Recently, we visited a Hudson’s Bay store in Burlington, ON and were pleasantly surprised to find an FAO Schwarz toy section.  If you’re not familiar with the brand, it’s one of the more iconic, nostalgic toy brands.  It started in 1862 and since then has been offering kids of all ages a variety of creative and educational toys.

We used to visit the famed Fifth Ave., flagship store in New York City (even before we had kids) until it closed in July 2015.  We’ve always wondered what would happen to that incredible toy destination and we’re thrilled it’s now coming to Canada.

In advance of the 2018 holiday season, FAO Schwarz pop-up shops will open at every Hudson’s Bay store across Canada.  Our boys will captivated by the wooden nutcrackers, the traditional ride-on cars, tea sets, life-size piano keys (like the mat shown in the movie “Big”) and the dolls.

The Hudson’s Bay brand re-entered the toy business in 2016 with a plan to foster cherished memories.  We think this is an ideal partnership.

We Instagramed (@Famtravelguide) our experience when we randomly discovered the pop-up in Mapleview Mall and tons of families messaged us for more information.

So there you have it.  Prices are as to be expected, which means they’re a little higher than other toy stores.  But, the toys here are all marked with the FAO brand so they add that extra special element.