Photos: Social-media stir over retro Toys 'R' Us 'store' in California should inspire chain to embrace iconic look
Plus, Tommy's, a classic hot-dog shack in New Jersey, is fighting for its life. And where have the smiles gone at Friendly's?
The unexpected return of a 1970s-style Toys “R” Us storefront has been the talk of social media for the past few days, and it’s engendered in me a disquieting case of FOMO. After all, a continent stands between me and the former Kmart at 1000 North San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank, where this faux store recently turned up, and one of my abiding roadside passions has been to find traces of Toys “R” Us stores of this particular vintage.
Well, I’m grateful to Jeremy Adams, who kindly saved me an ill-advised but undoubtedly adventurous transcontinental trip and cured me of my FOMO by kindly sending along these photos for me to share here and on my Instagram.
It’s too bad construction equipment was left obnoxiously parked outside the store, perhaps to dissuade camera-toting looky-loos. But, they could only cover so much and, well, we will not be dissuaded.
Here it is in all its beauty. Thank you, Jeremy, for your generosity!
One of the rumors that first surfaced on Reddit was that Toys “R” Us was actually opening a vintage-looking store. After all, in the brand’s second effort to reboot its U.S. business, there are indeed two standalone stores, one in New Jersey and another in Minnesota. So why not build a third one with some retro charm?
I’ve been hoping TRU would do this, actually. If they actually built stores with this look, they’d generate tremendous goodwill and tons of free publicity, and this newsletter is a testament to that. I’ll point out again, as I did when I first told you about the Burbank TRU this weekend, that the news coverage about this omits the fact that Toy “R'“ Us is staging a comeback in the United States. The awareness is not there.
Those new standalone stores at the Mall of America and the American Dream, along with mini-stores inside hundreds of Macy’s, have gotten plenty of press, but nothing quite like the excitement and virality that has greeted this fake store, a mere prop supposedly for a film about Michael Jackson's life. (It’s not quite a Potemkin village, for there is even a shopping area staged inside for the film.)
So, Toys “R” Us leaders, consider me your unpaid consultant and lean into THIS look as you continue to expand your physical footprint in the United States. That’s, of course, if you want a lot of free press. And who doesn’t want that?
Tommy's Italian Sausage & Hot Dogs fights to reach its 55th birthday amid slump, inflation
As profits plummet and costs soar, the iconic New Jersey hot-dog institution Tommy’s Italian Sausage & Hot Dogs is struggling to survive, the owners putting everything on the line to stay in business.
Tommy Parrinello has been carrying on the business that his dad, the Tommy in the name, started July 5, 1969.
Parrinello guided the shack through the pandemic, but that was only the beginning of the problems, he tells NJ.com.
Sales have plummeted as inflation has pummeled the business. The house Parrinello and his family were living in — owned by his mother — had to be sold because of back taxes. They have been living out of an extended-stay hotel to keep the business going, reports Peter Genovese in an article published on NJ.com.
Genovese reports Tommy’s had been on the verge of closing at the start of the year — the profits just weren’t there — but Parrinello is now determined to at least make it through the summer when business could theoretically pick up. But in reality, they are not even sure about that.
Reports Genovese, quoting an email from Parrinello’s wife, Jenine.
“We are on the verge of closing," she added. “We are moving quickly into the hole. We survived through the pandemic. We didn’t take any of the loans or other help that was being offered to restaurants. Then came inflation. Inflation is killing us."
Her husband is more optimistic, but acknowledges times are hard.
“My buddy was here the other day," Parrinello recalled. “He said, do what you got to do. Raise your prices. I said, ‘Again?’ ”
I last visited Tommy’s in 2019 and wrote about its playful rivalry with the hot-dog shop next door, Jerry’s. Tommy’s and Jerry’s? Rivalry? It’s too perfect.
I certainly hope such carefree days can return to this corner of Elizabeth. I wish Tommy’s well, and plan to stop by soon and check in on Jerry’s, too.
Here’s my earlier piece:
Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, the dueling politicians. The Hatfields and the McCoys, the dueling clans. Tom and Jerry, the dueling cartoon characters. And Tommy’s and Jerry’s, the dueling hot dog stands.
Yes, for 50 years they have sat just steps from each other in Elizabeth, New Jersey: Tommy’s Italian Hot Dogs and Sausages and Jerry’s Famous Frankfurters. They are part of the fast-food lore of New Jersey, which might as well be known as the hot dog state, so popular is the dish here.
Sure, Tommy and Jerry compete and, of course, locals have their preferences, but are they really rivals?
To hear Miguel Patrikios tell it, that’s balderdash. They’re just different, and they each do their own thing — and they do their own thing well.
Jerry’s has been named the state’s best dirty water dog (your classic hot dog); Tommy’s the best Italian dog, a treat unique to this area, with sausage, peppers, onions, potatoes, condiments jammed into a loaf of “pizza bread.”
Patrikios owns Jerry’s — it’s been in his family since 1966. Jerry’s opened in 1951. Their hot dogs are famous for their snap: their chili is a point of pride, too — it’s still Jerry’s old recipe. Slather that chili on your dog, and you’re good to go.
A few storefronts away, Tommy’s has been plugging away since 1969. Founder Tommy Parrinello’s son — also Tommy — now runs the joint.
They are known for those Italian hot dogs and their potato cups, immortalized on the sign — scrumptious spud slices that come complete with two-pronged wooden forks to facilitate easy ingestion.
Hopelessnostalgic (Yanis Careto) and I sampled the offerings from both during a tour she put together of Elizabeth’s vintage wonders. There are many. She grew up around here. This was my first visit. I was amazed — as was she — that I’d never photographed these places, much less heard of them. They’re so close to New York, after all. The Garden State guards its secrets well. I’m glad I finally discovered these.
Finally, smiles fade at Friendly’s
Friendly’s, the family-restaurant chain that began as a New England ice cream shop in 1935 before morphing decades later into a national dining powerhouse with hundreds of locations, continues its retreat, with its last store in Boston shutting down, and MassLive reporting only 103 remain.
New owners talk of expansion, perhaps into Texas, but I’m getting late-stage Howard Johnson’s vibes here, another chain that began as an ice cream business in New England and is now a roadside memory.
Do you think Friendly’s can turn that financial frown upside down?
I don’t believe that Friendly’s can survive. I was last in one in rural Massachusetts about 20 years ago and it was terrible. There is much better ice cream and food available elsewhere.
All the ice cream shops I've instinctively enjoyed over many years in many places were locally owned. I could never feel the same vibe at Friendly's or Perkins, despite their positive traits and good memories people have of them. Friendly's is an example of expansionism at the cost of personality, in my opinion. I shan't miss them.