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About Us

Personalizing your experience!​

Established in 1980, Apple Box Toys has been serving customers with the best variety of nostalgic wood products and unique hand painted personalizing!  



We are experiencing kids who grew up with us now purchasing for their kids, & sharing childhood memories when they would visit us at our original location in San Diego!  We are so blessed, and honored to serve our Apple Box Families for 3 generations!  Some even have saved their personalized item from 35 years ago!  Super cool that they would call us the "neatest little wooden toy shop in San Diego".  Check it out our new site and start shopping today!

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Meet the Tribe

Home: Meet The Team
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Neil & Melinda

Tribal Leaders

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Shop Policy

In today’s online shopping market, we believe that honesty is the best policy. That’s why we designed the most generous, fair and transparent store policy for our customers. Read the following sections to find out more about how we ship and return/exchange merchandise.

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Liberty Station set up!! Whenever we’re

Meet&Greet  - Schedule a Pick Up

We are currently meeting&greeting in different locations of San Diego!  If it's a gift you need right away and don't have time to wait for it to be shipped...We can organize a place to meet&greet you for pick up!!! Contact & Text us! 619.992.4305

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Meet&Greet  -  Schedule a Pick Up

Liberty Public Market
San Diego, CA 92106

Meet Up TBD as per conversation with us :)

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Contact us to place an order & schedule a Pick Up

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Text 619.992.4305

email appleboxtoys@gmail.com

Meet&Greet - Schedule a Pick up

Kyoto Gift & Food Market

National City, CA 91950

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Meet Up TBD as per conversation with us :)

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Contact us to place an order & schedule a Pick Up

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Text 619.992.4305

email appleboxtoys@gmail.com

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Meet&Greet - Delivery/Pick Up

Clairemont Meet Up

San Diego, CA 92117

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Meet Up TBD as per conversation with us :)

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Contact us to place an order & schedule a Pick Up

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Text 619.992.4305

email appleboxtoys@gmail.com

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Meet&Greet - Delivery/Pick up

Grossmont Center

La Mesa, CA 91942

Meet Up TBD as per conversation with us :)

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Contact us to place an order & schedule a Pick Up

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Text 619.992.4305

email appleboxtoys@gmail.com

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Give us a Shout

San Diego, California

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Return Policy

We want you to be happy with your purchase! If you're not completely satisfied, you can return your item within 30 days.

Please follow the instructions below to return your item.

  • Your return must be in sellable condition.  Open, used and/or personalized merchandise cannot be returned.

  • Shipping and/or handling charges cannot be refunded.

  • Damaged and/or defective merchandise from an online order cannot be returned to the store.

  • If you have received damaged or defective merchandise, or need to make an exchange, please text 619.992.4305 or email appleboxtoys@gmail.com ; us prior to returning the item.  

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well hello there...2023

2023... we are still very grateful in what the Lord has us doing...

- Neil is a supervisor position serving his team, clients and their support teams.

-Melinda is a senior administrator assisting to operate facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities.

-Marc is at Scripps Research - Shine is thinking about going for management at Starbucks -Jeremiah is working hard at a automotive body shop - Praise continues to push through at Southwestern College - Heaven also is pushing through Senior year, even with senioritis - Isaac started his sophomore year to a great start! 

We are excited to see what He has for us coming up in 2024

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Happy 2022!

As we said goodbye to 2021, still fighting through the pandemic, we wanted to reflect on how grateful we are...

*Neil continues to work with "At Risk Youth", helping them with placement and the resources that they need to succeed.

*Melinda continues to assist manage a company that has homes with residents with developmental disabilities learning admininstration paperwork, and more importantly how to care for the individuals.

*Marc started a new position at Scripps Research Institute, he seems to enjoy the position, and still is pursuing what he is most interested in Personal Training.

*Shine continues to work for Starbucks, she promoted into a Supervisor position, she also continues to work part time for a smaller business, Oi Fusion.  

*Jeremiah continues to work for Albertsons, bought his first car, and gained more skills for another position within the company.

*Praise continues to do well & push through her junior year, and transitioning over to her senior year having easier classes until she graduates 2022.

*Heaven continues to do well & push through her freshman year, and transitioning over to her sophomore year.  She realizes that she enjoys dance, and starts dance class with her cousins, Avery & Vanessa.

*Isaac continues to well & push through 7th grade and transitions into 8th grade.  He continues to play Basketball and improving on his game.

