San Francisco Toy Store That Inspired ‘Toy Story’ to Close After 85 Years

Jeffrey’s Toys in San Francisco in March 2023. Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

A beloved family-owned toy store that inspired Disney’s animated movie “Toy Story” will close next month after 85 years in business, the owners announced Jan. 23.

They cited the “perils and violence of the downtown environment,” inflation, the worldwide decrease in consumer spending, and the demise of retail as reasons behind the decision to shutter Jeffrey’s Toys, the family’s attorney, Ken Sterling, told SF Gate.

The store, located on Kearny Avenue, will close Feb. 10, according to Mr. Sterling.

“The family is saddened it has come to this,” he told the news outlet via an emailed statement. “The leadership of the City of San Francisco and the Downtown Association have their work cut out for them on how to revitalize what was once a vibrant and fun downtown experience.”

The owners are working with landlords and creditors and have been advised not to speak with the press, Mr. Sterling said.

The store additionally announced its closure last week on Facebook, saying: “All things must go.” They thanked their customers and said all full-price items, not including those on consignment, were 30 percent off.

The shop has been operated by four generations of the Luhn family. Most recently, Matthew Luhn told SF Gate last month he had been co-running it with his father, Mark, and his stepmother Rosie Coronado-Luhn. His great-great-grandparents started the store in 1938 as a variety shop but began exclusively selling toys in 1953.

At its height, the store opened several locations around the Bay Area, including in San Leandro, Oakland, and Hayward, according to the news outlet.

The store moved to Berkeley in 2015 as rent began to escalate in San Francisco, but relocated back to San Francisco in 2017.

The store inspired Matthew Luhn to go to animation school and he spent 20 years as an animator, writer, and story director at Pixar, where he eventually became one of 12 animators for the original “Toy Story” movie. During production, his father would give the team ideas and they visited the store often, he told SF Gate.

The public first became aware of the family’s struggles at Jeffrey’s Toys last December, when the store began begging customers to stop by for last-minute holiday gifts, according to SF Gate.

The store, which pays $20,000 a month in rent, according to SF Gate, said it needed customer support and help from city officials to keep it open.

Aside from plummeting business after the COVID-19 pandemic and fewer office workers downtown, crime in the area has exacerbated the store’s downturn, according to the family.

During one shoplifting incident, someone attempted to stab one of the employees, causing her to quit after working there for five years, Matthew Luhn told the news outlet.