State News

State News has a really nice inventory of art supplies, party supplies and toys. The prices are insane — more than twice than online suppliers. Also, the staff, sadly, are not friendly — they are not rude, but they look really unhappy — i don’t understand it.

I bought two ornaments, a card, and cough drops and paid $ 60…ridiculous.
Based on the outside (and inside) it looks like a dollar store, and I’m sure they probably have the similar stock as a dollar store.
I didn’t go toy shopping, so I can’t speak upon that. But, ringing up my 4 items definitely caused me to get a bit of acid reflex. My friend actually had to challenge the order because we were both quite… blown away.

So happy I stumbled upon this store — I needed glue sticks for my glue gun and some grosgrain ribbon and I found both (plus A LOT more!). It’s amazing what they’re able to cram into that space — tons of toys, craft supplies, costumes/​decorations (it was Halloween)…and the employees were very helpful despite the store being packed.

neeto shop when a little piece for the toolbox (…‘n toybox) is needed
Sketchbooks, Charcoal pencils, art supplies and a bit of everything…

This store is really big. It is primarily a party supply store, but it has a good (BUT SMALL) selection of professional art supplies. I had been looking for oil pastels in the UES for quite a while, and was pleasantly surprised to find a 12, 16, and 25 pack of good quality pastels at this location. The store owner didn’t seem to know what supplies he had. I had to search for things myself, but I did find what I was looking for.

State news basically offers all of your party needs but the kitchen sink:
Party favors, holiday décor, birthday and holiday cards, toys, magazines, every kind of candy you can imagine… My kind of place!
They even have children’s luggage!
They gift wrap but your total has to be over $ 10…

the cards were 50% off and they had a lot of selection. It seems like a better version of party city.

Perfect place for party items! There are helium balloons (starting at $ 3.50, cute designs). Party hats, plates, napkins, candles. LOTS of baking items/​decoration from Wilton and other suppliers such as sprinkles and cupcake liners/​papers (definitely need to go back to stock up on my cupcake essentials). They also have a lot of toys, stationary and seasonal decorative items. I knocked off a star for their limited selection of cards. Otherwise, amazing!

Attached to the backside of my friend’s apartment building, I thought this place was just a stationary store but I was wrong. It is a cool & exciting place for all different types of toys, office supplies & art stuff, plus they provide many customize services. The 2^nd floor is a big kids paradise with toys from the past & present. I’m not sure how they fit so much stuff on the walls. The staff is also nice, helpful & very knowledgable. A nice change of pace from all the hustle of the big bad city.

Oh. My. Gah. I love this place.
Anything that you could ever need for a child’s party, a classroom, a Quinceañera, a Bar/​Bat Mitzvah, a cotillion, Vacation Bible School, a class library, a coming out party, a débutante ball, a masquerade party, a road trip or game night can be found in this store. And it can be found in abundance.
Where else can you find Travel Scrabble, a copy of «The Lightning Thief,» Ugly Dolls, bulletin board trim, Jesus stickers, stress balls, European fashion magazines, dry erase markers, party hats, and greeting cards under one convenient roof?
The answer: not many places.
State News is beyond random, but for a teacher like me (or anyone coming upon any of the aforementioned life cycle events) it’s a great one-​stop shop.

There are not many stores like this any more. They used to be on every corner.
State news has a web site and everything they sell is listed there.
State News used to take passport photos and I got one taken there 2 passports ago. I just had to update my passport and found out they don’t do it any more. Other than that they still have everything else. The only complaint I have about the store is it is very cramped. But it is to be expected in Manhattan.

Wow — if you are looking for any kind of party decorations, wrapping, cards, table settings, noisemakers, this place is awesome! They have everything you can ask for, even a toy and game section. Magazines and candy too. Tons of stuff for the holidays — Halloween, July 4^th, St Patrick’s, etc. Also a section and desk for balloon orders. Place is packed with so much stuff it is crazy!

Judging from the name that it was a newsstand, I had passed by this place several times without looking closely,. When my daughter found them listed on webkinz, we went inside and was I ever blown away! So many toys and supplies and halloween costumes. Two weeks later, we came back for our school supplies. No, it’s not especially reasonably priced for some items, but there are some cheaper finds among the thousands of trinkets; plus, if you need anything related to stationary or kids, and DR and CVS don’t have it, I bet you’ll find it here for sure.

