees were with the toys each customer bought and since I was there at a busy time for the holidays I heard equal care given to each customer. They have a lot of unique items available along with some standard high quality brands."
     
  • "Its a great store for kids and adults! Will definitely be returning, so much stuff for families to do with kids or even just to keep young ones occupied. Plus my boys love their sea monkey tank I brought them home from my last visit."
     
  • "I don't have any kids, but this place delighted me to no end."

 

Please contact us and let us know what you think.  We'd love to hear from you.

We also give back to the community and support our local schools and kid-related organizations.  Here are a few people and events we've donated to in the past year: GIAC, IPEI, Ithaca Cmmunity Childcare Center, Fall Creek PTA,T-Burg Takes on Pediatric Cancer, East Ithaca Preschool, Cops Kids & Toys, Family & Children's Service of Ithaca, and the 4- H annual duck race.

                       

    4-H Annual Duck Race                    Cops, Kids & Toys                      

 

If you would like to request a donation or talk about others ways we can partner with your organization, contact us. We love finding all the ways we can connect with our community and help kids learn and grow.