Characters, Giveaways At Paramus Toys ‘R’ Us On Saturday

PARAMUS, NJ – Toys ‘R’ Us is celebrating its return to Paramus with giveaways and character appearances at its new Westfield Garden State Plaza store.

The iconic toy retailer opened its first new U.S. store on Wednesday – two days ahead of the biggest shopping day of the year.

Thanksgiving & Black Friday 2019: Garden State Plaza's Hours

On Saturday, at 10 a.m., Toys ‘R’ Us will host another grand opening celebration, featuring character appearances, giveaways and other family-friendly fun.

Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera cheered the store's return on social media, saying "Geoffrey is BACK!"

"In the uber competitive retail market, selecting Paramus as its 1st location is testimony to the strength and vitality of our retail market. Contrary to what people may think things like this do not happen by accident," the mayor wrote. "It was no mystery the crossroad we were at only a few years ago and we made sure our retailers had the tools to remain competitive and attract the the tenants to keep the spaces filled!"

What To Know About The New Store

• The new "experiential" 6,500 square-foot store is a fraction of the chain's former big box locations that were previously located in the borough.
• The smaller format store also includes interactive play spaces and interactive displays to learn more about products.
• There are about 1,500 items on sale in the store, a small space for events like birthday parties and store-run programs, a treehouse for kids to climb and life-sized LEGO model to take selfies with.
• There's also smaller boutique areas featuring toys from some of the biggest toy companies in the business: Hasbro, Nintendo, LEGO, Nerf and Paw Patrol.

While there are fewer products on the shelves, the chain said sales associates will help shoppers complete sales transactions via Target.com for items not available in the store.

In October, Toys 'R' Us relaunched its website with games, action figures, a full section of toys, product reviews and videos. Since the inventory comes from Target, shoppers are directed to buy button at Target.com to complete the purchase.

Toys 'R' Us, buckling under pressure from Amazon and several billions of dollars of debt, liquidated its stores last year after filing for Chapter 11 reorganization. The chain later announced it would close or sell all of its 735 U.S. stores. Overall, about 31,000 people lost their jobs, including 1,100 at the Wayne headquarters.

A second Toys 'R' Us store will also open this month at The Galleria in Houston, Texas.