Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Tour The Surreal Wasteland That Is The Times Square Toys R Us, Closing Today
By
Scott Heins
Published Dec 30, 2015
Modified Dec 30, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Heins/Gothamist
View all 40
By
Scott Heins
Published Dec 30, 2015
Modified Dec 30, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A victim of rising rents and the increasing dominance of online retailers, the sprawling flagship Toys R Us store in Times Square will close at 11 p.m. Wednesday night. Forever. Here's a tissue.
Shoppers browsed empty, ivory-white shelves Tuesday afternoon, searching for discount sales on merchandise that Toys R Us apparently did not want to transfer to another location. Anything leftover at closing time will be deported to the desolate Island of Misfit Toys.
Those wooden pallets look fun! (Scott Heins / Gothamist)
Some toys were marked down by 90% of their original price, and many areas of the store—including the massive Barbie Dream House section—were completely empty. Naked metal racks laid upon particle board shelves; things were downright Grinch-like.
In an interview with Commercial Observer earlier this year, Cushman & Wakefield's Brad Mendelson, who markets the 110,000 square foot space in the Bow Tie Building at Broadway and Seventh Avenue, said "[Toys R Us] did not exercise the option to renew. Here's the long and the short of it. They have 21,000 square feet [on the ground floor]. There really is not a tenant that can rent that. The market has just escalated so."
Rent has reportedly risen to $2,500 per square foot on the ground floor. Part of the space formerly occupied by Toys R Us will be taken over by a desperately needed Gap/Old Navy combo.
The Times Square location opened in November 2001 and features a massive Ferris wheel, Lego recreations of New York City landmarks, a massive Willy Wonka-themed candy shop (which still operated at full capacity Tuesday), and a towering animatronic T-Rex installation.
A Toys R Us spokesperson tells Fortune the company is still looking for a new location in Manhattan, adding, "we are hopeful we can remain in the Times Square area."
Tagged
real estate
rent
Times Square
Toys R Us
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Yes, Stevie Wonder is playing MSG. No, you can't afford tickets. See these shows instead.
LCD Soundsystem also uses synthesizers. Ok, maybe not the same thing. But it's still a great month for music in NYC.
By
Hank Shteamer
Published Nov 3, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET
'The Muppets Take Manhattan' in Queens and more November films in NYC
'Remember, remember the 5th of November' - and also all those other days - in theaters this month.
By
Emma Stefansky
Arts & Entertainment
'The Muppets Take Manhattan' in Queens and more November films in NYC
'Remember, remember the 5th of November' - and also all those other days - in theaters this month.
By
Emma Stefansky
Why LCD Soundsystem's 'New York, I Love You' is still the city's most honest anthem
By
Sonia Rao
Would you live on a Halloween block? These Hackensackers live for it.
By
James Ramsay
Owl pellets and period equity: What's happening at NYC's public libraries this November
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .