Owner Of 107-Year-Old NJ Toy Store Talks Toys: What's Hot (Nostalgic Toys) And Not

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Dan Shapiro and his 99-year-old father, Harold, have been in the toy business for decades, after the family purchased Meyer's Toys — which opened in 1914 — from the original owner in 1981. Since moving their location from New Brunswick to its current spot in Livingston, they've seen fads come and go, but couldn't have predicted the COVID pandemic.

When Harold, 99, stopped coming to the store amid the pandemic last year, son Dan, the current owner and an electrical engineer, found ways to keep the business alive. He spoke this week about current toy trends and about struggling through the crisis as a small business owner.

Meyer's Toys in Livingston opened in New Brunswick in 1914 and grew to become a major toy store later in the century. Besides toys, it sold bicycles, nursery furniture, and even above-ground pools.

"It used to be huge," Dan Shapiro said this week. "Bigger than Toys R Us."

These days, the store doesn't sell bikes or pools, but it's still got plenty of space, including a large train table with moving trains. There's also a section for various kinds of dolls, and items and parts for hobbyists.

Shapiro said the biggest change in the industry has been "The shift away from the physical games to the electronic. Everything is done on laptop, iPad. Even though I'm an electrical engineer and I'm all for technology, I'm not a fan of that. I think kids losing that tactile sensation is unfortunate."

Parents come to Meyer's not to buy a PS5, XBox or iPad, but to return to their roots and purchase "classic" games and toys.

"People are getting tired of their kids being stuck with the video games and iPads and are trying to reclaim the toys they had fun with when they were kids," Shapiro said. "They're trying to re-introduce kids to them, the physical games, classic toys, as opposed to an app."

'Kids Learn Physics' Through Trains

Shapiro noted, "We do a huge job with wooden trains, custom trains, train tables. To me that's one of the greatest toys. Kids learn physics. They can watch the magnetic trains relate to each other, how they connect. They learn cooperation. There's only one track, so if two kids are playing, they have to cooperate. There are lots of life lessons."

Shapiro said he's watched thousands of kids operate trains since he left the corporate world years ago to spend time with his family. They live nearby in Short Hills.

"I was in the corporate world for 15 years," he said. "I was tired of traveling so much. I said, 'Let's open a little boutique store in Livingston. I was able to watch my kids grow up and go to school, go to their school functions."

The store opened in its current spot in 2002, after moving from New Brunswick to East Brunswick to Edison. After the business's founding by Joe Meyer in 1914, Harold Shapiro became interested in the business in the 1960s and asked to buy it, but Joe put him to work there instead. Harold bought the shop when Joe passed away.

Harold's wife Arline was also involved in the business until she passed away three months ago at age 95.

"She was also here all the time," Dan Shapiro said. "When we did kids' birthday parties, she'd be the greeter at the door."

Fewer Parties Means Fewer Gifts

But that was before COVID. Shapiro said that they haven't been able to hold any birthday parties since the start of the pandemic. They often ran themed parties for younger kids, who can't be vaccinated.

Not only that — Shapiro said that the lack of birthday parties in general has hurt the toy business, as people aren't giving gifts as often.

The holidays are a help, though.

Shapiro noted that plenty of shopping occurs after Christmas, when people use the gift certificates they got. In fact, Meyer's will be open the day after Christmas, a Sunday.

There have been other challenges to the business recently: The supply chain slowdown. "Normally we put in a big order [for the holidays] in September," Shapiro said. "We got half of what we ordered." READ MORE: Supply Chain Issues Hit Charity Toy Drives For Kids

Meyer's will be open on Christmas Eve, possibly until 4 p.m., Shapiro said (call ahead to be sure). The day after Christmas, a Sunday, they'll be open again from 11 to 4.

Find out more about Meyer's Toys here.

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