Frederick August Otto Schwartz opened a Toy Bazaar in Baltimore in 1862, and soon thereafter opened branches in Boston, Philadelphia and New York. It is of course the New York store, opened in 1870, that became one of the most famous toy stores in the US.This advertisement for the original FAO Schwartz store dates from 1872, when the store was on Broadway between 8th and 9th Streets.
The store moved to its 58th Street and Fifth Avenue location in 1931; in 1986, it moved across the street to the General Motors Building. I was taken to FAO Schwartz as a child, as a rare treat, in the 1960s and early 1970s. The dolls and plush animals (for which the store is especially known) impressed me deeply.
Advertisement from The Hotel Guests' Guide to the City of New York (1872).
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Many thanks to Judy at Tennessee Memories for the Puckerbrush award and to Bearded Lady at The Raucous Royals for the Kreativ Blogger award!
8 comments:
i never miss a chance to go to FAO Schwarz - Of course Chistmas time is a must - that's when they have all the big train sets on display. The only thing I ever bought there was an Eyeore hand puppet. I like puppets.
Such an interesting blog. ♥
Grace - I haven't been there in years, but I remember being tremendously impressed with the dolls that filled a huge (to me) room with glass cases on all sides.
Darla - Thank you :)
FAO Schwartz stores are always special; hope Toys R Us keeps up the high quality and atmosphere. www.satisfiedsole.com
Pam - I hope so too!
The days of the beautiful toy stores are over, aren't they. We had an awesome old fashioned toy store here in town. The place did a bang up business. But it lost it's lease cause the owner of the building wanted to give it to some realtor. What a shame for our community. The realtor is now out of business, and we have Target and Walmart now to shop for toys. What a shame.
10 years ago, when I was 17, I took a bus from southern Louisiana to NYC to meet a boy I met on the internet. He was supposed to take me to FAO Schwarz, and instead took me on a bus going the other way. I didn't feel like walking 20 blocks at that point. We are still friends today, and I am still pissed I didn't get to go! Ok, enough of my ramble. I just love old ads, everything advertised on this one just sounds so special. Now to sell a toy, it has to do a million different things. Maybe one day we'll go back to simplicity...
Kris - I know, it is so sad. We had a 1930s-era toy store in my old NYC neighborhood and it had wooden floors and was just gorgeous. I used to buy 4 Nancy Drews for $10 there - the yellow hardcovers.
Heather- It is a wonderful store and you will get there someday (I have a list of places I want to see and I have to tell mnyself I'll get there, too!)...I haven't been in FAO Schwartz since the late 70s.
And I love old ads too (I guess everyone noticed that already!) - SO much, they are just amazing sources of history and apart from that, incredible fun.
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