Revival of iconic NY toy store feeds holiday-time nostalgia
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 lateNovember morning. “But this one is as magical too.”
The store is only about onethird the size of its former incarnation at the foot of Central Park opposite the Plaza Hotel, made famous in the hit Tom Hanks comedy “Big” and other movies.
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 its 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 US and overseas.
ThreeSixty, which has been backed by private equity firm AEA Investors, has adopted a meticulous approach to details in the store since the store was opened November 16.
The venture has been launched as retailers know they must give consumers a reason to show up in person at a time when e-commerce sales are rising. It arrives in the first holiday season since the demise of the once-grand retail chain Toys “R” Us.
“The key to this store is experience,” chief merchandising officer David Niggli said of the ambition to leave children wild-eyed and probably exhausted.
Highlights include magic tricks, certificates to “adopt” a doll and a Build-a-Bear workshop where visitors can design their own plush models.
“It’s not only a place where I like to buy things,” said Claudia, who was visiting the store from Argentina with her son, Juan Ignacio. —