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{{short description|Specialty toy store in Pittsburgh}}
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{{DMY|date=March 2020}} {{DMY|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox company {{Infobox company
| name = S.W Randall Toyes & Giftes | name = S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes
| logo = File:Logo_for_S.W_Randall_Toyes_&_Gifts_company.png | logo = File:Logo_for_S.W_Randall_Toyes_&_Gifts_company.png
| type = Toy Store | type = Toy store
| industry = Retail sales | industry = Retail sales
| predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = --> | predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->
| successor = <!-- or: | successors = --> | successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| founded = {{Start date and age|1970|03|01}} in ] | founded = {{Start date and age|1970|03|01}} in ]
| founder = Jack Cohen<ref name="Sykes"/> | founder = Jack Cohen{{sfn|Sykes|2010}}
| defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| hq_location_city = | hq_location_city = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| hq_location_country = | hq_location_country =
| num_locations = 3
| area_served = ] | area_served = ]
| key_people = | key_people =
| products = | products = Toys, Hobbies
| owner = Jack Cohen | owner = Jack Cohen
| num_employees = | num_employees =
| num_employees_year = 25 (2019) | num_employees_year = 25 (2019)
| parent = | parent =
| website ={{URL|swrandalltoys.com}} | website = {{URL|swrandalltoys.com}}
}} }}


'''S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes''' is a toy store established in 1970. {{sfn|Margittai|2008|page=}}<ref name="Batz"/> It is a specialty ] and ] with headquarters located in downtown Pittsburgh, selling old-fashioned, idiosyncratic, and nostalgic toys, along with modern toys {{sfn|Margittai|2008|page=}} The store has been a local landmark since 1970,<ref name="Batz"/> and "is a Pittsburgh tradition."{{efn-ua|"Today, SW Randall Toyes & Giftes has become a Pittsburgh tradition in an industry in which the specialty toy store seems almost as quaint as a cobbler, and in which even major mass market toy retailers are struggling." The large and diverse product line in such small quarters creates a bewildering forest of ] numbers.<ref name="Business"/>}} It is ]'s largest specialty toy store, and with a half century of service it is the cities oldest surviving toy business.{{sfn|King|2018|page=154|ps=: "Pittsburgh's oldest and largest specialty toy store"}}<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/?id=HyQVAQAAMAAJ&q=S.W+Randall+Toyes+%26+Gifts&dq=S.W+Randall+Toyes+%26+Gifts |page=1654 |title=Directory of Discount and General Merchandise Stores |publisher=CSG Information Services |year=1996 |accessdate=4 March 2020}}</ref> '''S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes''' is a toy store which was established in 1970.{{sfn|Margittai|2008|page=}}<ref name="Batz"/> It is a specialty ] and ] with headquarters located in downtown Pittsburgh, selling old-fashioned, idiosyncratic, and nostalgic toys, along with modern toys.{{sfn|Margittai|2008|page=}} The store has been a local landmark since 1970,<ref name="Batz"/> and "is a Pittsburgh tradition".{{efn-ua|"Today, SW Randall Toyes & Giftes has become a Pittsburgh tradition in an industry in which the specialty toy store seems almost as quaint as a cobbler, and in which even major mass market toy retailers are struggling." The large and diverse product line in such small quarters creates a bewildering forest of ] ("SKU") numbers.<ref name="Business"/>}} It is ]'s largest specialty toy store, and with a half century of service it is the city's oldest surviving toy business.{{sfn|King|2018|page=154|ps=: "Pittsburgh's oldest and largest specialty toy store"}}<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HyQVAQAAMAAJ&q=S.W+Randall+Toyes+%26+Gifts |page=1654 |title=Directory of Discount and General Merchandise Stores |publisher=CSG Information Services |year=1996 |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>


==History== ==History==
] ]


