Toys ‘R’ Us is back in North Texas with a new, bigger store. Here’s where
If you grew up wandering the colorful aisles of Toys “R” Us, you probably thought the brand was gone for good.
Once the ultimate destination for kids’ birthday wishes and Christmas shopping lists, the big-box retailer faded from malls and shopping centers, leaving only memories and a jingle many former “Toys ‘R’ U kids” can still hum.
Now under new ownership, the company has been trying to make a comeback. And just in time for the holiday season, North Texas once again has a stand-alone Toys “R” Us store.
The new Toys “R” Us store opened in September inside Grapevine Mills, the shopping mall that’s also home to family entertainment spots such as Peppa Pig World of Play, Meow Wolf, Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life Aquarium.
Families can once again browse toys, games, collectibles and timeless classics under the brand’s iconic name.
Why did Toys “R” Us close all its stores?
At its peak, Toys “R” Us was the go-to toy store in America, with more than 1,500 locations worldwide and generations of kids singing its catchy jingle.
But behind the shelves of action figures and board games, the company was drowning in debt, nearly $8 billion of it when it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017.
The debt came from a leveraged buyout in 2005 that left the company strapped for cash. That made it harder to invest in e-commerce or remodel aging stores. The rise of big-box retailers like Walmart and Target, plus online shopping through Amazon, only added more pressure.
The company started closing stores in 2018, including in two in Tarrant County, before finally shuttering all of its U.S. locations. Thousands of employees were out of work while parents scrambled for alternatives during the holidays.
Who owns Toys “R” Us now?
After bankruptcy, the brand’s assets, including its name, mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe and customer loyalty programs, were sold off.
For a while, it looked like Toys “R” Us would survive only in memories and secondhand merchandise. That changed in 2021 when WHP Global, a brand management firm that also oversees labels like Anne Klein and Vera Wang, bought a controlling stake.
WHP struck a partnership with Macy’s to test smaller “shop-in-shop” models inside department stores nationwide. That experiment gave Toys “R” Us a soft landing spot, put Geoffrey back in stores and proved there was still demand for a dedicated toy retailer in an era of online shopping.
North Texas already has several Toys “R” Us stores inside Macy’s, including Hulen Mall in Fort Worth.
The new Grapevine Mills location represents the next step. It is a full-scale, standalone store instead of a corner inside another retailer, showing that WHP is betting on nostalgia and in-person browsing to bring families back.
What can families expect at the Grapevine Mills location?
The Grapevine Mills store opened in early September inside the old Skechers location, just steps from Converse and Levi’s. It spans about 13,000 square feet, making it a smaller-format Toys “R” Us Express but still large enough to recreate the joy of wandering toy aisles.
Shoppers will find a curated mix of the hottest toys, games and seasonal must-haves, alongside nostalgic favorites like Barbie, LEGO and Hot Wheels.
The store also has interactive play areas and photo opportunities with Geoffrey the Giraffe, designed to bring back the magic of toy shopping and give kids a hands-on experience that online carts cannot replace.
For families planning a visit, store hours are:
- Monday to Thursday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Friday to Saturday: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
