FAO Journey

From the moment you reach the store, you realize they are trying to portray a dignified and classy demeanor because they have a doorman dressed in the fashion of the Queen's Guard in London. Upon entering the store, you are greeted with giant toy soldier statues and a plethora of toys and candy. One design feature I noticed was the choice to place mirrors all throughout the store. This is an interesting idea because it makes the store seem a lot more spacious and full to the brim with toys and candy- quintessentially a child's candy-land adventure. Due to the addition of the mirrors and the way they design the store, it definitely feels as though they are going for the "more is more" philosophy. I must admit, they hit it right on the money simply because it is a toy store.

I tried to see myself as a small child walking into this store. I would have been in a dazed mixture of awe, manic jubilance, and deference. The store would have seemed huge because of the mirrors, and paradise because of the candy. They large toy soldier statues would have made it seem like I was in a kingdom of sorts. The design of this place is obviously geared toward the child who pulls their poor parents into the store- no pun intended (if they weren't poor when they went in, they might just be when they step out; 50 bucks for a little teddy bear? F##k that).

The first floor of the store is dedicated to candy so the kid gets all hopped up and even more excited. Then they pull toward the escalators to head to the second floor. On the way up, children look out in awe as they are greeted by the insanely largely stuffed animals looking out at them from the sides of the escalator. This is a design scheme that functions just like the mirrors; it is dedicated to awing the child and giving the illusion that they are in an otherworldly kingdom of large animals, candy, and big ass toy soldiers.

To add to the illusion of the store being some type of Kingdom, they have employed the use of high ceilings and large columns to hold them up. Throughout the store there are little archways and "magical" little interactive stations set up. They have a giant piano built in to the floor where both children and adults take the time to check out. They have a station where children can build their own dolls, interact with iPads, and just enjoy the feeling of being a child in a candy/toy/magical kingdom wonderland. To make sure the child is always hyper and excited, there are candy carts set up throughout the store where the child can beg their parents for popcorn or whatever else they need to get their fix.

The trip to FAO Schwartz assured me of three things: the first being that children are the most depraved beings on the planet and some really deserve to be punched in the throat, the second is that the design of this place is obviously geared toward the little bastards, and the third is that it attempts to give off an air of elegance and high class- almost like a kingdom-like atmosphere, which is clear when comparing it to another major toy store like Toys'R'Us.