IN THE
Burgh
The original downtown S . W . Randall Toyes & Giftes opened on Smithfield Street in 1978 ( storefront shown here ). Two other locations are in Squirrel Hill and Shadyside .
Toy Story
S . W . Randall , one of Pittsburgh ’ s oldest and most beloved toy stores , offers up fun and merriment for kids from 1 to 92 .
BY PAMELA PALONGUE Owner Jack Cohen
Visiting S . W . Randall Toyes & Giftes is more than just a shopping expedition . It ’ s an experience that conjures up sweet childhood memories for adults and creates new ones for wide-eyed children . There ’ s lots of beautiful , funny and engaging specialty toys that you ’ ll never find at the big box stores . Owner Jack Cohen long ago discovered this was his niche .
“ We ’ re not into electronics here ,” says Cohen unapologetically . “ We sell basic toys here , specialty items and lots of dolls .” With more than 50 years of experience choosing the right toys for his customers , Cohen has an innate sense of what works . There are lots of classic items like toy trains , yoyos , ball and jacks sets , stuffed animals , Lego sets and board games such as chess and backgammon . These are blended with more modern favorites such as Pokémon . Cohen says the collectable dolls don ’ t sell as
much as they used to , and that people are always looking for basic baby dolls , which he is happy to supply . In fact , his quest to find the perfect toy is exactly what led Cohen to start his toy store in the first place .
“ We had four kids , and my wife was always searching for birthday presents for them and could never find what she wanted .” Cohen says when a storefront became available in Squirrel Hill , it seemed like the perfect idea to open a toy store at the location . His four children served as the perfect test market for the new store which began in 1970 .
The name of the store is an amalgamation of the names of his four children . The “ e ” in the words “ toyes ” and “ giftes ” is Olde English and was added to imply an old-fashioned type of toy store , with lovely classic toys and personalized customer service .
His store was a big hit , and the downtown location on Smithfield was added in 1978 . Ten years later , Cohen opened a third store in Shadyside .
He still works at the downtown store every day and is a familiar sight to longtime customers who shopped there as kids , and now return with their own children . Though it would be easy to purchase toys online to sell in the shop , Cohen insists on going to market to select items for his beloved store . “ I like to put my hands on what I ’ m buying ,” he explains . “ I go to trade shows in New York .”
Though we think of toy stores as a children ’ s paradise , the adults enjoy it just as much . “ Adults love our store !” says Cohen . “ The minute they walk in , they start smiling .” S . W . Randall Toyes & Giftes is for the child that lives inside of all of us . n
Photo Credit : Ralph LoVuolo
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