The evacuation of San Francisco retail businesses has destroyed an iconic business: the toy store that animated the Toy Story movies.
Jeffrey’s Toys, which has been family-run for 86 years near Union Square, will close for good on Feb. 10, after struggling for years. Ken Sterling, an attorney for the Luhn family, which owns the store, blamed “perils and violence of the downtown environment, inflation, the decrease in consumer spending and the demise of retail across the world” in a statement to the Washington Post.
Matthew Luhn, the current co-owner of the store, worked for Pixar in the mid-1990s as a story artist and writer. And that led to the link with Buzz, Woody, and the rest of the Toy Story universe.
“During Toy Story, we would ask my dad to come and give us ideas,” Matthew Luhn told SFGate in December 2023. “And when we were making references for almost every single Toy Story movie, we would move on to Jeffrey’s Toys. My Dad just closed the store and said, “Play games, have fun, and let me know if you want anything. “
Jeffrey’s Toys was founded in 1938. At the time, it was a variety store called Birdie’s, named after its founder Birdie Luhn. After the baby boom that followed World War II, the company began focusing exclusively on toys in 1953 and renamed itself Birdie’s Toy House. Years later, the store changed its name to Jeffrey’s Toys in honor of Birdie’s grandson.
“We want to thank all of you wonderful people who’ve been a part of Jeffereys [sic] Family. ❤️ It’s been fun,” the store wrote in a Facebook post announcing its going-out-of-business sale.
San Francisco is in the midst of what some are calling a “fatalistic spiral,” with buildings and businesses still empty in the post-pandemic landscape. Crime is so high that some downtown pharmacies lock up shampoo, toothpaste and other toiletries. And armed robbers attacked a Gucci store in broad daylight. Other retailers that have taken bets include Nordstrom (which closed the doors of its five-story, 312,000-square-foot store last August) and Whole Foods.