Toys in the Hood

Okay, ´fess up. When you see those promotional signs for the Big Boys and Their Toys expo, do you honestly think about a bunch of testosterone-charged, Monday Night Football-watching dudes checking out graphite golf clubs and custom autos in some clinical convention hall? Didn’t think so. You probably equate “Big Boys” to penis size and “Their Toys” to, well, penis size. Perv.

Gren R. Radcliff, owner of the Synthetic Compound toy store, is a dapper 26-year-old boy who may be, uh, “big” (you’ll have to ask his girlfriend to see if he’s long in the shorts), but there’s no question that he hearts toys. “[The store] tries to carry a vast selection focusing mostly on smaller companies and customizable toys from around the world,” says Radcliff. “My faves are the FLCL Canti artist series, a Japanese design with French, U.S., and Argentinean artists, and anything from the Japanese artist Touma.” The space also houses supercool creations by local artisans, including Roy Wasson Valle’s egg-sculpture characters, books and plushes by writer/illustrator Daniel Davis of Steamcrow Press, and a line of one-of-a-kind products by Camilla Taylor.

Synthetic Compound's grand-opening party will feature a 7:30 renegade parade beginning at anti_space, 420 North Fourth Street, ending at The Firehouse, and featuring “superheroes, music makers, and shopping cart floats” organized by Babs-o-Matic, a member of downtown’s way-underground Team S., which was apparently founded by a dog named Starflash. Crazy kids.