'Don't want to grow up'? Toys R Us opens to nostalgic crowds at Tanger Outlets Deer Park
Justin Roberts II, 11, of North Babylon, back to the camera, helped cut the ribbon as a Toys R Us opened at Tanger Outlets in Deer Park on Saturday. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Cristiano Nicastro woke up around 4:30 a.m. Saturday filled with excitement typically reserved for children on Christmas morning. The 10-year-old from Seaford could hardly sleep knowing a visit to iconic Toys R Us awaited.
"I always go on YouTube and watch Toys R Us videos," Cristiano said, repeating the ubiquitous jingle of an older generation, "I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid."
Cristiano and his father, Robert Nicastro, 41, were among the first wave of shoppers for the grand opening of Long Island’s first stand-alone store since the retailer shut down in 2018. A line of hundreds of shoppers stretched from the Tanger Outlets Deer Park entrance to a nearby Old Navy store.
Christmas jingles blared from a speaker as eager shoppers waited for the opportunity to browse the 7,000-square-foot store’s selection of stuffed animals, Barbies, Disney toys, LEGO sets and much more.
For many shoppers, the day represented a chance to reconnect to their youth, when the holiday season meant running through the aisles of a giant store dedicated entirely to toys. Nostalgia was a frequent word cited among shoppers willing to wait an hour or longer to get inside.
"I grew up on Toys R Us," Robert Nicastro said. "Just seeing how excited [my son] was worth the wait."
The Deer Park location is one of 10 permanent stores opening across eight states at the start of the holiday season and 30 stores total, Newsday previously reported.
Aria Medina, 4, selects a princess doll with stepmother Nicolette Morales, of Bay Shore, at the stand-alone Toys R Us store at Tanger Outlets in Deer Park on Saturday. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Jon Lundstron, 30, of Ronkonkoma, was the first person on line, having camped outside the entrance since around midnight, he said.
He said his 9-year-old son, Xavier, has been "obsessed" with Toys R Us and couldn’t make it to Saturday’s opening due to Cub Scouts obligations. He found out Thursday night that the store was opening and decided he would get there early enough to be at the front of line. In the past, he has camped out for game console releases like Xbox, he said.
Justin Roberts, 41, of North Babylon, waited at the front of the line with his son, Justin Roberts II, 11.
"We’re here for him," the father said. "He always said, ‘I hope Toys R Us comes back one day.’ And I didn’t believe it would happen. But here we are."
He recalled working at KB Toys when he was a teenager, a chain that closed its last stores in 2009.
"It was just fun," he said. "It was all around good stuff. And he’s finally going to get to experience it again."
His son said he had his sights set on WWE wrestling figures.
Store employees handed out stickers with the "I’m a Toys R Us kid" expression to many of the youngsters waiting in line. Geoffrey the Giraffe, the Toys R Us mascot, greeted visitors and at 9:46 a.m., the doors officially opened as confetti hit the ground after the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
"I’m thrilled to be here with all of you today to officially welcome you to Toys R Us," said Gideon Schlessinger, CEO of Go! Retail Group, which operates the store, just before opening. "This is a great moment for all of us Toys R Us kids."
Declan Molinari, 7, and his mom Meaghan Molinari, of Huntington, wait in line for the Toys R Us to open at Tanger Outlets in Deer Park on Saturday. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Grand opening celebrations will continue through the weekend, including appearances from Geoffrey and in-store activities like face painting and balloon twisting, according to Go! Retail Group.
Around 90 minutes after the doors opened Saturday, the line of shoppers remained but had lessened from the peak earlier in the morning.
Meagan Molinari, 35, of Huntington, arrived around 8:30 a.m. and nabbed a prime spot in line with her 7-year-old son, Declan, who was born the year the stores closed.
"It’s part of my childhood and now hopefully part of his," she said.
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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