Throwback Thursday — Mac's Toys and the McFetridge Family
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
For those of us who have grown up in Brownsville over the last half century, the name "Mac's Toys" should hold a special place in your heart. Long before there were any big box retail stores with huge toy sections, and long before there was a Toys R Us or a K-B Toys in town, there was Mac's Toys. The original Mac's Toys was open in 1957. It was located at 732 East Elizabeth Street, next to Blackburn's Appliances.
Eventually, the McFetridge family would open a new location one block down at 802 East Elizabeth Street. This would be the Mac's Toys headquarters. At the height of the Mac's Empire, six stores would be open. Two in Brownsville (the original location and a location in the Amigoland Mall), and locations in Harlingen, McAllen, Pharr, and Laredo.
I remember Mac's Toys fondly. I remember going in there and wishing I could have everything in the store. I understand toys are something every child loves, but toys are near and dear to my heart even to this day. I am in my 40's, and to this day I still have a vintage toy collection. I have acquired several toys from my youth. I remember getting several of them at Mac's.
A very special thanks has to go out to Mr. Don McFetridge who originally posted these images on the Yesteryear's Brownsville Facebook page. I very much appreciate his contributions to the page and the telling of his family's history. According to Mr. McFetridge, the peso devaluation of the late 1970's really put a dent in their business, and in 1982 they were forced to sell. They sold the mall property to the company that would eventually become K-B Toys and they sold off the other toy stores to other people in town. I have messaged Mr. McFetridge and asked for clarification, because I clearly remember going into Mac's past 1982. I wonder if the new owners kept the toy store open for a while and just kept the original Mac's Toys name.
I clearly remember the sights, the sounds, and the toys. I remember walking in and seeing the Corgi diecast display to the left as soon as you walked in. I remember a motorized California Highway Patrol model kit behind the counter, and I clearly remember my mother, who worked her fingers to the bone to support her spoiled brat of a son, buying me probably the coolest toy a young boy could have ever wanted — Optimus Prime.
The original store would eventually give way to a discount furniture outlet open in the rear section of the building. Today, the building's storefront addition has been removed and the facade redone.
Mac's Toys helped thousands of Brownsville's children enjoy their youth. I understand that at the end of the day they had a business to run, but I firmly believe they were in the business of providing joy and happiness. They were also in the business of preserving the innocence of youth. It really is a pity today's children are being robbed of their innocence. Technology plays an all too important role in a child's development. Their motor skills aren't challenged as much as they used to be when boys were running around with Transformers, Matchbox cars, and G.I. Joes.
I am very fortunate to have been a child of the 80's. I often times say I was born about 30 years too late. I often times fantasize about growing up in Brownsville in the 1950's and 60's, but I do not think I had a bad childhood in the least, and I know for a fact places like Mac's Toys were instrumental in shaping my childhood.
Thank you, McFetridge Family. Thank you for bringing joy and happiness to my life. Thank you for bringing joy and happiness to Brownsville.
For those of us who have grown up in Brownsville over the last half century, the name "Mac's Toys" should hold a special place in your heart. Long before there were any big box retail stores with huge toy sections, and long before there was a Toys R Us or a K-B Toys in town, there was Mac's Toys. The original Mac's Toys was open in 1957. It was located at 732 East Elizabeth Street, next to Blackburn's Appliances.
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| The Original Mac's Toys next to Blackburn's Appliances |
Eventually, the McFetridge family would open a new location one block down at 802 East Elizabeth Street. This would be the Mac's Toys headquarters. At the height of the Mac's Empire, six stores would be open. Two in Brownsville (the original location and a location in the Amigoland Mall), and locations in Harlingen, McAllen, Pharr, and Laredo.
 |
| The location of the "New" Mac's Toys before the storefront was added |
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| The "New" Mac's Toys after the renovations and addition of the storefront |
I remember Mac's Toys fondly. I remember going in there and wishing I could have everything in the store. I understand toys are something every child loves, but toys are near and dear to my heart even to this day. I am in my 40's, and to this day I still have a vintage toy collection. I have acquired several toys from my youth. I remember getting several of them at Mac's.
 |
| Mac's model train display. I'm sure Raul Besteiro spent some time (and money) in here |
A very special thanks has to go out to Mr. Don McFetridge who originally posted these images on the Yesteryear's Brownsville Facebook page. I very much appreciate his contributions to the page and the telling of his family's history. According to Mr. McFetridge, the peso devaluation of the late 1970's really put a dent in their business, and in 1982 they were forced to sell. They sold the mall property to the company that would eventually become K-B Toys and they sold off the other toy stores to other people in town. I have messaged Mr. McFetridge and asked for clarification, because I clearly remember going into Mac's past 1982. I wonder if the new owners kept the toy store open for a while and just kept the original Mac's Toys name.
I clearly remember the sights, the sounds, and the toys. I remember walking in and seeing the Corgi diecast display to the left as soon as you walked in. I remember a motorized California Highway Patrol model kit behind the counter, and I clearly remember my mother, who worked her fingers to the bone to support her spoiled brat of a son, buying me probably the coolest toy a young boy could have ever wanted — Optimus Prime.
 |
| The model that was behind the counter at Mac's Toys |
The original store would eventually give way to a discount furniture outlet open in the rear section of the building. Today, the building's storefront addition has been removed and the facade redone.
Mac's Toys helped thousands of Brownsville's children enjoy their youth. I understand that at the end of the day they had a business to run, but I firmly believe they were in the business of providing joy and happiness. They were also in the business of preserving the innocence of youth. It really is a pity today's children are being robbed of their innocence. Technology plays an all too important role in a child's development. Their motor skills aren't challenged as much as they used to be when boys were running around with Transformers, Matchbox cars, and G.I. Joes.
I am very fortunate to have been a child of the 80's. I often times say I was born about 30 years too late. I often times fantasize about growing up in Brownsville in the 1950's and 60's, but I do not think I had a bad childhood in the least, and I know for a fact places like Mac's Toys were instrumental in shaping my childhood.
Thank you, McFetridge Family. Thank you for bringing joy and happiness to my life. Thank you for bringing joy and happiness to Brownsville.
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