I drove by the shell of a “Toys R Us” earlier and it reminded of the sadness within. I am too old for those kinds of toys now, and so are my girls, but the concept of a toy store is something that was a cherished ideal back in the day. It honestly makes me sad that my grandchildren probably won’t know the concept of a full blown toy store like that. Wall to wall and aisle to aisle of toys, playthings, squirt guns, action figures, legos, dolls, TOYS. I do miss the nostalgia, it really hadn’t changed much in the time period from when I was a child and when my child was young, just different brands or even the same ones.
There’s something about that concept which just inspired a deep joy. To look at the wonderful colors and possibilities, to see the curious ideas and the new things that could pop up within the realm of plastic, fake furs, etc. It wasn’t even the buying of toys, but rather the thought of toys that probably was more exciting. You saw them, smelled them, felt them, could think about playing with them and more.
It’s the same with malls across America today. The coming miasma of lost stores, empty lots and blank spaces that populate so much life after covid. It’s not so much that you might have wanted to go inside and buy anything or even feel lured by the commercialism, but the comfort of something being there was much more succinct and yet ambiguous. You walk by and feel safe, not invited, but yet still protected by the bustle of something that’s there. People love New York or any populated city for the same reason. It’s the city that never sleeps, and it wraps the concept up within itself in an almighty ethos. Maybe that might be the problem, the fact that you’re now alone and more exposed with your own thoughts. Disney World still inspires that awe and wonder, but for how long, no one truly knows.
I took my girls to both F.A.O Schwartz and Toys R Us in Manhattan when they were at their height-a ferris wheel and a full size T-rex inside one of the buildings in the middle of Times Square. I went into the same building (toys r us) recently on a trip back. It was a clothes store, but the bones were still the same. They were actually looking at clothes and I recognized the same layout of the space, and realized I was standing where the ferris wheel once was. It was another shocker, and that moment of the sadness came up to my throat again, forcing me to choke the nostalgia back down as those are times gone by.
I am hopeful that the future brings something similar and magical to their children. It slowly reminds me of my age as the world turns and changes around me. I am glad I have lived them however, because that’s the point of life-bittersweet memories.