Jack Cohen and his wife<ref name="Cohen">{{cite web |url=https://squirrelhillhistory.org/past-events/2014-2/history-of-randalls-toyes-and-giftes/ |publisher=Squirrel Hill Historical Society |title=History of Randall's Toyes and Giftes |format=Video|date=May 13, 2014 |author= JACK COHEN, Speaker |accessdate=March 5, 2020}}</ref> founded the original store in 1970 in the ] neighborhood, when he was 23 years old. He named it after his children Sherry, Stacey, Wendy and James (middle name Randall). As of 2019, Jack still works for the company and it remains a family-run business.<ref name="Trib">{{cite news |last1=Parrish |first1=Tory N. |title=S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes of Pittsburgh's owner finds joy in toys |url=https://archive.triblive.com/business/local-stories/s-w-randall-toyes-giftes-of-pittsburghs-owner-finds-joy-in-toys/ |accessdate=4 March 2020 |publisher=Trib Total Media, LLC |date=25 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.theincline.com/2016/11/22/you-can-always-shop-downtown-s-w-randall-toyes-and-giftes/|title=You can always shop Downtown: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes|work=]|accessdate=4 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="Sykes"/> Jack Cohen and his wife<ref name="Cohen">{{cite web |url=https://squirrelhillhistory.org/past-events/2014-2/history-of-randalls-toyes-and-giftes/ |publisher=Squirrel Hill Historical Society |title=History of Randall's Toyes and Giftes |format=Video|date=May 13, 2014 |author= JACK COHEN, Speaker |access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref> founded the original store in 1970 in the ] neighborhood, when Jack was 23 years old and working as an ] driver.{{sfn|Sykes|2010}} They named it after their children Sherry, Stacey, Wendy, and James (middle name Randall). As of 2019, the Cohens still work for the company and it remains a family-run business.{{sfn|Sykes|2010}}<ref name="Trib">{{cite news |last1=Parrish |first1=Tory N. |title=S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes of Pittsburgh's owner finds joy in toys |url=https://archive.triblive.com/business/local-stories/s-w-randall-toyes-giftes-of-pittsburghs-owner-finds-joy-in-toys/ |access-date=4 March 2020 |publisher=Trib Total Media, LLC |date=25 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.theincline.com/2016/11/22/you-can-always-shop-downtown-s-w-randall-toyes-and-giftes/|title=You can always shop Downtown: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes|work=]|access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref> Specializing in quirky products that "nobody else has", the store has earned Jack Cohen the sobriquet of "The Toy Keeper".{{sfn|Joseph|2014|pages=}}


The stores have been a Pittsburgh landmark and tourist attraction since 1970 because of its old-time charm and unique toy and doll collections.{{sfn|Margittai|2008|page=}}{{sfn|Squirrel Hill Historical Society|2017|page=}}{{sfn|King|2018|pages=}}{{sfn|Eldridge|2014|pages=}}{{sfn|Phillips|Oberlin|Pattak|2005|page=}}<ref name="Batz">{{Cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/local/neighborhood/2019/10/31/Essentially-Pittsburgh-S-W-Randall-Toyes-and-Giftes/stories/201908250135|title=#EssentiallyPittsburgh: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes|work=] |first1=Bob, Jr. |last1=Batz|date=October 31, 2019 |accessdate=March 7, 2020}}{{subscription}}</ref> The products for sale include classic toys that people from older generations might have owned as children, such as old-fashioned wagons, dollhouses, rocking horses, etc.<ref name="Trib"/><ref name="PPG">{{cite news |last1=Gannon |first1=Joyce |title=His stores' shelves are packed with classics |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2005/12/11/His-stores-shelves-are-packed-with-classics/stories/200512110228 |newspaper=] |date=10 December 2005|accessdate=4 March 2020}}{{subscription}}</ref> The stores have been a Pittsburgh landmark and tourist attraction since 1970,{{sfn|Margittai|2008|page=}}{{sfn|Squirrel Hill Historical Society|2017|page=}}{{sfn|King|2018|pages=}}{{sfn|Eldridge|2014|pages=}}{{sfn|Phillips|Oberlin|Pattak|2005|page=}}<ref name="Batz">{{Cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/local/neighborhood/2019/10/31/Essentially-Pittsburgh-S-W-Randall-Toyes-and-Giftes/stories/201908250135|title=#EssentiallyPittsburgh: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes|work=] |first1=Bob Jr. |last1=Batz|date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=March 7, 2020}}{{subscription required}}</ref> and it sells classic toys.<ref name="Trib"/><ref name="PPG">{{cite news |last1=Gannon |first1=Joyce |title=His stores' shelves are packed with classics |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2005/12/11/His-stores-shelves-are-packed-with-classics/stories/200512110228 |newspaper=] |date=10 December 2005|access-date=4 March 2020}}{{subscription required}}</ref>


