FAO Schwarz To 'Audition' Staff Before Famed Store Returns To NYC

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The revival of beloved New York City toy store FAO Shwarz will reopen in November and will hold auditions to hire new retail staff in September, according to reports.

Executives at ThreeSixty Group Inc. — the California-based company which bought the FAO Shwarz brand from Toys "R" Us — told the Wall Street Journal that its new retail staff will be expected to deliver a "sense of theater" to the shopping experience. Among the roles staff members will play: Toy soldiers, product demonstrators, costumed characters and magicians, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Auditions will be held starting Sept. 8, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The new FAO Shwarz location will occupy a 19,000-square-foot store in 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The new space is much smaller than FAO Schwarz's former location in the General Motors building, which it had occupied for 30 years before closing in 2015.

The Rockefeller Center store will serve as the flagship FAO Shwarz location in the ThreeSixty Group's efforts to expand the brand world wide — with planned locations in Laguardia Airport and China — the Wall Street Journal reported.

FAO Schwarz was founded in the 1860s and is considered the oldest toy retailer in the United States. The retailer's New York City flagship store was a must-visit location for both New York City families and tourists during the holiday season, and the store earned national recognition for its role in the movie "Big" when Tom Hanks danced on its giant interactive keyboard.

Read the full Wall Street Journal article here.

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