Toys ‘R’ Us opens standalone store at suburban Chicago shopping mall

Toys ‘R’ Us marked the grand opening of it first standalone location in the Chicago area with much fanfare on Saturday.

Shoppers packed Harlem Irving Plaza in suburban Norridge, hoping to be one of the first 50 guests to receive a swag bag. The 10,000 square-foot store held a ribbon-cutting ceremony complete with an appearance from Geoffrey the Giraffe, face painting, balloon twisting and more.

The store, which officially opened at 10 a.m. Saturday, is located at 4104 North Harlem Ave. in Norridge.

The new location is a “modern retail concept” with an immersive shopping experience featuring popular toys and brands like LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Nerf, Paw Patrol and more, according to a news release.

The opening follows a tumultuous past several years for the chain that included bankruptcy in 2018 and the arrival of Macy’s pop-ups nationwide in 2022.

Toys “R” Us plans to open up to 24 flagship standalone stores under current plans.

In addition to pop-ups inside Macys, the new store joins a Toys “R” Us at Mall of America, a store in New Jersey at American Dream megamall, and a store inside the Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

Earlier this year, children’s’ clothing and gear store Babies “R”‘ Us, which also went out of business in 2018, announced it would open 200 stores across the country inside Kohl’s Department stores.