They are so overpriced its not even funny. You will find the toys half price on
I mean even with the shipping its much cheaper. I don’t mind splurging but when I went in to purchase a gift for someone’s child for $ 50 and then found it online at
for $ 20 I MEAN COME ON! Believe me I spoke to the manager but there was nothing they could do because they have only an exchange policy. Save yourself the trouble and don’t shop here.

WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! This store is a one stop shop for parents, kids, teachers, party planners, gift givers, stationery lovers, arts & craft fiends! There is NO OTHER STORE LIKE THIS on the UES!
Warning: if you dislike children, enter at your own risk — they’re everywhere!
Their was a location on 3^rd Avenue which has been sort of boarded up for a while — maybe something happened? This new store is very impressive, literally packed to the rafters with so much stock, my sister and I couldn’t believe that a stock person was tagging individual ball point pens! There’s so much to look at — if you are just looking for something to do, you may just want to come on in here and amuse yourself — we did!
Drawbacks would be crying children and UES parents, not to mention a curmudgeon who may well be the owner. Prices are a bit high for some items. I’m going to say State News isn’t handicapped accessible as there are a few stairs to go down to get into the store — once in, the aisles aren’t wide enough and it’s a bit of a maze, with a section that goes down some stairs though I did notice a chair lift!!! :)
Wanna know what they carry in case you’re hunting for something? Here’s a list but it doesn’t quite do the place or stock justice — you really have to see it to believe it.
Stationery & Gifts:
Greeting Cards
Giftwrap
Gifts
Frames
Photo Albums
Candles
Stationery
Arts and Crafts
Stickers
Magazines
Candy
Toys:
Summer Toys — Water Guns, Super Soakers, Bubbles, Frisbees, Jump Rope, Pails and Shovels, Floaties, Tubes, Boards, Mini Pools
Plush Toys — Webkins, Ty, Gund, Russ Berrie
Figures — Papo, Spiderman, Transformers, Superman
Board Games — Apples to Apples, Bingo, Blowkus, Boggle, Cado, Candyland, Cariboo, Chess, Checkers, Chutes & Ladders, Clue, Connect Four, Cranium, Gobble IT Jr., Go to the Head of the Class, Hungry Hungry Hippo, High School Musical, I Spy, Life, Mastermind, Monopoly, Othello, Pictionary, Rat-​a-​Tat Cat, Rush Hour Jr., Scene It, Scrabble, Set, Slamwich, Taboo, Trouble, 20Q, Zingo
Puzzles — Wood Puzzles, Chunky Puzzles, Floor Puzzles
Arts & Crafts — Creativity for Kids, Alex, Melissa & Doug, Farber Castell, Ohio Art, Hama, Playdoh, Chenille Craft, Fibre Craft
Dolls — Mattel Barbie, My Scene, Polly Pocket, Bandai Bratz, Fisher Price, Carolle, Madame Alexander, Berenguer, Zapf, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, High School Musical
Manipulatives/​Building Systems — Magna Tiles, Lego, Wedgits, Knex, Lincoln Logs, Zoob, Zoomorphs, Playmobile, Clics
Learning Products — V-​tech, Educational Insight, Learning Resources, Orda, Mighty Mind, Super Mind, Thomas The Tank Engine
Sports — Footballs, Soccer Balls, Baseballs, Bats, Knock Hockey, Basketballs
Handheld Electronic Games
Party Supplies:
Birthday Themes — A selection of over 70 different patterns: Dora, Diego, Barbie, Disney Princesses, Spiderman, Transformers, Harry Potter, Rattatouie, Sesame Street, Cars, Pirates, All Sports, etc.
Florals — Caspari, Amscan, Paper Products, Design Design, etc.
Baby
Wedding
Anniversary
Bachelorette /​Engagement
Solids
Candle/​Banners
Hats/​Bags
Invitations/​Thank You’s
Plastics/​Platters
Pinatas/​Fillers
Balloons: Latex, Mylar