As of 2019, there are three stores: ], ], and ] which is the flagship location.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hoodline.com/2019/03/pittsburgh-s-top-3-toy-stores-ranked|title=Pittsburgh's top 3 toy stores, ranked|website=Hoodline |accessdate=4 March 2020}}</ref>{{efn-ua|"... the original Squirrel Hill store, one in the city’s Shadyside neighborhood, and their flagship location on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh. It fills a five-story building that the Cohens own, and it’s just blocks from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where ASTRA will hold Marketplace & Academy in June. “If ASTRA attendees come in, we’ll take them up to the third floor in our antique, 80-year-old elevator that one of us will operate,” promises Jack. “It’s even got a crystal chandelier. We’re old school, you know.”"<ref name="Sykes">{{cite news |url=https://edplay.com/it-hasnt-lost-its-luster/|title=Your Store: It Hasn't Lost Its Luster|date=May 2010 |work=edplay |first1=Claire |last1=Sykes |publisher=Fahy-Williams Publishing|accessdate=March 5, 2020}}</ref>}} There were seven stores at the apogee of the company's growth.{{efn-ua|Per Mr. Cohen; "We’ve had to close some stores that weren’t profitable. At one point, S.W. Randall had seven stores. We closed Wild & Woolly, a stuffed animal store in Oxford Centre, Downtown, around 1986 after two years in business. A Station Square store closed in 2007 after 25 years because the shopping center didn’t have enough traffic under new ownership. A toy store, Alphabet Soup, and a glass store that opened in PPG Place, Downtown, in the mid-1980s were closed."<ref name="Trib"/><ref name="Sykes"/>}} The company is privately held but according to a 2009 report, the business stocked 30,000 different items, had revenues of $2.5 million and employed 28 people.<ref name="Business">{{cite news |last1=Schooley |first1=Tim |title=SW Randall Toyes & Giftes finds success by listening to customers |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/10/19/smallb1.html?b=1255924800%5e2268301 |accessdate=4 March 2020 |newspaper=] |date=19 October 2009}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last1=Hudson |first1=Kris |last2=Byron |first2=Ellen |last3=Brat |first3=Ilan |last4=Kang |first4=Stephanie |title=First Holiday Shopping Weekend Sets a Blistering Pace |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113310493321007537 |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=28 November 2005|accessdate=4 March 2020}}</ref> The company is a member of the ].<ref name="ASTRA">{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/fahy-williamspublishing/docs/astra_2017_mbr-drcty |title=ASTRA membership directory 2017 |date=June 27, 2018 |publisher=Fahy-Williams Publishing Co.|accessdate=March 8, 2020}}</ref> As of 2019, there are three stores: ], ], and ] which is the flagship location.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hoodline.com/2019/03/pittsburgh-s-top-3-toy-stores-ranked|title=Pittsburgh's top 3 toy stores, ranked|website=Hoodline |date=15 March 2019 |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>{{efn-ua|"... the original Squirrel Hill store, one in the city's Shadyside neighborhood, and their flagship location on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh. It fills a five-story building that the Cohens own, and it's just blocks from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where ] will hold Marketplace & Academy in June. "If ASTRA attendees come in, we'll take them up to the third floor in our antique, 80-year-old elevator that one of us will operate," Cohen said. "It's even got a crystal chandelier. We're old school, you know."{{sfn|Sykes|2010}}}} There were seven stores at the apogee of the company's growth.{{efn-ua|Per Mr. Cohen; "We've had to close some stores that weren't profitable. At one point, S.W. Randall had seven stores. We closed Wild & Woolly, a stuffed animal store in ], Downtown, around 1986 after two years in business. A ] store closed in 2007 after 25 years because the shopping center didn't have enough traffic under new ownership. A toy store, Alphabet Soup, and a glass store that opened in ], Downtown, in the mid-1980s were closed."{{sfn|Sykes|2010}}<ref name="Trib"/>}} The company is privately held but according to a 2009 report, the business stocked 30,000 different items, had revenues of $2.5 million and employed 28 people.<ref name="Business">{{cite news |last1=Schooley |first1=Tim |title=SW Randall Toyes & Giftes finds success by listening to customers |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/10/19/smallb1.html?b=1255924800%5e2268301 |access-date=4 March 2020 |newspaper=] |date=19 October 2009}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last1=Hudson |first1=Kris |last2=Byron |first2=Ellen |last3=Brat |first3=Ilan |last4=Kang |first4=Stephanie |title=First Holiday Shopping Weekend Sets a Blistering Pace |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113310493321007537 |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=28 November 2005|access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref> The company is a member of the ].<ref name="ASTRA">{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/fahy-williamspublishing/docs/astra_2017_mbr-drcty |title=ASTRA membership directory 2017 |date=June 27, 2018 |publisher=Fahy-Williams Publishing Co.|access-date=March 8, 2020}}</ref>


