Toys "R" Us/Babies "R" Us/Kids "R" Us

[d_fife]

Toys r us in Tallahase I took pics of in 2008.

[Ameskid]

I believe this TRU is somewhere in either southeastern Ohio or West Virginia.  Anyone recognize it?

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Toys "R" Us is NOT the only toy store left. Toys "R" Us also owns FAO Schwarz, which they bought a few years ago. FAO Schwarz is an upscale toy store, whose flagship location is in New York City. FAO Schwarz could be considered the "Macy's" of toy stores.

Each Toys "R" Us store also sells FAO Schwarz toys alongside their usual range of Toys "R" Us toys.

[ynkeesfn82]

I never went to the flagship FAO Schwarz store in NYC, but a long time ago they had a store at the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford, Connecticut and I went there with my Mom. It was pretty cool.

[d_fife]

I believe this TRU is somewhere in either southeastern Ohio or West Virginia.  Anyone recognize it?

st Clairsville OHIO

[jason83080]

TRU might as well be the only toy store left. K-B is gone. Kiddie City is gone. Children's Palace is gone. Family Toy Warehouse is gone. Aside from the comic book stores and your big-box stores (Walmart, Target), what else is left?

[TRU7536]

TRU might as well be the only toy store left. K-B is gone. Kiddie City is gone. Children's Palace is gone. Family Toy Warehouse is gone. Aside from the comic book stores and your big-box stores (Walmart, Target), what else is left?

Amazon.... It's like office max merging with Office Depot and party city merging with that other party store.

These big box stores really have become a showcase for customer and then they run to the internet like amazon to find it cheaper.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

TRU might as well be the only toy store left. K-B is gone. Kiddie City is gone. Children's Palace is gone. Family Toy Warehouse is gone. Aside from the comic book stores and your big-box stores (Walmart, Target), what else is left?

What about FAO Schwarz? They're owned by Toys "R" Us.

[jason83080]

What about FAO Schwarz? They're owned by Toys "R" Us.

There's also only one location, in New York City. The other chains were EVERYWHERE.

Re: OfficeMax/OD and Party City - OM and OD, in the Ohio area, don't typically share market space. Office Depot pulled out of the majority of NE Ohio a long time ago. I think Staples moved in and OD moved out almost concurrently. OfficeMax started in Ohio, so they have more of a stronghold in our market. I know of only one that's officially closed, and that's the one in Elyria, OH, because there just wasn't enough business for the plaza itself. (It's only the latest in a string of closings/relocations from that plaza: Walmart, Famous Footwear, Dots, OfficeMax, Michaels Crafts, Deal$...) As for Party City, I'm not surprised that they've taken over. How much of a market can there be for party supplies? Paper/Party Place, Party America, Factory Card Outlet, 1/2 Off Card Shop/Card & Party Giant... I'm sure there were others, like the branded Hallmark/American Greetings stores.

[Pikapower]

TRU might as well be the only toy store left. K-B is gone. Kiddie City is gone. Children's Palace is gone. Family Toy Warehouse is gone. Aside from the comic book stores and your big-box stores (Walmart, Target), what else is left?

Dollar stores, Big Lots?

[Hudsons81]

Actor Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man) visits a TRU somewhere in Southgate, Michigan (probably the current location I posted about earlier in this thread) during the 1970's.


A 1970's TRU newspaper ad.


All above photos are from the Downriver Things Flickr account

[d_fife]

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/09/la-based_investment_group_buys.html does this mean the Toys r us will loose its brown facade. at this pt I dont care anymore if Toys r us' loose that facade as they are now to this date worn out looking and are so rare.

[Hudsons81]

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/09/la-based_investment_group_buys.html does this mean the Toys r us will loose its brown facade. at this pt I dont care anymore if Toys r us' loose that facade as they are now to this date worn out looking and are so rare.

The article does mention a facade renovation, so if that's true, then it's possible that it'll loose the brown roof, leaving the northern Grand Rapids location as the only remaining brown-roof in Michigan.

Anyways, I took some interior photos about a couple weeks ago of the Southgate TRU (a former brown-roof) and I'll post them soon.

