The magic of toy stores

They are full of joy and wonder. And we're losing them.

A toy store.
(Image credit: Illustrated | str33tcat/iStock, -slav-/iStock, Screenshot/Amazon)

Across the plaza from where the Rockefeller Christmas Tree is still shrouded in scaffolding, a thin line of customers snaked around the front of New York City's newest toy store, waiting to get in. Though it was threatening to rain, children in brightly colored coats pressed eagerly against the store's window displays, where oversized bears and letters to Santa were in full view.

This was the scene of my first return to FAO Schwarz since my local Seattle store closed due to bankruptcy in 2003. The high-end toy store chain shuttered entirely in 2015, and reopened in New York last week after a three-year hiatus. Its new motto? "Return to wonder."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.