During the 2011 filming of '']'' in Pittsburgh, the store received a boost in sales of older nostalgia Batman items; customers included ], the film's director, who said he "loved the store". <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2011/08/20/Pittsburgh-businesses-get-major-boost-from-Batman-film/stories/201108200214 |title=Pittsburgh businesses get major boost from Batman film |work=] |author=Dan Majors |date=August 20, 2011 |accessdate=March 8, 2020 |quote= The store's new customers have included Christopher Nolan, the director of the film; his wife (and the film's producer), Emma Thomas; and their children. "He told me he was the director and that they loved the store," Mr. Cohen said. "They were here with four kids. They had to buy something."}}</ref> The downtown shop is often a stop on “Haunted Pittsburgh” tours; the third floor reportedly hosts apparitions.{{efn-ua|“Staff members tell of seeing a lady’s apparition on the third floor with the dolls,” reports ''The Globe'', the student newspaper of Point Park University, “Customers have reported ‘cold spots,’ feeling a ‘presence,’ and feeling like their energy is being drained."<ref name="Sykes"/>}}<ref name="Lauer">{{Cite web|url=http://www.duqsm.com/spooked-in-the-city-with-haunted-downtown-tours/|title=Spooked in the city with Haunted Downtown tours |first1=Hallie |last1=Lauer |newspaper=]|date=October 27, 2016|accessdate=4 March 2020}}</ref> During the 2011 filming of '']'' in Pittsburgh, the store received a boost in sales of older nostalgia Batman items; customers included ], the film's director, who said he "loved the store".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2011/08/20/Pittsburgh-businesses-get-major-boost-from-Batman-film/stories/201108200214 |title=Pittsburgh businesses get major boost from Batman film |work=] |author=Dan Majors |date=August 20, 2011 |access-date=March 8, 2020 |quote= The store's new customers have included Christopher Nolan, the director of the film; his wife (and the film's producer), Emma Thomas; and their children. "He told me he was the director and that they loved the store", Mr. Cohen said. "They were here with four kids. They had to buy something."}}</ref> The downtown shop is often a stop on "Haunted Pittsburgh" tours; the third floor reportedly hosts apparitions.{{efn-ua|"Staff members tell of seeing a lady's apparition on the third floor with the dolls," reports ''The Globe'', the student newspaper of ], "Customers have reported 'cold spots,' feeling a 'presence,' and feeling like their energy is being drained."{{sfn|Sykes|2010}}<ref name="Lauer">{{Cite web|url=http://www.duqsm.com/spooked-in-the-city-with-haunted-downtown-tours/|title=Spooked in the city with Haunted Downtown tours |first1=Hallie |last1=Lauer |newspaper=]|date=October 27, 2016|access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>}}


==References== ==References==
Line 48: Line 46:
===Bibliography=== ===Bibliography===


