Obit

Requiem for a Toy Store

How KB fell behind the times.

The bankruptcy of KB toys last week marks the end of a tenacious business that adapted to the changing landscape of American commerce over the course of 86 years. Begun by the Kaufman Brothers as a candy store, the company changed course during the sugar shortages of World War II, eventually transitioning entirely into a toy store for the burgeoning youth of the Baby Boomers. Other retail chains jumped on the bandwagon, "[b]ut KB stayed in business by focusing its expansion on another wholly American trend: the shopping mall." Missteps: refusing to carry toy guns and most importantly, walking away from video games. "As a discount wholesaler, KB stocks neither the hot, new toys nor the action-packed video games that kids want." In the end, KB was a model for how a business can evolve with times, or be left behind.