[d_fife]

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/09/la-based_investment_group_buys.html does this mean the Toys r us will loose its brown facade. at this pt I dont care anymore if Toys r us' loose that facade as they are now to this date worn out looking and are so rare.

The article does mention a facade renovation, so if that's true, then it's possible that it'll loose the brown roof, leaving the northern Grand Rapids location as the only remaining brown-roof in Michigan.

Anyways, I took some interior photos about a couple weeks ago of the Southgate TRU (a former brown-roof) and I'll post them soon.

nooo as I went on a trip in 2007 where I saw 4 brown roofs toys r us, Moline, Cedar rapids, bloomington and Portage. the ones in cedar rapids and bloomington were remodeled into toys r us b abies r us and lost the brown roof. why are all my victories from this trip near gone.

[Hudsons81]

A former TRU in Euclid, Ohio. The brown roof may have been painted black at some point, but the rainbow stripes are still there.

[Hudsons81]

And as promised, photos of the Southgate, Michigan TRU (store #9262).

The side of the building. Notice the brown stripe, a remnant from it's brown-roof days.


The front of the building and a zoom-in on the Geoffrey labelscar.



Looking towards where the video games are now.


Checkouts.


Looking into the store.


Two generations of carts!


A map of the store.


Christmas trees about the same size as that one in A Charlie Brown Christmas in September?! Also note the sign on the left containing the aforementioned map.


And finally, a close look at the video game area, part of it has a ceiling closer to the floor than the rest of the store. I assume that this was where the entrance originally was before it was remodeled in the early 1990's (this sounds about right, since according to The Caldor Rainbow, Type B stores had corner entrances and since this store opened in 1980, it was originally a Type B store) and the video games probably weren't originally here as a result, they may have been somewhere else in the store in the pull-ticket days.


And a bonus: a 1981 aerial photograph of the store, showing how it originally looked. This one had NO ripples and if you look carefully towards the upper right, you may notice a glass-encased exit approximately where there's now a red employee entrance door.


It's too bad that nearly all TRUs in Michigan lost their brown roof in favor of what The Caldor Rainbow refers to as "White, Bright & Tiled" (this store included), though I do know of stores in Madison Heights (ex-Type C, now a Babies "R" Us combo and includes an attached Harbor Freight Tools that was originally a Kids "R" Us), Pontiac (possibly an early "White, Bright & Tiled" store or even one of the last Type C stores) and Westland (also an ex-Type B) that are in the Concept 2000 style instead (Madison Heights and Westland were renovated into that from their brown-roof style circa 1998).

For those of you wondering, TRU entered the Detroit market in 1980, since Dearborn, Roseville, Southfield, Southgate and Westland were all type B stores (today, only Dearborn and Southfield retain their corner entrances and even they are now in the "White, Bright & Tiled" style).

[d_fife]

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/09/la-based_investment_group_buys.html does this mean the Toys r us will loose its brown facade. at this pt I dont care anymore if Toys r us' loose that facade as they are now to this date worn out looking and are so rare.

The article does mention a facade renovation, so if that's true, then it's possible that it'll loose the brown roof, leaving the northern Grand Rapids location as the only remaining brown-roof in Michigan.

Anyways, I took some interior photos about a couple weeks ago of the Southgate TRU (a former brown-roof) and I'll post them soon.

nooo as I went on a trip in 2007 where I saw 4 brown roofs toys r us, Moline, Cedar rapids, bloomington and Portage. the ones in cedar rapids and bloomington were remodeled into toys r us b abies r us and lost the brown roof. why are all my victories from this trip near gone.

I Asked the store if they will be remdoeld but the manager said he knows something but wont say. whats that mean? why is it Toys r us' looks from taht trip I went on change. but then again ones with that look are worning otu looking to now standards. But what sthe chances that Portage store will loose its brown roof?

[d_fife]

CONFIRMED: the toys r us in portage mi will LOOSE its brown roof. the plaza is being renovated and will be finished before Xmas. how come 3/4 of the brown toy sr us; I Went to on this trip in 2007 have been renovated?

[Hudsons81]

CONFIRMED: the toys r us in portage mi will LOOSE its brown roof. the plaza is being renovated and will be finished before Xmas. how come 3/4 of the brown toy sr us; I Went to on this trip in 2007 have been renovated?

