Beloved toy shop which inspired Toy Story to close after 86 years
Jeffrey's Toys is the oldest toy shop in San Francisco.
The long-standing toy shop which helped inspire Pixar's 1995 hit Toy Story – and the subsequent follow-ups – is to close it's doors at the end of February.
Jeffrey's Toys first opened in 1938 and has been owned and run by the Luhn family ever since.
At its peak, Jeffrey's Toys had seven locations. The shop at 45 Kearny St. in downtown San Francisco is the last remaining one.
The current co-owner Matthew Luhn worked as story artist and writer at Pixar from the 1990s, beginning with with Toy Story (1995).
He credited his father with giving him ideas for the Toy Story films, saying the team at Pixar would visit Jeffrey's Toys for references.
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"During Toy Story, we would have my dad come to give us ideas,” Luhn told SFGate in December. "And when we did reference for almost all the Toy Story films, we always went to Jeffrey’s Toys.
"My dad just closed up the store and said, ‘Just play, have fun and let me know if you need anything.’"
In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Luhn family's attorney explained the reasons for the closure of the shop.
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"The store has been struggling for a number of years, due to the perils and violence of the downtown environment, inflation, the decrease in consumer spending and the demise of retail across the world," he said.
"The family is saddened it has come to this and we've explored all other options to try and keep the business going."
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