Someone alert Santa

Iconic toy store FAO Schwarz to open at Nordstrom in NorthPark Dallas

The first FAO Schwarz Jewel Box shop, at Nordstrom’s New York City flagship.

Facebook/Visual Elements

With fewer than 130 shopping days left until Christmas, Dallas' NorthPark Center is unwrapping a gift for parents and kids: a small-format FAO Schwarz toy store will open inside Nordstrom on Friday, August 21.

According to a release, the iconic New York City toy store will bring a selection of toys and dolls to Dallas through “The Jewel Box,” described as a store-within-a-store concept designed as a dollhouse-size version of the FAO Schwarz flagship.

The NorthPark location is one of eight Nordstrom stores nationwide, and the only in Texas, to get The Jewel Box. (The others are in California, Washington, Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois.)

The space will feature immersive displays, live toy demonstrations, and interactive experiences, along with toys and gifts. It will carry FAO Schwarz-branded categories including plush, fashion and beauty toys, creativity, music, preschool and vehicles, as well as specialty brands such as Brio, Bunnies by the Bay and Djeco, the company says.

FAO Schwarz Plushes galore.Facebook/Visual Elements

The assortment is also tailored to Nordstrom shoppers, with infant and preschool offerings that allow families to shop for toys, apparel, and gear in one place.

According to the release, select locations will feature a suite of hands-on experiences inspired by iconic FAO Schwarz moments, including:

FAO-Abulous – Design and accessorize your own custom handbag.
FAO Doll – Select your swaddle, sign the birth certificate and bring your chosen baby doll home.
FAO Beauty – Build your own make-up kit with customized color palette.
Brio Personalization Station – Explore hands-on play and customization with the beloved Brio train collection.

FAO Schwarz A kiosk at select locations lets customers design and accessorize their own custom handbag.Facebook/Visual Elements

The partnership between Nordstrom and FAO Schwarz is part of a nationwide expansion for the toy brand.

“Nordstrom is a perfect partner for FAO Schwarz, with its long tradition of beautiful stores, unique and quality products, and its commitment to the best in customer service,” says David Niggli, FAO Schwarz chief merchandising officer, in the release. “By bringing our two iconic brands together, we’re creating an engaging experience where shopping becomes playful and full of wonder, while sharing our exclusive products, collaborations, and retail theater through immersive demonstrations and experiences with Nordstrom customers.”

FAO Schwarz was founded in New York in 1862 and has become synonymous with elaborate toy displays and theatrical retail experiences. The brand is known for such signature elements as Toy Soldiers, Clock Towers, and lifelike plush animals. The famous Dance-on Piano earned a place in pop culture history thanks to the 1988 Tom Hanks movie Big.

Nordstrom wasn't too far behind with its founding in 1901 as a Seattle shoe store. The two retailers say the partnership is designed to combine Nordstrom’s emphasis on service and selection with FAO Schwarz’s emphasis on play and discovery.

“FAO Schwarz represents imagination and joyful discovery, which aligns naturally with how we think about creating meaningful experiences for our customers,” says Tacey Powers, executive vice president and general merchandise manager for shoes, kids, and home at Nordstrom. “By partnering with a retailer that shares our vision for thoughtful curation and immersive retail moments, we’re able to create something truly special - inviting customers of all ages to engage, explore and experience the joy of shopping.”

The Dallas store will celebrate its grand opening with a customer event from 10 am-2 pm Saturday, August 22, featuring family-friendly treats, entertainment, and interactive activities. Find it inside Nordstrom NorthPark at 8687 N. Central Expy., Dallas.

The FAO Schwarz collection is also available through Nordstrom.com.

nordstrom northpark opening toys shopping

Movie Review

Tom Cruise mines for Oscar gold in dark satire Digger

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Tom Cruise in Digger.

For most of the 21st century, and especially the last 15 years, Tom Cruise has been a “movie star” rather than an “actor.” That’s not to say he’s a bad actor, but rather that his focus has been on making blockbuster movies where his unique ability to go all-in on action supersedes any need for introspection. Now perhaps past his action movie days, he’s giving full-on acting another try in Digger.

Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil baron whose current project is drilling for oil in Greenland. Turns out that’s a bad idea in multiple ways, most significantly when an explosion at the site manages to calve an ice shelf five times the size of Boston. That humongous piece of ice then starts on an inevitable collision course with mainland Europe, where it is predicted that there will be hundreds of thousands of deaths and uncountable property damage from the ensuing tsunami.

That sounds bleak, and it is, but the film plays the scenario for laughs thanks to over-the-top characters like Digger, his sister Emma (Sandra Hüller), U.S. President Compson (John Goodman), and the unnamed Vice President (Michael Stuhlbarg). As those people and others try to spin the disaster of epic proportions, others like the scientist Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) try to get the leaders to see reason or to take responsibility for their actions.

Written and directed by Alejandro Iñárritu and co-written by three others, the film has more than a few surprises in store, including one big one that will go unspoiled here. Suffice it to say that for anyone who might be put off by how Cruise (who seems to be channeling his Les Grossman character from Tropic Thunder) and others are acting in the trailers for the film may change their minds about the performances after actually having seen the complete product.

What can be said is that the film is a wild, wacky, and occasionally disorienting experience that also doubles as a cogent critique of the governments and corporations responsible for climate change and unchecked capitalism. Digger is a motormouth who often cuts off people with relevant information to impart, having already determined that he knows all he needs to know about a certain topic. He’s stuck in his ways in many respects, including trying to keep alive a 20-year-old cat that clearly wants to die.

Once the full scope of the story is revealed, it becomes easier to understand what Iñárritu and Cruise are trying to accomplish with the film. It has some similarities to Stanley Kubrick’s dark satire Dr. Strangelove, but it also tries to stay grounded in certain ways. The push-and-pull between those who only seem to be out for themselves and those who want to get to the truth of the matter is played out on different fronts throughout the film. Not all of it lands, but enough does to not make the film seem completely unhinged.

Cruise has been nominated for three Oscars, and it’s clear he’s aiming for a fourth nod with this performance. He does his best to sell every quirk and aspect of the character, epitomized by a gonzo speech that utilizes every mental and physical skill he can muster. The supporting actors are hit-and-miss, but Ahmed comes off the best as a person serving as Digger’s moral conscience. He’s an antidote to Cruise’s mania, but then turns it up to 11 when needed.

Not everything is as it seems in Digger, and the out-there approach by Iñárritu and his team falls into the love-it-or-hate-it dichotomy that applies to many of his films. The very fact that everyone involved was willing to dedicate their whole selves to such an off-the-wall concept makes it deserving of attention, even if not everything is a success.

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Digger opens in theaters on October 2.

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Movie Review

Tom Cruise mines for Oscar gold in dark satire Digger