Are you still upset over the closing of Toys “R” Us? Well, dry your tears, big ears: New York’s most iconic toy store is making a comeback.
FAO Schwarz — with its famous enormous piano — is returning to NYC. The new store is being developed by ThreeSixty Group, a company that designs and sells toys, which bought the FAO brand from Toys “R” Us in 2016.
This time around, FAO Schwarz plans to inject theatrics into its brick-and-mortar store. Customers can expect to see demonstrators, magicians, and human toy soldiers, according to The Wall Street Journal — and the company is holding “auditions” to find employees who can dance out some tunes on that Big piano.
The company was founded in 1862 by Frederick August Otto Schwarz, a German Jewish immigrant to the U.S. Many were surprised when its flagship store on Fifth Avenue closed suddenly in 2015.
But the new space, at Rockefeller Center, is set to open in November. We’re excited that there’s once again a place with heart — and soul! — to shop for Hanukkah presents.
