Toys 'R' Us has returned to Louisville – with a twist
An iconic toy retailer that closed more than four years ago is now open again in Louisville – with a slightly smaller presence.
Toys "R" Us has reopened at Louisville's Oxmoor Center mall, just in time for the holiday season (OK, it's still October, but it's never too early to start gift shopping). It'll stand as the only Toys "R" Us in the city, after the brand's Shelbyville Road storefront and other locations closed in early 2018 following a bankruptcy filing from the company.
The new outlet, though, isn't nearly as large as that store. In fact, it won't have its own storefront at all. Instead, the brand's toys will be sold out of the Macy's outlet at the Oxmoor Center.
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Through a partnership with WHP Global, the brands management company that now owns the Toys "R" Us brand, Macy's locations throughout the country are opening in-store shops that sell the toy retailer's products. The partnership was announced in July, with Macy's chief merchandising officer Nata Dvir describing it as one that will allow kids of all ages to "discover the joy of exploration and play within our shops and families create special memories together."
The Louisville outlet currently occupies some space on the third floor of the Macy's outlet at the Oxmoor Center, at 7900 Shelbyville Road. Follow the signs that include Toys "R" Us' famed mascot, Geoffrey the giraffe.
Be warned, though – as you might expect, since it's sharing a store with Macy's, the new Toys "R" Us in Louisville is significantly smaller than the company's previous stores, which Business First reported typically occupied about 45,000 square feet of space.
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The Oxmoor Center location has several aisles of toys, but it isn't quite the same as the massive outlet that used to stand in St. Matthews. Don't expect that overwhelming rush of endorphins you'd get as a kid when you walked through the doors of a huge Toys "R" Us supercenter. The outlet's shops inside Macy's stores around the country will range from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet, according to a release.
Two other Macy's outlets in Kentucky, in Lexington and Florence, will also sell Toys "R" Us products, according to the company.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @LucasAulbach.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Toys 'R' Us reopens in Louisville Oxmoor Mall with outlet at Macy's
