FAO Schwarz reopened its doors at a new location on Friday after the toy store giant closed its doors in 2015.
The iconic retailer's new store is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, and brought back iconic pieces like the FAO's giant clock tower and the classic piano that many shoppers will remember from the 1988 Tom Hanks movie "Big."
"It's about the theater, it's not just a toy store,'' says David Niggli, FAO Schwarz's chief merchandising officer, told USA Today. "Timing seems right for us to be back because everybody's doing that.''
The store's reopening comes just before the big holiday season. In addition to the classic favorites of the store, there is a 27-foot tall rocket ship steered by teddy-bear astronauts, an adoption center for dolls where shoppers can receive an adoption "certificate" for their dolls, and an FAO Raceway for young shoppers to design their own RC cars, USA Today reported.
The store was founded by Frederick August Otto Schwarz in 1862 who "dreamt of a marvelous bountiful emporium full of extraordinary, one-of-a-kind toys from all over the world," according to the company. The iconic toy store announced it was shutting its doors in 2015 due to rising rental costs. Despite the closing of the iconic location on 5th and 58th street in New York City three years ago, the company said it would look for another home.
The store's non-holiday hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Sunday. The holiday hours, which begin Sunday, December 9 and go to Saturday, January 5, will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
FAO Schwarz was not the only iconic toy store to shut its doors in recent years. The toy company Toys "R" Us closed 740 of its stores in June after announcing the decision in March and filing for bankruptcy in 2017.
Rene Johnpiere, who is believed to have been an employee for Toys "R" Us, uploaded an image of the store's mascot, Geoffery the Giraffe, on social media in June waving goodbye. The mascot's photo is seen surrounded by empty shelves. In North Carolina, an anonymous buyer purchased $1 million on all of the remaining toys from a Toys 'R' Us store in Raleigh, North Carolina just before the shop closed.
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