FAO Schwarz, New York, NY

Celebs treat their tots to the 151-year-old store’s whimsical world of high-end toys.

By Brittany Leitner

Not many retailers can boast of being one of the oldest stores in the United States and a New York City tourist attraction, but as anyone would know from watching Tom Hanks’ iconic piano scene in Big, toy store FAO Schwarz is anything but ordinary. “It’s best known for its selection of high- quality merchandise and timeless treasures,” says FAO Schwarz Spokesperson Adrienne O’Hara. “But it has also carried on the tradition of serving as a stage to introduce new and exciting products to consumers,” she adds.

Established in 1862, the 44,000-square-foot-space offers everything from small gifts and treats available for less than $20 to the giant floor piano retailing for $250,000. The store is also home to a number of shop-in-shops like the Muppet Whatnot Workshop, FAO Schweetz, a 6,000-square-foot candy store, and a newborn doll nursery where employees dress as nurses and teach little customers how to care for their new bundle of joy.

In recent years FAO Schwarz has played host to celebrity moms like Jennifer Garner, Kourtney Kardashian and Miranda Kerr, but even stars without kids enjoy indulging in the shop’s sense of childlike wonder: Liam Payne from boy band One Direction was recently spotted playing with a Nerf gun outside the store. “It’s a pop culture icon for generations,” O’Hara says.