*{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/pittsburgh0000eldr |title=Pittsburgh |publisher=Avalon Travel |last=Eldridge |first=Dan |year=2014 |page= |location=Berkeley, California|isbn=9781612387710 |ref=harv}} *{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/pittsburgh0000eldr |title=Pittsburgh |publisher=Avalon Travel |last=Eldridge |first=Dan |year=2014 |page= |location=Berkeley, California|isbn=9781612387710}}
*{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/pdfy-up4X0Ey83h1GScfB|pages=|magazine=Off the Bluff Magazine |title=Toy Story: Why Jack Cohen Ditched the Rat Race |edition=Squirrel Hill |first=Audra |last=Joseph |date=Spring 2014 |editor=Kate Dillon |publisher=] |ref=harv}} *{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/pdfy-up4X0Ey83h1GScfB|pages=|magazine=Off the Bluff Magazine |title=Toy Story: Why Jack Cohen Ditched the Rat Race |edition=Squirrel Hill |first=Audra |last=Joseph |date=Spring 2014 |editor=Kate Dillon |publisher=]}}
*{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_gqDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT185 *{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_gqDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT185
|title=Moon Pittsburgh |edition=4|first1=Emily |last1=King |location=Place of publication not identified|date=July 31, 2018 |isbn=9781631215568 |publisher=Moon Travel |ref=harv}} |title=Moon Pittsburgh |edition=4|first1=Emily |last1=King |location=Place of publication not identified|date=July 31, 2018 |isbn=9781631215568 |publisher=Moon Travel}}
*{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNW1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA143 |page=143 |title=Insiders' Guide® to Pittsburgh |edition=4 |first1=Michele |last1=Margittai |date=July 17, 2008 |isbn=9781461746867 |location=Guilford, Connecticut, Hove|publisher=], ]. Roundhouse distributor |ref=harv}} *{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNW1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA143 |page=143 |title=Insiders' Guide® to Pittsburgh |edition=4 |first1=Michele |last1=Margittai |date=July 17, 2008 |isbn=9781461746867 |location=Guilford, Connecticut, Hove|publisher=], ]. Roundhouse distributor}}
*{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/insidersguidetop00jenn |pages= |isbn=0762735074 |title=Insiders' Guide to Pittsburgh |edition=3rd |series=Insiders' Guide Series |first1=Jenn |last1=Phillips |first2=Loriann Hoff |last2=Oberlin |first3=Evan M. |last3=Pattak |location=Guilford, Connecticut, Hove|publisher=]. Roundhouse distributor|date=2005 |ref=harv}} *{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/insidersguidetop00jenn |pages= |isbn=0762735074 |title=Insiders' Guide to Pittsburgh |edition=3rd |series=Insiders' Guide Series |first1=Jenn |last1=Phillips |first2=Loriann Hoff |last2=Oberlin |first3=Evan M. |last3=Pattak |location=Guilford, Connecticut, Hove|publisher=]. Roundhouse distributor|date=2005}}
*{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bggmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT103 |page=103 |title=Squirrel Hill: A Neighborhood History |author=Squirrel Hill Historical Society |publisher=]|location=Charleston, South Carolina|date=June 19, 2017 |isbn=9781439661277|ref=harv}} *{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bggmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT103 |page=103 |title=Squirrel Hill: A Neighborhood History |author=Squirrel Hill Historical Society |publisher=]|location=Charleston, South Carolina|date=June 19, 2017 |isbn=9781439661277}}
*{{cite news |url=https://edplay.com/it-hasnt-lost-its-luster/|title=Your Store: It Hasn't Lost Its Luster|date=May 2010 |work=edplay |first1=Claire |last1=Sykes |publisher=Fahy-Williams Publishing|access-date=March 5, 2020}}


== External links == == External links ==
* * {{official|url=http://www.swrandalltoys.com/}}
*
* Nick Tomarello and Cole D'Alicandro (October 27, 2018) Video via ] * Nick Tomarello and Cole D'Alicandro (October 27, 2018) Video via ]
*{{Cite web|url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/oldest-toy-store-pgh/|title=Pittsburgh's Oldest Toy Store Will Make You Feel Like A Kid Again|first=Beth|last=Price-Williams|date=December 18, 2018|website=OnlyInYourState}}


] ]
] ]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
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Latest revision as of 17:12, 21 June 2024

Specialty toy store in Pittsburgh

S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes
Company typeToy store
IndustryRetail sales
FoundedMarch 1, 1970; 54 years ago (1970-03-01) in Squirrel Hill (Pittsburgh)
FounderJack Cohen
HeadquartersPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Number of locations3
Area servedPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
ProductsToys, Hobbies
OwnerJack Cohen
Number of employees (25 (2019))
Websiteswrandalltoys.com

S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes is a toy store which was established in 1970. It is a specialty toy and gift shop with headquarters located in downtown Pittsburgh, selling old-fashioned, idiosyncratic, and nostalgic toys, along with modern toys. The store has been a local landmark since 1970, and "is a Pittsburgh tradition". It is Pittsburgh's largest specialty toy store, and with a half century of service it is the city's oldest surviving toy business.

History

Downtown location 630 Smithfield St. Pittsburgh, PA

Jack Cohen and his wife founded the original store in 1970 in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, when Jack was 23 years old and working as an ice cream truck driver. They named it after their children Sherry, Stacey, Wendy, and James (middle name Randall). As of 2019, the Cohens still work for the company and it remains a family-run business. Specializing in quirky products that "nobody else has", the store has earned Jack Cohen the sobriquet of "The Toy Keeper".

