A Haunted Toy Store in California
In 1970, a new Toys-R-Us was built in Sunnyvale California. It soon got a reputation for being haunted. People who worked and shopped there claimed that toys would sometimes jump off the shelves by themselves, that they occasionally felt someone touch them when no one was there, and that the faucets in the restroom would regularly turn themselves on. One of the employees said a man wearing old-fashioned clothes passed her in the store one day. When she turned around, no one was there.
The odd happenings became so frequent that the employees decided to hold a seance, which was led by Sylvia Browne, a noted psychic. An infrared photo was taken while Browne claimed to be talking to the ghost — the photo revealed a man who wasn’t there standing in the aisle.
It turned out the store had been built on the site of one of the original pioneer farms in California. According to legend (and many of the details didn’t hold up when actually investigated), in 1880 a farmhand named John (or Yohan), after being rejected by the settler’s daughter, died in an axe accident on that site. It has been presumed that it was his ghost haunting the toy store.
In spite of the strange happenings, the ghost never hurt anyone and none of the employees or customers ever felt in danger.
The toy store chain Toys-R-Us went out of business a few years ago, and the Sunnyvale store closed in 2018. For several years, the building remained empty, only being used during the Halloween season as, of all things, a Spirit Halloween store.
But last year, in late October 2021, sports retailer REI took over the store, selling sports gear and camping equipment. As of yet, there have been no reports (that I could find anyway, at least not yet…) of weird things still happening. Perhaps the ghost only liked toys! Still, if you’re close-by and intrigued, check out the REI at 130 E El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, California to see for yourself.
If you see anything, be sure to post a note!