About Us

HISTORY

Since first opening our doors in 1952, Lee’s Toy & Hobby has been family owned and operated. 
Today, celebrating 65 years in business, Pete Marcus and Lisa DeVito Marcus continue the tradition that began in 1952 when Pete’s parents, Sherman and Mickey Marcus, and Pete’s grandfather, Maurice Hendel, first opened what was then known as Lee’s Kiddyland on Bank Street in New London. Why the name Lee’s? “Lee” was Pete’s grandmother’s middle name. It was a name that was gender neutral and just seemed to fit.

After the Korean War, Pete's uncle, Chic Hendel, entered the business. In 1962, Chic continued to run the store in New London and Sherman and Mickey opened their second and current location in the Groton Shopper’s Mart.

In 1987, Chic, Sherman and Mickey sold Lee's Kiddyland to Pete and his former business partner, Richard Spendolini. Pete and Rich chose to change the store’s name to Lee’s Toy & Hobby to reflect the store’s newest focus - HOBBIES. 

From the toy bins in the front of the store to the placement of the register and the way the aisles are arranged, entering Lee’s is like a walk back in time. Through all the changes Lee’s has gone through, the warm, friendly nature of Lee’s has never been altered. Stop in and you ‘ll be glad you did! 

INVENTORY

Lee’s has something in store for everyone in your family or on your list!

For the refined hobbiest, may we suggest something from our unrivaled collection of models: cars, planes, ships and military vehicles. We also have a wide array of Sci-Fi models! Check out our model train sets, as well.  They are available in four scales.  You can find LIONEL products as well as Bachmann and Woodland Scenics, three of our most popular brands.  Feel the need for speed: have fun choosing something from our unparalleled assortment of radio controlled vehicles – from cars to planes to helicopters, drones and boats – we have it all!  And we even offer race car sets.

At Lee’s, we don’t just sell you a product, we help you develop a love for your new hobby. We offer advice and assistance in both purchasing and enjoying your new and old hobby products. We offer parts and service for almost everything in our RC collection. We know our regular customers and will special order anything we can get our hands on. 

Looking for a hobby of times-gone-by, we offer collectible coins and coin collecting supplies.  A wide selection of Madame Alexander Dolls and doll house furniture is always in stock!

For the more traditional shopper, Lee’s still carries the old standard brands of quality toys, games and collectibles:  Lego, Melissa & Doug, Breyer, Klutz, Playmobil, Schylling, Toysmith, Hasbro, and Mattel. Lee’s always has the hard to find classic and nostalgic toys in stock. And Lee’s has the best stocking stuffers anywhere!

When it comes to both toys and hobby items, Lee’s has built a well-earned reputation of being the go-to place for hard-to-find items. And if we don’t have what you’re looking for, we’ll do our best to get it for you. This approach makes Lee’s Toy & Hobby the neighborhood toy and hobby specialty store you want to visit time and time again.