Toys “R” Us Times Square Will Close Its Doors This Month

Toys “R” Us kids in New York City will have only a few weeks to say goodbye to the store’s Time Square location.

With Toys “R” Us closing its Time Square mega-store when its lease runs out at the end of the month, crowds of Black Friday shoppers visited the store for one last post-Thanksgiving sale, according to PIX 11’s website.

A Times Square fixture since 2001, Toys “R” Us decided not to renew its lease on the 110,000-square-foot flagship store, which features a giant indoor Ferris wheel, a life-size Barbie dollhouse, and a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur.  The store will officially close on December 30th, but the company is actively searching for another Midtown location.

In the meantime, hordes of Black Friday shoppers hit the store for holiday deals. Shoppers crammed in to check out deals on everything from drones and superhero figures to Star Wars merchandise.

“It is certainly bittersweet,” said CEO Dave Brandon, in an interview with CNNMoney about the store’s last Black Friday sale.

Toys “R” Us bought FAO Schwarz in 2009 and also closed its iconic location in New York City last July. Competition from online retailers, like Amazon, has had an impact on the company’s bottom line, but there are plans to open a sprawling 55,000 square-foot location inside New Jersey’s American Dream Meadowlands in 2017.

There’s no word yet on where the Ferris wheel, Barbie house and giant T-rex will wind up.

In the meantime, check out these mom-and-pop toy stores in your area.

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