Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Warren.
Mary, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
While our storefront opened in July 2014, our original blog started in 2011 to share toys we loved. We chose the name “Nakama” because it means friendship in Japanese, a theme we attempt to replicate with each customer. The original blog focused on Japanese collectibles for the overall quality of the figures.
Bryan is a huge video game and anime collector. He’s been collecting as long as he can remember. His first collections were Transformers and Masters of the Universe. Bryan got me into the culture when he showed me Anime for the first time. My first Anime was “His and Her Circumstances.” It was about a control freak, overachiever who learned to be herself. It spoke to me and I’ve been hooked ever since.
We met working retail together and loved that atmosphere so we thought, “Hey, let’s try selling some imports at a convention!” We started an online store in 2011 and worked our first convention, Louisville Arcade Expo, the same year. The following spring we worked all the local Chicago conventions including C2E2, ACEN and G-fest and haven’t stopped since. We love the excitement of Chicago collectors so much! With an amazing amount of support and love from our friends, family and customers Nakama Toys opened in the beautiful Logan Square neighborhood!
Has it been a smooth road?
Things have not always been easy. We’ve made every effort to proceed with caution but at a certain point, you have to jump in and learn the hard way. For us, we struggled to learn exactly what sells best. For example, dropping toy brands or items (like sofubi) that didn’t work for us and picking up new items (Like gunpla model kits) or Neca action figures. We often ordered too much of the bad and not enough of the good. While we’ve made poor decisions along the way, we’ve learned something invaluable each time. There will be bumps in the road ahead but we are better equipped to deal with them with some experience under our belts.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Nakama Toys story. Tell us more about the business.
Our business specializes in high-quality collectible statues, action figures, model kits and trading figures mostly from Japan. Japanese toys are known as the best collectibles for a reason. Japanese toys use better quality sculpts, have better overall detail and lots of articulation. They are also known to last longer. For high-end toy collectors, we are their favorite Chicago shop.
Often, sellers will offer bootlegged or fake merchandise. We are known for our high quality, official merchandise. We are authorized vendors for some of the big names like Bandai USA, Goodsmile Company, and Sideshow Collectibles.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The collectible toy industry is going in the right direction. Now more than ever people have access to anime, movies and shows through Hulu, Netflix or Crunchyroll streaming services. Every day, we meet people new to all things Japanese and collectible.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2504 N California Ave. Chicago, IL 60647
- Website: www.nakamatoys.com
- Phone: 773-227-3396
- Email: contact@nakamatoys.com
- Instagram: @nakamatoy
- Facebook: facebook.com/nakamatoyschicago
- Twitter: @nakamatoys
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
