By Nicholas Esposito and Brian Harmon

Rob Maurus wants his new toy store in Miller Place to look like KB Toys and be like the NFL, at least in some ways.

“I want it to feel like a classic KB – very organized, clean, and just to be able to look everywhere and see all the bright colors of the toys,” says Maurus, an East Patchogue resident who is starting his second weekend at the Lost Toys store.

“I’ll be open on weekends too. I want people to look forward to coming to the store, like their favorite team is playing on Sunday. I want customers to say, ‘Oh, my team is playing on Sunday. The family needs to round up the kids to go to Lost Toys this weekend.'”

Lost Toys, 451 Route 25A, which is open Saturday and Sunday at noon, is all about creating excitement and being part of a special outing, he added.

With Dad in my heart

For Maurus, who has been collecting toys, comics and cards all his life, opening his new store is more than just a business venture; it is the realization of a dream he has hoped for for decades.

Located in the same mall as GameOn, the vintage video game store he’s run for years, Lost Toys offers a curated selection of vintage collectibles, each carefully chosen to inspire nostalgia and joy in customers.

Maurus grew up in East Patchogue and his love of toys was sparked by his late father, who rewarded him for helping around the house with trips to KB Toys or Toys “R” Us.

“I became a completist early on,” recalls the Patchogue-Medford High School graduate, describing how, long before the days of eBay and Amazon, he would search everywhere for complete sets of action figures and cards. “I had two of everything – one to play with and one to keep in perfect condition.”

This passion for collecting has followed Maurus through the years, even during high school and college when it wasn’t exactly “cool” to display action figures in his room at home or on the walls of his dorm room. During this time, he continued to collect “in secret,” he said.

Now, as the owner of Lost Toys, he is excited to share his love for these vintage treasures with the community.

A nostalgic experience

A visit to Lost Toys is like a trip back in time. The store, which opened on August 17, offers a wide range of vintage items, from comic books with iconic issues like the first appearances of The Punisher and Doctor Strange to rare action figures that look like they just came out of the box in the 1990s.

“I found some stuff that people were keeping in bags from Toys “R” Us and KB Toys with the receipts,” he said. “I handed out the bags with the purchases. I have a stack of receipts – I look at them and think, ‘Wow, these were $1.99 a piece in 1994!'”

The implementation

Although Lost Toys is a solo project for Maurus, it is closely tied to his time managing the GameOn stores in downtown Patchogue and Miller Place, where he learned the fundamentals of retail and built relationships with many of his customers.

“I’ve made so many friends just in the store,” he said. Opening his own store was a natural next step, especially when a store opened up in the same shopping center as the Miller Place GameOn.

Not only does the store give him the opportunity to share his treasures with others, it also brings back fond memories of the joy and wonder he felt as a child when he entered a toy store with his father.

“When I finished on Sunday night, I took a step back and thought, ‘Wow, I actually did it,'” he said.

Lost Toys has already become more than just a store, Maurus said, noting that collectors and families alike are connected over their shared love of vintage toys and comics.

“I see men coming in with their children and showing them the toys they grew up with,” he said. “It’s happening faster than I expected, but it’s great to see.”