Iconic US toy shop reopens
Shoppers flock to revamped store for nostalgic holiday fix
NEW YORK: Three years after shutting down its iconic Big Apple venue, toy store FAO Schwarz has been reborn, offering a nostalgic holiday-time fix to native New Yorkers and tourists alike.
“I went to the original, it was magical,” said Anna, a teenager from New York, on a chilly late-November morning.
“But this one is as magical too.” The store is only one-third the size of its former incarnation at the foot of Central Park opposite the Plaza Hotel, made famous in the Tom Hanks comedy Big and other films.
But the new venue boasts a festive address of its own just a stone’s throw away from the giant Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center and its skating rink below.
The store revives the old FAO Schwarz’ red and black colour scheme with gold lettering even as new owners ThreeSixty Group reposition the brand after prohibitive rental costs doomed the old store.
Besides New York, ThreeSixty plans to open an FAO Schwarz in Beijing. The brand, which was founded in 1862 by a German immigrant, is also opening pop-up stores at department stores elsewhere in the United States and overseas.
ThreeSixty, which has been backed by private equity firm AEA Investors, has adopted a meticulous approach to details in the store since its Nov 16 launch.
The venture was launched as retailers know they must give consumers a reason to show up in person at a time when e-commerce sales are rising.
“The key to this store is experience,” Chief Merchandising Officer David Niggli said of the ambition to leave children wild-eyed.
Highlights include magic tricks, certificates to “adopt” a doll and a Build-a-Bear workshop where visitors can design plush models.
“It’s not only a place where I like to buy things,” said shopper Claudia, who hails from Argentina. “It’s also cozy and charming.” Shoppers can wander around and compare different Barbie options, Ravensburger puzzles and myriad stuffed animal creations.
“You don’t have the same feeling when you are seated at home online,” Niggli said.
“You don’t get to interact with a sales staff that applied for their job going on stage, you don’t have costume characters, you aren’t interviewed to see if you can adopt a baby doll. All those things are unique.”
The store also aims to take advantage of new digital tools to attract a new generation of shoppers.
Potential “Instagrammables” for customers include the “dance-on piano”, where visitors can take a twirl.
The company also enlisted model Gigi Hadid, who has some 45 million Instagram followers, to design its toy soldier outfits.