FAO Schwarz opening shops within Bon-Ton stores

NEW YORK – FAO Schwarz, whose famous New York toy store was shut down two years ago, is making a return.

Nearly 190 FAO Schwarz shops opened this week inside Bon-Ton, Carson’s and other department stores run by Bon-Ton Stores Inc. More than half of the FAO sections will roll out a nearly 6-foot-long piano mat so that shoppers can play a tune with their feet like Tom Hanks in the 1988 movie “Big.”

FAO’s New York store, known for its giant piano and large stuffed animals, was closed in 2015 by its owner at the time, Toys R Us. Last year, Toys R Us sold the FAO brand to consumer-product maker ThreeSixty Group.

The FAO shops will sell items like stuffed animals, train sets and the piano mat, which costs $130.