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