After 85 years in business, a treasured San Francisco toy shop will soon be closing permanently, citing the “perils and violence of the downton environment” and calling on city leadership to revitalize the area. 

Jeffrey’s Toys has been run by the same family for four generations, beginning in 1938, and at one point had several locations in the area. The shop closing on San Francisco’s Kearny Street has been operational for 75 years and was the last one left, bringing a nearly-century-long run to an end. 

The family is “saddened it has come to this” and “explored all other options” to try to keep the business afloat, the family’s attorney, Ken Sterling, said in a statement. 

“The store has been struggling for a number of years, due to the perils and violence of the downtown environment, inflation, the decrease in consumer spending and the demise of retail across the world,” Mr. Sterling said. “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.” 

Since the pandemic, crime waves and tough economic conditions have rocked liberal western cities, forcing closures of businesses in Portland, including REI, Walmart, and Cracker Barrel, as the Sun reported. In California, dangerous conditions in Oakland led to the area’s only In-N-Out Burger to announce it will close in March. 

Jeffrey’s Toys had announced it was struggling back in December and had called on the city and customers to help. Its co-owner, Matthew Luhn, was paying $20,000 a month for its downtown location, SFGATE reported. Mr. Luhn worked as an animator for Pixar, drawing on the shop for inspiration for the Toy Story series. 

In addition to shoplifting incidents, one employee quit after being pushed up against the store’s walls during an attempted stabbing in the store. Mr. Luhn and his dad had been pulling money out of their retirement accounts to keep the store running, he said.