Exclusive: Party City’s TOY CITY Pop-up Location Store List Revealed…

Back in June, Party City  officially announced that they’d be going after some of the business left behind in the wake of the Toys “R” Us collapse by opening 50 Toy City pop-up stores this holiday season. By pairing them with existing Halloween City pop-ups, they’ll be able to test the waters for future seasonal expansion by utilizing locations where they already have great deals on short-term leases on the space. While it’s been quiet over the summer, customers and those in the toy industry have been eagerly awaiting news on where these locations might be – something I keep getting asked about. Though the official announcement hasn’t come down just yet, I can exclusively reveal the locations of 46 Toy City pop-up stores, with the list being published for the first time anywhere right here on The Rock Father™ Magazine. Is there a Toy City opening in your town? Find out below…

2018 HALLOWEEN CITY | TOY CITY Combo Locations: 

1. Westside Centre 6275 University Dr. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806
2. Airport Plaza Shopping Center (Former Toys “R” Us) 683 N Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502
3. Grossmont Shopping Center 8790 Grossmont Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91942
4. Vernola Marketplace 6397 Pats Ranch Rd, Mira Loma, CA 91752
5. Plaza La Cienega 1833 La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
6. National City Shopping Center 1100 E 30th St., National City, CA 91950
7. Bridgepointe Shopping Center 2270 Bridgepointe Pkwy, San Mateo, CA 94404
8. Colonies Crossroads 1295 E 19th St, Upland, CA 91784
9. 16040 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91406
10. The Plaza at Buckland Hills 1460 Pleasant Valley Rd, Manchester, CT 06042
11. Chapel Hills West 7730 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
12. University Town Plaza 7171 N Davis Hwy, Pensacola, FL 32504
13. Town and Country 8789 SW 117th Ave, Miami, FL 33183
14. Bal Harbour Square 1750 N Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305
15. Gillespie Plaza 4640 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL 60632
16. Southwest Plaza III 3211 S. Veterans Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62704
17. Eastland Convenience Center 318 N Green River Road, Evansville, IN 47715
18. Florence Plaza 7601 Mall Rd, Florence, KY 41042
19. 6851B Veterans Memorial Blvd, Metairie, LA 70003
20. Shoppers World 1 Worcester Rd, Framingham, MA 01701
21. Columbia Crossing II 6100 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD 21045
22. Arborland 3725 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
23. Pavilion at Kings Grant II 8062 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord, NC 28027
24. Webster Square 272 Daniel Webster Hwy, Nashua, NH 03060
25. Rockaway Townsquare 357 Mount Hope Ave, Rockaway, NJ 07866
26. Monmouth Plaza 137 Highway 35, Eatontown, NJ 07724
27. Sayville Plaza 5181 Sunrise Hwy, Bohemia, NY 11716
28. Bruckner Commons 970 White Plains Rd, Bronx, NY 10473
29. Gateway Center 395 Gateway Dr, Brooklyn, NY 11239
30. Sunrise Promenade 5214 Sunrise Hwy, Massapequa Park, NY 11762
31. 88 Dunning Rd, Middletown, NY 10940
32. Rego Center 6135 Junction Blvd, Rego Park, NY 11374
33. The Strip 6655 Strip Ave, North Canton, OH 44720
34. Standalone 1200 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, OR 97301
35. Airport Square 2 Airport Sq, North Wales, PA 19454
36. Hampden Commons 5850 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
37. King of Prussia Mall 160 N Gulph Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406
38. Bed Bath and Beyond Center 104 Bartlett Ave, Exton, PA 19341
39. Firewheel Town Center Mall 320 Winecup Way, Garland, TX 75040
40. Standalone 25024 Katy Mills Dr, Katy, TX 77494
41. Midkiff Plaza 3109 Loop 250 N, Midland, TX 79705
42. First Colony Commons 15555 Southwest Fwy, Sugar Land, TX 77478
43. State Place 5983 S. State Street, Murray, UT 84107
44. Battlefield Boulevard Shopping Center 1543 Sams Cir, Chesapeake, VA 23320
45. Park Place Shopping Center 17501 Southcenter Pkwy, Tukwila, WA 98188
46. West Towne Mall 7309 W Towne Way, Madison, WI 53719

It’s not entirely clear as of this writing if there’s more store locations yet to be named, or if the final number will sit at 46 for this first run. Their online store launches in September and the placeholder site says “more than 50 stores” are on the way. My sources tell me that some locations may see a soft opening as early as today, so keep an eye out – you could be among the first to shop a Toy City store. As the list shows, the locations are pretty scattered, with clumps on the east coast where Party City is based and in California as well. 

As I mentioned when I took the stage at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) to discuss the future of toy retail on a panel of industry experts (read my recap over at The Toy Book), what I’m most interested in with Toy City is to see how the selection, price and merchandising work out. I’ve not been a fan of prior attempts at seasonal toy stores  (Spirit Halloween’s ToyZam! experiment; Go! Calendars, Toys & Games) as I’ve found them to offer a poorly-merchandised, low-service experience filled with dated and overpriced product. This is where Party City can really step things up, and if they do it right, I look forward to seeing Toy City expand in the years ahead. Stay tuned…

Updated: 8:26am – 8/24/18: Added Evansville, Indiana.