Shoptalk: Sparkles

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Once upon a time in Dubai's very own faux Venetian mall, Mercato, there was a queen. Her name was Kate Humphries, and aside from a love of fluffy pinkness, she had a staunch belief that the toys scattered across her empire were just not up to scratch.

Cue Sparkles, a tiny kiosk brimming with enough trinkets to keep even the brattiest brats schtum. There's ballerina tutus, secret diaries, wands, tiaras and even a Dhs215 enchanted castle to wow the city's youthful contingent (those aged up to 10 years), with an equal offering for boys, including Batman, gladiator and even Harry Potter outfits.

With her two daughters (or princesses) at the helm, Natasha, six, and Jasmine, four, Kate has set about bringing old school playtime back to Dubai. ‘We're not about Barbie, Sindy or PlayStation,' chants the 40-year-old, who used to love dressing up as a ballerina, princess or anything else ‘girly and pink!' ‘Our toys are about imagination, playtime and old-fashioned fun,' she adds, confirming that nothing hits the stand until Natasha and Jasmine give it the thumbs up.

‘They're my harshest critics,' she titters, explaining that both girls report to mum on ‘itchiness of costumes', ‘longevity of play', and ‘treasure factor', among other things.

‘I couldn't operate without the honest opinion of my children.'

Despite trading in the retail equivalent of a wheelbarrow, Sparkles has already drawn in the Dubai masses, with the exclusive Lucy Locket collection (which also sells at Harrods in the UK) going down a storm. The ballet cottage, which is as rosy posy as they come, and needless to say packed with ballerinas, is the overall winner for girls, while the boys prefer a full-on knight costume - with sword and shield and everything.

Some of her fans, including mother of two, Hind Mohammad, 37, believe Kate has found a niche among all the chain stores, giving mothers and children toys that actually inspire as opposed to quash playtime. ‘Who wants Barbie or Super Mario as their role model?' she says. ‘I want my children to think for themselves.'

‘There's only so far a cloned Barbie doll can take a child,' agrees Kate, who set up shop last December to fill a huge void in the kiddies' market. This is the second Sparkles to hit Dubai, with the flagship stall gracing the Madinat, and there's plans for further growth as Kate heads off to the Toy Fair in Germany this March to source further trinkets to lure kids away from the TV screen and into their imaginary worlds.

Perhaps it's something to do with the wholesome quaintness of Sparkles, or maybe the fact that it's run by children for children, either way it's fast becoming the way to play. The end.

Sparkles (050 457 0725), Mercato and Madinat Jumeriah. Prices start at Dhs10.

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