Three years after its closure, the iconic FAO Schwarz toy store has reopened in New York, offering nostalgic residents of the Big Apple as well as passing tourists a bit of reverie a few weeks before Christmas.
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“The location has changed, but the spirit and the magic are still there,” enthuses Anna, a teenage New Yorker met in the aisles of the store.
Now located a stone’s throw from the huge Christmas tree overlooking the Rockefeller Center esplanade in Manhattan each winter, it is however three times less spacious than the previous one, closed in 2015.
Previously the flagship of the group, a massive 5600m2 store immortalized in the film Mom, I missed the plane again, sat a stone’s throw from Central Park, on the luxurious 5th Avenue.
But the new address, which sports the historic red and black colors on its exterior facade, adorned with the name of the brand in gold letters, reflects the strategy of the new owner, the ThreeSixty Group, to focus less on stores after the former Toys’R’Us shareholder closed the previous store due to prohibitive rents.
Aside from the New York reopening and a planned store in Beijing in March, FAO Schwarz – founded in 1862 by a German immigrant – is now content with boutiques in department stores in the United States and around the world.
Attention to detail
In this context of rationing, meticulous attention was paid to detail for the New York global showcase. The aim is to revive the nostalgic flame among visitors, who have flocked to the shelves since the reopening in mid-November.
“The key to this store is the customer experience,” confirms David Niggli, Head of Marketing.
In addition to the magic tricks and the nail workshop, children can be offered an “adoption certificate” for a doll bought on site or even participate in the design of their own teddy bear.
“It’s not just a place where I like to go shopping,” says Claudia, who came from Argentina with her son Juan Ignacio to stroll at this new address, after having surveyed the previous one.
“It’s also a place where I like to take the time to walk around and enjoy the magic that surrounds the aisles,” she adds.
The mechanics seem well oiled given the number of customers sometimes queuing outside and not knowing where to turn once inside the spacious Barbie department, adjacent to the Meccano construction sets, with dozens of Ravensburger puzzles, and oversized plush toys.
“When you shop on the internet, you don’t interact with employees who have been recruited on a theater stage, you don’t see characters in costume, you aren’t going through a doll adoption process. These are unique things, ”says Niggli.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqTKgDwHPGU/
45 million on Instagram
In its strategy of reconquest, FAO Schwartz draws heavily on the invaluable value of digital communication.
From the iconic giant “dance-on piano” on which we play while dancing, to the three-dimensional clock, the group has bet everything on “Instagrammable” places, in front of which visitors take their photos before immediately post the result on the social network.
Also aware of the immense influence power of stars on the internet, the brand told Dutch-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid – 45 million subscribers on Instagram, 9 million on Twitter and 4.3 million on Facebook – the care to draw the uniform of the operetta soldiers stationed at the entrance of the store on 49th Street.
The group was also able to benefit for its launch from an unexpected but significant reinforcement: the recent bankruptcy of its competitor and former owner Toys’R’Us.
“This store is unique in that it offers very special toys, and an original presentation,” remarks Sandy, a mother from Connecticut who came mainly to see the replica of the “dance-on piano” on which Tom Hanks danced in the film Big.
“The place is magical… and expensive. But hey, this is New York. And it’s chic, ”she says with a laugh.
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