mornin’ merry makers 🦒🎄🧸✨🛍️
if you grew up a toys “r” us kid, you remember the feeling of going to the store.
the bright colored exterior. the backwards “r.” geoffrey the giraffe greeting you everywhere. the smell of new plastic. the chaos of the aisles. the endless decision between barbie or board games. it was a childhood landmark.
home to fond memories of many milennials like me.
i recently learned the fascinating historiy of this beloved brand & had to share with y’all.
it started in 1948 when charles lazarus opened a baby furniture shop in washington, d.c. parents kept asking, “do you sell toys?”
& just like that, an empire was born.
by 2018, toys”r”us had gone from a $300 loan to $11 billion in annual revenue and over 800 u.s. stores. then came the fall to almost nothing. and now, in true retail fashion, the comeback. just in time for the holidays.
let’s dive into the details of this toy store(y)
in today’s letter, you'll learn:
→ the moments that built (and broke) america’s toy store
→ why private equity debt still ruins good brands
→ how licensing makes so much sense now
→ where you’ll be seeing toys”r”us stores soon
from aisles to empire
charles lazarus reinvented toy shopping.
you’ve made it to the good part 😎
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