I knew that would happen with that shopping center under new management.

There will now be only one brown-roof store left in Michigan and that's one of the two Grand Rapids locations-the one near the I-96 and US 131 interchange, which opened as a Type C store in 1989. However, there is a Forman Mills in Detroit that occupies a former 1986 Type C store that still has a brown roof, but it's not brown any more-it's yellow now. In fact, the Detroit store retained the brown roof and the rainbow stripes during it's entire existence and there is also a vacant Type C store in Battle Creek and a Babies "R" Us in a former Type B building in Lansing. In addition, a couple other TRU stores still have visible vestiges of their brown-roof days: Dearborn and Southfield retain the corner entrances from their Type B days (even though they've been remodeled) and Southgate retains the bottom brown stripe (but not the top stripe) along the side of the building from it's Type B days too.

I wonder why so many former brown-roofs in Michigan were remodeled into the "White, Bright & Tiled" and Concept 2000 styles during the 90's?

[d_fife]

one in battle creek is vacant too and that has the brown roof. but why were many toys r us from that 2007 trip victim to remodeling.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

The Toys "R" Us in Green Bay, Wisconsin had the brown roof as a TRU/KRU combo, until it was renovated into a "Concept 2000: Geoffrey's Toys "R" Us Edition" which has many similarities to "Concept 2000", but with additions, such as a playground, birthday party room, ICEE machine and Pepsi soda fountains, and depending on the location, a portrait studio or kids' barber shop. The store has since been scaled back to a "Concept 2000" store.

The Appleton, Wisconsin store located across the street from Fox River Mall was the "White/bright/tiled" TRU/KRU combo which also became a Geoffrey's Toys "R" Us variant of "Concept 2000", that store was downgraded to a TRU/BRU combo store.

[danfifepsu]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

[TRU7536]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

If it goes, Target should take that space!

[danfifepsu]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

If it goes, Target should take that space!

it should NOT go, its too much of a flagship store and whats the chances it will go?

[TRU7536]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

If it goes, Target should take that space!

it should NOT go, its too much of a flagship store and whats the chances it will go?

12 to 50 million a year is a HUGE difference! Also depends if it's worth keeping if sales a good at that location.

[danfifepsu]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

If it goes, Target should take that space!

it should NOT go, its too much of a flagship store and whats the chances it will go?

12 to 50 million a year is a HUGE difference! Also depends if it's worth keeping if sales a good at that location.

whats the chances it will close? I am scared to death it will. its one of my fav stores. it gets tons of business I feel. will rent really go that high 12 to 50 million a year.

[TRU7536]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

If it goes, Target should take that space!

it should NOT go, its too much of a flagship store and whats the chances it will go?

12 to 50 million a year is a HUGE difference! Also depends if it's worth keeping if sales a good at that location.

whats the chances it will close? I am scared to death it will. its one of my fav stores. it gets tons of business I feel. will rent really go that high 12 to 50 million a year.

It's NYC and Time Square, I wouldn't be surprised anymore. Apartments are being sold for millions and millions of dollars. The city is well known for money, power, and status.

[danfifepsu]

will the store close? whats this article mean http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toys-r-us-hopes-to-retain-times-square-store-for-many-years-to-come/043685

If it goes, Target should take that space!

it should NOT go, its too much of a flagship store and whats the chances it will go?

12 to 50 million a year is a HUGE difference! Also depends if it's worth keeping if sales a good at that location.

whats the chances it will close? I am scared to death it will. its one of my fav stores. it gets tons of business I feel. will rent really go that high 12 to 50 million a year.

It's NYC and Time Square, I wouldn't be surprised anymore. Apartments are being sold for millions and millions of dollars. The city is well known for money, power, and status.

what are you saying? ITs a toruist and family destination too.   what do they mean they will evaluate their renwal options?

[buzz86us]

If the location goes I think it will pretty much become a mall no other business can afford that much money so it will be sub divided into lease locations.... Back to brown roof Toys R Us the location in Clifton park still has one

[TRU7536]

If the location goes I think it will pretty much become a mall no other business can afford that much money so it will be sub divided into lease locations.... Back to brown roof Toys R Us the location in Clifton park still has one

It would be cool for a Target Express to open up there.