Marbles: The Brain Store

Marbles: The Brain Store began in Chicago in 2008 as a specialty retailer dedicated to games, puzzles, and educational toys designed to engage and strengthen cognitive skills for people of all ages. The company quickly built a reputation for its hands-on store experience, where customers could try products before buying and discover a curated mix of brain-challenging items, many created in-house or sourced from independent inventors. By 2013, Marbles operated more than 25 stores in major U.S. cities, often choosing high-traffic shopping centers and malls for its locations.

As of July 2017, Marbles: The Brain Store had closed all retail locations following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing earlier that year. Spin Master, a global toy and entertainment company, acquired the Marbles brand and select assets in 2017. Since then, Marbles has not reopened any stores, and there are no plans for new retail development as of November 2025. The brand now exists as part of Spin Master’s portfolio, with several of its signature games, such as Otrio, continuing to be produced and distributed through various online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

Over the past five years, Marbles has transitioned from an innovative retail concept to a legacy brand within a larger corporate structure. Its products remain accessible, but the original experiential retail format is no longer active. For those in commercial real estate, Marbles: The Brain Store stands out for its rapid expansion, its focus on interactive shopping environments, and its evolution through acquisition. All real estate and executive contacts are now former employees, and the company’s social media accounts serve only as historical references.