Tucked on an island in the Bronx, toy store doubles as time machine

CITY ISLAND, the Bronx -- A toy shop on City Island started out of necessity more than 15 years ago - but quickly awakened a hidden passion for the owners.

Whether you're a parent or just a kid at heart, every sale comes with a smile and a whole lot of nostalgia.

When you walk through the doors of dan's Parents' House, time stops and then rewinds.

"I often have to crouch down and look at the store from a child's perspective," co-owner Dan Treiber said. "When you think about it, if you're this big, how big everything looks stacked on top of everything else."

At the mom-and-pop vintage toy store, every inch holds a piece of someone's childhood - a forgotten action figure, a beloved stuffed animal, trading cards, pins, patches, and toys from every decade.

It's like a time machine nestled on City Island.

For owners Treiber and Reina Mia Brill, the nostalgic wonderland began by accident.

"Reina and I bought my childhood home from my parents, and we couldn't afford said house, but I wanted the house. So as a joke, we started selling toys from the attic at the Brooklyn Flea Market," Treiber said.

He explained that's when they realized that people actually wanted what they were selling - they didn't start it knowing it was going to be a business.

From the attic of his parents' house to flea markets around the country, Treiber and Brill focus entirely on their brick-and-mortar store just blocks from their home.

"It's the best accident that's ever happened to us," Brill said.

The connections made at the store go beyond just buying and selling - the owners are adamant about making it a community space.

In a world that is constantly changing, the quirky small business is a beautiful reminder that some things, like the joy of finding a long-lost piece of childhood, are timeless.