The stores have been a Pittsburgh landmark and tourist attraction since 1970, and it sells classic toys.

As of 2019, there are three stores: Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, and Downtown Pittsburgh which is the flagship location. There were seven stores at the apogee of the company's growth. The company is privately held but according to a 2009 report, the business stocked 30,000 different items, had revenues of $2.5 million and employed 28 people. The company is a member of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

During the 2011 filming of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh, the store received a boost in sales of older nostalgia Batman items; customers included Christopher Nolan, the film's director, who said he "loved the store". The downtown shop is often a stop on "Haunted Pittsburgh" tours; the third floor reportedly hosts apparitions.

References

Notes

  1. "Today, SW Randall Toyes & Giftes has become a Pittsburgh tradition in an industry in which the specialty toy store seems almost as quaint as a cobbler, and in which even major mass market toy retailers are struggling." The large and diverse product line in such small quarters creates a bewildering forest of Stock keeping unit ("SKU") numbers.
  2. "... the original Squirrel Hill store, one in the city's Shadyside neighborhood, and their flagship location on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh. It fills a five-story building that the Cohens own, and it's just blocks from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where ASTRA will hold Marketplace & Academy in June. "If ASTRA attendees come in, we'll take them up to the third floor in our antique, 80-year-old elevator that one of us will operate," Cohen said. "It's even got a crystal chandelier. We're old school, you know."
  3. Per Mr. Cohen; "We've had to close some stores that weren't profitable. At one point, S.W. Randall had seven stores. We closed Wild & Woolly, a stuffed animal store in Oxford Centre, Downtown, around 1986 after two years in business. A Station Square store closed in 2007 after 25 years because the shopping center didn't have enough traffic under new ownership. A toy store, Alphabet Soup, and a glass store that opened in PPG Place, Downtown, in the mid-1980s were closed."
  4. "Staff members tell of seeing a lady's apparition on the third floor with the dolls," reports The Globe, the student newspaper of Point Park University, "Customers have reported 'cold spots,' feeling a 'presence,' and feeling like their energy is being drained."

Citations

  1. ^ Sykes 2010.
  2. ^ Margittai 2008, p. 143.
  3. ^ Batz, Bob Jr. (31 October 2019). "#EssentiallyPittsburgh: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 7 March 2020.(subscription required)
  4. ^ Schooley, Tim (19 October 2009). "SW Randall Toyes & Giftes finds success by listening to customers". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. King 2018, p. 154: "Pittsburgh's oldest and largest specialty toy store"
  6. Directory of Discount and General Merchandise Stores. CSG Information Services. 1996. p. 1654. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  7. JACK COHEN, Speaker (13 May 2014). "History of Randall's Toyes and Giftes" (Video). Squirrel Hill Historical Society. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  8. ^ Parrish, Tory N. (25 August 2015). "S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes of Pittsburgh's owner finds joy in toys". Trib Total Media, LLC. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  9. "You can always shop Downtown: S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes". The Incline. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  10. Joseph 2014, pp. 32-33.
  11. Squirrel Hill Historical Society 2017, p. 103.
  12. King 2018, pp. 185–186.
  13. Eldridge 2014, pp. 248–249.
  14. Phillips, Oberlin & Pattak 2005, p. 193.
  15. Gannon, Joyce (10 December 2005). "His stores' shelves are packed with classics". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved 4 March 2020.(subscription required)
  16. "Pittsburgh's top 3 toy stores, ranked". Hoodline. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  17. Hudson, Kris; Byron, Ellen; Brat, Ilan; Kang, Stephanie (28 November 2005). "First Holiday Shopping Weekend Sets a Blistering Pace". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  18. "ASTRA membership directory 2017". Fahy-Williams Publishing Co. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  19. Dan Majors (20 August 2011). "Pittsburgh businesses get major boost from Batman film". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 8 March 2020. The store's new customers have included Christopher Nolan, the director of the film; his wife (and the film's producer), Emma Thomas; and their children. "He told me he was the director and that they loved the store", Mr. Cohen said. "They were here with four kids. They had to buy something."
  20. Lauer, Hallie (27 October 2016). "Spooked in the city with Haunted Downtown tours". The Duquesne Duke. Retrieved 4 March 2020.

Bibliography

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