LA’s Oldest Toy Store Burglarized: ‘I Don’t Know How We’ll Recover’

LOS ANGELES — The oldest toy store in Los Angeles was burglarized in a smash-and-grab over the weekend, according to police and media reports.

Surveillance footage recorded the thief breaking into Kip’s Toyland, KTLA reported. The store is located at The Original Farmer’s Market in La Brea.

Los Angeles police received a report of a burglary in which roughly $7,000 in property was stolen around 4 a.m. Saturday in the 6300 block of West Third Street, according to law enforcement. Officers responded to follow up on the incident more than a day later, around 10 a.m. Sunday, police said.

The burglar stole the business’s priciest Lego sets, according to KTLA.

“As a small business, this is a big hit for us,” store manager Jay Ortiz told KTLA. “I don’t know how we’ll recover from something like this or even want to push forward. Like, do we continue to carry Legos? Will we be continually targeted?”

Founded in 1945, Kip’s Toyland was started by World War II veteran and returning prisoner of war Irvin Kipper. More than 80 years later, it remains a family business.