Pro-criminal policies claim a San Francisco toy store after over 80 years in business, joining other retail stores that have closed.
By Eileen Griffin
Another business has closed its doors, unable to continue functioning under leftist policies in San Francisco.
After over 80 years in business, Jeffrey’s Toys announced that it will close its doors in February, the New York Post reports. The permissive policies that have led to lawlessness are to blame.
The original founders, Birdie and Morton Luhn, opened the store in 1938. In the early years, several stores operated around the Bay Area. In recent years, only the single store remained in the financial district of San Francisco.
Jeffrey’s Toys is the oldest toy store in San Francisco’s history and it has been family owned and operated the entire time, the website says. Four generations have owned the business.
Initially a general store, the Luhns changed their business model in response to the Baby Boom after World War II. With so many babies being born, the demand for toys grew and the business thrived, expanding to four stores.
“We want to stay in business, but we need a healthier relationship with the city,” Mark Luhn told San Francisco Gate. “We’re putting our money in, we’re putting our hard work in, and we’re putting our love into it. But, in the relationship we have with the city, that’s not being returned.”
Luhn says the economic picture for the store was grim. Between rising expenses and the overwhelming amount of crime, it no longer was feasible to continue.
Ken Sterling, an attorney representing the family, told the SF Gate their reasons for closing. “The perils and violence of the downtown environment, inflation, the decrease in consumer spending and the demise of retail across the world.”
Jeffrey’s Toy Store is not unique in its decision to leave the city of San Francisco. Several businesses have been leaving as the city continues to deteriorate.
Nordstrom announced the closing of their San Francisco store last year, as Heartland Daily News previously reported. Ongoing retail theft, street crimes, and unsafe conditions were cited at the time.
San Francisco is ranked the second worst for organized retail crime, the 2022 Retail Security Survey reports. The California city of Los Angeles is listed as the city most affected by organized retail crime.
The same cities listed in 2020 as the worst places for crime continue to be in the top ten in 2022 with the exception of only two; Baltimore, MD and Las Vegas, NV.
Most of the cities in the top ten are Democrat-run cities like Chicago, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco where soft-on-crime policies prevail and D.A.’s, backed by leftist George Soros, refuse to impose penalties for criminal behaviors.
Organized retail crime (ORC) is a growing problem cited in the study. Retailers reported a 25.5 percent increase in ORC between 2021 and 2022. Businesses experience the loss of inventory, but also face other challenges due to the lawless environment.
Retailers note that ORC has become violent in nature. Eight out of ten retailers said that violence and aggression are something they are forced to endure when theft ring attacks. Violence has become more prevalent, and the level of violence is increasing.
Violence and fear impact employee retention. Retailers have difficulty hiring and retaining staff when the job includes such a high-risk factor. Employees fear for their own safety.
Retailers are doing as much as they can to help themselves. They are increasing security measures and training employees to deal with aggression and hostility. Over 80 percent of retailers now provide active shooter training for employees.
“Retailers are very concerned about violence, as it was the most commonly cited specific offense,” the report concludes.
“San Francisco’s crime problem is taking a big toll on businesses,” commentator David Asman previously reported for Fox Business in May of 2023.
San Francisco restaurant owner, David Lee, told Asman at the time that the city needs more protection from crime including more police officers and more punishment for criminals.
“A lot of the criminals know once they break even if they do get arrested they are going to be released the next day,” Lee said. “You can totally tell that a lot of these are repeat offenders because of the break-in style so we know that it’s the same people doing it over and over again and there’s no control over it.”
Lee said he is hopeful for change if new leadership takes on the crime problem, but it may be too late for many stores.
“With all these small businesses closing and all these big businesses closing, you are not going to have a city left,” Lee said.
It will definitely be too late for Jeffrey’s Toys despite their storied history, hard work, and heartwarming mission. “Creating happiness one toy at a time,” Mark Luhn says on the company’s website.
“The family is saddened it has come to this and we’ve explored all other options to try and keep the business going,” Sterling told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The leadership of the City of San Francisco and the Downtown Association let crime run wild in the once vibrant and fun downtown experience.”
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