The toy store responsible for inspiring the legendary “Toy Story” films will close indefinitely after nearly nine decades in business thanks to a rampant crime spree in downtown San Francisco and the stabbing of one of its former employees.
Jeffrey's Toys will close its doors “in two weeks” after an astonishing 86 years in business, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday. The store was founded in 1938 by the Luhn family and had seven locations at its peak but was down to one location at 45 Kearney Street in San Francisco's financial district.
Lawyer Ken Sterling told the San Francisco Chronicle that “danger and violence” in San Francisco combined with Biden inflation played prominent roles in the store's demise.
The store has been struggling for several years due to danger and violence in the downtown environment, inflation, declining consumer spending, and the demise of retailing around the world, Sterling said.
He continued: “The family is saddened by what this has become, and we have explored all other options to try to continue the business.”
According to the store's website, the store was founded by Morton and Birdie Luhn and began as a five-and-dime variety store in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1938. It was initially called Birdie's Variety Store, named after Birdie Luhn. They began selling toys exclusively after World War II and renamed the store Birdie's Toy House in 1953.
It was rebranded as Jeffrey's Toys in 1966 and was eventually passed on to their grandson Mark Lunn. Mark's son and current co-owner, Matthew Lunn, worked at Pixar as a story artist and writer in the mid-1990s.
Matthew Lunn told the San Francisco Gate last month that his father would provide him and the rest of the Toy Story cast with ideas throughout the writing and filming process.
“We always went to Jeffrey's games,” Matthew Lunn said. “My father just closed the store and said, 'Just play and have fun, and let me know if you need anything.'
Matthew Lunn told the San Francisco Gateway that shoppers and sales were down significantly due to crime. He revealed that the situation was so bad that a former employee was pushed against the wall of the store and almost stabbed.
Sterling blamed “San Francisco's city leadership and the Downtown Association” for allowing crime to spread in the “once vibrant” downtown.
According to the latest crime statistics, burglaries across San Francisco were up 14.4% in 2023 compared to 2022.
Jeffrey's Toys is just the latest retailer to close due to San Francisco's crime crisis. Since early 2020, 40 retail stores have closed in the city's downtown area.
