DFW Vintage Toys – The History & Legacy

The History of DFW Vintage Toys

Long before Jayden's Toys opened its doors, founder Jayden Frost was already part of the Dallas-Fort Worth vintage toy collecting community.

In 2012, Frost began selling vintage toys from a 10-by-10 U-Haul storage unit, turning the unit into a miniature toy shop and meeting collectors by appointment. What began as a personal passion for the toys and action figures he grew up with quickly developed into something much larger.

Small storage unit that started the idea of one of the pioneer vintage toy stores in Dallas.

 

The Birth of DFW Vintage Toys

In 2013, Jayden Frost opened DFW Vintage Toys, beginning with a retail location in Lewisville, Texas.

The store specialized in vintage toys, action figures and collectibles, including Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Masters of the Universe and many of the toy lines that defined the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Collectors began discovering the store through word of mouth, social media and photographs of the inventory posted online.

Early DFW Vintage Toys on a Saturday from the original Lewisville location at 896 North Mill Street, Lewisville, Texas.

 

In May 2013, the Dallas Observer profiled Frost and DFW Vintage Toys, documenting the unusual journey from selling toys in a small storage unit to operating a dedicated vintage toy store in North Texas.

Lewisville Leader, August 4, 2013 — DFW Vintage Toys featured on the front page just months after opening its first retail store in Lewisville, Texas.

Inside the original DFW Vintage Toys store in Lewisville, Texas, 2013. What began in a 10-by-10 U-Haul storage unit had grown into a full retail toy store.

Another newspaper article discussing the growing lines outside of this small toy store waiting to get in each weekend. 

From Lewisville to Carrollton

DFW Vintage Toys grew rapidly during its first year.

By the end of 2013, the original location could no longer comfortably accommodate the growing inventory and customer traffic. DFW Vintage Toys moved into a larger retail location at 2515 E. Rosemeade Parkway in Carrollton, Texas.

The Dallas Observer covered the expansion in December 2013 and returned in January 2014 for another feature highlighting some of the unusual vintage toys available inside the new store.

Over the following years, DFW Vintage Toys became known among collectors throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.

DFW Vintage Toys continued expanding as the business grew, eventually operating from larger locations to accommodate its growing inventory and customer base. This photo documents the grand opening of the third DFW Vintage Toys store.

Jayden Frost and the DFW Toy-Collecting Community

For Jayden Frost, DFW Vintage Toys was about more than buying and selling collectibles. It grew out of a lifelong connection to the toys, characters and pop culture of his childhood.

The business also demonstrated something that would become an important part of Frost's approach to retail: using social media to connect collectors with inventory and create a community around the store.

DFW Vintage Toys received coverage from local and national media and became part of the growing vintage toy scene in North Texas.

Frost eventually sold his ownership interest in DFW Vintage Toys and moved on to other projects.

 

From DFW Vintage Toys to a New Chapter

One year later, Jayden Frost was appoached by a mall owner who wanted a toy store. Jayden returned to the vintage toy and action figure business and founded Jayden's Toys.

Jayden's Toys is a separate business from DFW Vintage Toys, but the experience and collector knowledge Frost developed during the DFW Vintage Toys years remain an important part of his story.

Today, Jayden's Toys serves collectors throughout Dallas-Fort Worth from its Plano, Texas location, buying and selling toys and action figures from multiple generations.

For Frost, today's store represents another chapter in a story that started with a collection of vintage toys, a 10-by-10 U-Haul storage unit, and an idea for a different kind of toy store. and an idea for a different kind of toy store. Jayden's Toys has become one of the most popular and beloved toy store brands in the United States. 

Jayden'sToys mini doc was featured on the Amazon Prime show, "A Toy Store Near You".

Season 3, Episode 1

 

Preserving the History

This page is being created as an archive of the history of DFW Vintage Toys and Jayden Frost's involvement in the North Texas collecting community.

We will continue adding original photographs, advertisements, store memorabilia, videos and historical media coverage from the DFW Vintage Toys years.

Through the DFW Vintage Toy Vault, Jayden will also revisit memorable toys, collections and stories from more than a decade of buying, selling and collecting vintage toys in Dallas-Fort Worth.

DFW Vintage Toys in the Media

Dallas Observer — May 17, 2013: “Jayden Frost, a Singer for '80s Pop Band When In Rome, Runs a Vintage Toy Shop in DFW”

Dallas Observer — December 27, 2013: “When In Rome Singer Jayden Frost Is Moving His DFW Vintage Toys Into a Bigger Toybox”

Have a vintage toy or action figure collection to sell? Jayden's Toys buys collections throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond. Learn more about selling your toys to Jayden's Toys.Dallas Observer — January 24, 2014: “The 8 Weirdest Toys at DFW Vintage Toys”