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We are truly grateful, towards the end of our 2021 we as a family had to cling on to our faith, as we were in the valley looking up to the Lord, praying for healing, the Lord heard our prayers along with many that locked arms with us in prayer.  Melinda, after being diagnosed with Covid Pneumonia, being discharged from the hospital 12/5.  Although she is tethered to a oxygen treatment machine, we are thankful for her being alive.  

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Hug & Love all your loved ones, be kind to those around you, be LOVE to everyone...

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LOVE GOD...LOVE PEOPLE

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Thankful.Grateful.Blessed

In October 2018, we had to move out of our original location of 38 years, the lease holders of the land have plans on building hotels on that property.  So of course, we moved out of the brick&mortar and moved onto poppin' up shop in different areas of San Diego.  We love that kids who grew up with us recognize us at our pop ups and continue a tradition for their children with personalized wood products.  It is an honor to be considered as their family.  We love when they share childhood memories with us!  Since moving out of our brick&mortar location, we have had some unexpected tax debt that rose up that we aren't able to pay on the daily.  We are on a payment schedule with the California Tax Board, every Friday until 2020, $150 is due or until we can pay off the entire debt.  We are humbly asking for any amount that our family & friends are able to bless us with.  The debt that was accumulated is about $13,000.  It is a very heavy amount for us, we really would like to stay in business, and we need funding to pay off this debt, so that we can continue poppin' up shop & reaching different communities.  I have been seeking and applying for different positions to be able to lighten the burden...And at the same time we want to continue to homeschool and raise our P*Tribe.  Prayerfully consider coming along side us in building relationships and building our small family business. Thank you in advance! We love you! 

Our Venmo Account is @applebox under the name Apple Box Toys. 

Please send us an email if you have any questions or prayer requests appleboxtoys@gmail.com

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Love,

Neil&Melinda,

Marc, Shine, Jeremiah,

Praise, Heaven, & Isaac

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As of May 1, 2019:

We have received $3600!  Thank you for your support Apple Box Family!

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As of December 31, 2019:

We were able to pay off some of the tax debt, we are so grateful and thankful for all our Apple Box Family & Friends for the emotional and financial support this past year.  Looking forward to paying off the remaining $7,000 in 2020.

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As of July 1, 2020:

Due to COVID19, the California Tax Board gave us some relief on our tax debt, we were put on hold until August 1, 2020.  The payment due will resume at that time.  We continue to do business as usual considering the current situation.  Looking forward to paying off the balance of $5,400. 

Thank you to all that have supported us with prayers and blessings!

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As of December 31, 2020

Well 2020 has definitely been an interesting year for all.  We have experienced some loss, and some trials, growth inspired through it all.  I wanted to give you an update, but first I wanted to share….


Years ago, a couple from Chicago came to San Diego for a "cruise ship" adventure, they came in to play and introduced themselves at our Seaport Village location.  As soon as I heard the mention on their last name I leaped up with excitement.  This couple has been ordering from Apple Box for over 20 years.  What started out as a consumer relationship, bloomed into a friend&family relationship.  


Marilyn would share her family, and through the years I was able to get a glimpse of their lives from afar.  Her display of  kindness and love being a wife, mother, grandmother, friend overflowed from her heart every time she shared her family with me. 


Steve, her husband sent me an update on their children and grandchildren, then shared that my sweet friend Marilyn has been spending eternity in Heaven.  As my heart ached when I read the news, I was reminded of the special moments and stories she had shared about her beautiful family.  We shared laughs and I enjoyed every moment talking with her.

Through Marilyn's acts of kindness and love her life had made a lasting impact on mine.  Although she continues to live through her family, she will greatly be missed.

  

In honor of my sweet friend, Marilyn Singer, her husband Steve has given Apple Box a love offering to pay our remaining tax debt to start off 2021 with new beginnings.  I am so thankful, grateful, blessed and honored to receive such a generous gift. 


Thank you Steve & Marilyn Singer for sharing your family with me.

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I share this with you all because I believe that our shop is not an ordinary shop, it is not only the "neatest little toy shop" in San Diego.  We value our relationships, you know how you catch up with an old friend and it's like time has never past?  When I'm poppin up at different locations, "Big Kids" come to me and share:


…"20 years ago, I had this bear toothbrush holder, now I want one for my daughter"…


…"I gave my son this train bank, now I want to give one to my grandson"…


…"I'm so happy to see you folks are still personalizing!"…


…"we were sad that you aren't at Seaport Village, but glad to see you are still around!"…


…"do you know we are 3 generations of Apple Box Kids…"


…"I remember my grandparents bringing me into your shop when I was little"….


…"Come in & play…that's what you all say when we walked in"…


Making memories, making lasting impressions & relationships…that’s who we are…

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