When I planned on making a trip to this infamous Toys R Us location, I had originally planned on coming during the day. Plans I had before coming here dragged on for too long, and before you know it, the film location turned dark with the night. I don't really explore locations at night, but for this location I was particularly curious. I happened to only be 8 minutes away from it already, so while I decided I'd wait until the next morning to film, I did choose to come see it with my own eyes first.
The building illuminated from the road. It was a sight to behold, and at first glance I gasped at the unusual beauty. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in this eye, nostalgia is particularly gorgeous. I parked next to the lot, the facade of the building casted a shadow onto the pavement. Where the "Toys R Us" sign usually was, instead was darkened by a blank slate of grey slab. Below, the rainbow tiles outline the front windows. "I gotta go see this," I said to my friend, hopping out of the car. It's in moments like these that I want my camera rolling to capture my genuine true raw emotions. Because I'm emotionally connected to what I do, I think it's important to catch these emotional moments on video. But because of the night sky, the darkened building, and shadows, I chose not to grab my camera. I figured we'd walk to the front, look through the windows, and then return the next morning.
As we walked to the building, the crickets chirped from the distant trees. The stars in the sky were particularly bright, the moon casted a soft white light over the empty parking lot. Walking up to the first door, I hear the automated door open click, but the door is locked. That's usual. I've been to many abandoned Toys R Us buildings, and they all keep their automated door openers on, but the lock prevents the door from opening. I walked across the windows, admiring the interior view from outside the glass. As I turned the corner to view the other door, my eyes couldn't believe what I saw; the door was standing open. "Oh my god, it's open!" I say, shocked. Glass was on the ground right next to a big wooden block, which I suspect a previous visitor used to open the door. But when this unknown visitor left, they didn't bother closing the doors they opened. They simply left the doors...ajar.
As emotionally connected to nostalgia, Toys R Us, and dead retail as I am, this was a golden moment. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had been to an abandoned Toys R Us before where a visitor right after me apparently had gained access by just sliding the door open, but even that seemed too much for me. I couldn't possibly live with the guilt of breaking into a structure, or even opening a closed door. However, like a tempting invitation, this door stood open, beckoning for me to explore. I brought out my phone and sent a few videos to a friend, "Oh my god it's open," I said to them. Then, with hesitation, I walked inside.
The rest of the experience is on video, but I can't express enough just how majestic of an experience this was. Like the opportunity to revisit a dead friend, it was truly special to walk around this store and revisit my inner child, again. I had just watched the movie "Roofman" before my visit, and to see the layout, to walk inside of it, my head was replaying scenes from the movie laid out in front of my very eyes. It's especially meaningful to see the building left in decent condition. The only signs of vandalism being the fire extinguishers being set off, the used dust all over the floor. If I were able to, I would've locked the building on my way out to prevent those less interested in the history and more interested in destroying the building from accessing it. But I wanted to leave the same way I entered: Touching no doors, no locks, no glass, none of it. I'm hoping future admirers have the same respect as I did when visiting. The only thing I grabbed from this store were memories and photographs on my phone. Truly an experience like going back in time. One that I'll never forget.
Because I don't want to grow up...I'm a Toys R Us kid <3