Shoppers say goodbye to iconic FAO Schwarz flagship store

MIDTOWN, Manhattan -- It's a day we all didn't want to see come.

This was the last weekend shoppers would be blown away by the iconic toy store.

Although it may seem like the end of an era, the FAO Schwarz flagship store has actually moved around Manhattan many times before. They've been on 5th Avenue for over a century, and in their current location since 1986.

Credit: AP

"We drove here all the way from West Brook, Connecticut to come here before they close," said Joe Daniel, after posing with his wife and a couple of the FAO Schwarz soldiers.

Tourists from Italy, Puerto Rico and locally from Long Island made sure they made it in to say goodbye. One pair of mothers and their daughters made the trip to say so long to one soldier in particular. His name is Eric.

"We came to say goodbye to him because we know he is leaving," said Dawn Sambade.

"It's hard to forget him," said Ariana Sambade. Apparently, the feeling is mutual.

"Before we were just sitting over there and he just spotted us," said Alexa Feldman, who was visiting with the same group.

But the soldiers will now have to find a new home.

"Lets see what happens. I hope they open again one day," said first-time shopper Yolanda Rivera.

Many today said what they'll miss most is the store's oversized key board made famous by the movie 'Big' in 1988. In the movie, Tom Hanks' character played 'Chopsticks' by dancing on the giant keys.

Toys 'R' Us, the store's owner since 2009, is looking to re-open in another midtown Manhattan location, possibly in Times Square.