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bjork · Jul 4, 2009

So the anime shop closed up a few months ago, on April 1. Boss basically just quit paying rent and let us get evicted. It was wild because the eviction process apparently takes a couple of months to make happen in CA, so every day we would wait for the final notice and it wouldn't show. This also meant that we had to explain why we were closing about 500000000x to people who'd go "aw man, that sucks, I love this store", but they would never buy anything.

We got evicted so we had the last day of business on April 1 and had the store cleared out by noon on April 2. I've been back by there recently and there's nothing in the spot still. I don't miss the customers so much or not being able to pee for hours on end, but I do miss my coworkers and the general routine of it. I guess I kinda miss the random shit that happened there too, but not so much.

Anyway, I figured that I'd post some pics I took of the place, for fun. I know people had posted before that they either wanted to come, or imagined it looking a certain way, so now you can see what you totally weren't missing out on, heh. I think most of the pictures are from around June of 2008 aside from the FFAC one, and then some are more towards closing.

It wasn't a very big place, but it was home for a long time.

Kaako · Jul 4, 2009

RIP...where's the hentai section though? ;P

vas_a_morir · Jul 4, 2009

Depressing shit.

polyh3dron · Jul 4, 2009

The end of an era.

Y2Kev · Jul 4, 2009

Awesome pics! That's a lot of anime dolls...

rexor0717 · Jul 4, 2009

Where was the store located?

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

Kaako said:
RIP...where's the hentai section though? ;P

Like the 10th picture down, just the top shelf between the hanging plushes of Inuyasha's brother and Piplup. It was way longer at one point (we had DVDs running down that entire long wall and the hentai ran the entire top shelf), but once sales dipped, so did what we carried. Don't think I have any pics of it at maximum density.

fistfulofmetal · Jul 4, 2009

An entire store of weirdo japanese anime crap and the strangest thing out of it all is the computer's desktop wallpaper.

Ryck · Jul 4, 2009

What mall is that?

Barrett2 · Jul 4, 2009

I'd have bought that Aeris action figure if I had ever visited the mall........ not really....

backflip10019 · Jul 4, 2009

Damn, that is a lot of nerdery.

perfectchaos007 · Jul 4, 2009

damn that's a lot of porn. wait, i only see anime. i thought it was a porn shop?

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

rexor0717 said:
Where was the store located?

Tyler Galleria in Riverside CA. A couple of folks here knew where it was, but aside from Serafitia allegedly visiting it, I don't know of any gaffers visiting. I always kept it on the downlow before, but now it's an empty hole, so I guess it doesn't matter.

madara · Jul 4, 2009

Thats kinda sad

But perhaps it's a blessing as you would have be sued for spoiling FF7 to thousands of virgins.

vas_a_morir · Jul 4, 2009

bjork said:
Tyler Galleria in Riverside CA. A couple of folks here knew where it was, but aside from Serafitia allegedly visiting it, I don't know of any gaffers visiting. I always kept it on the downlow before, but now it's an empty hole, so I guess it doesn't matter.

You would have gotten some GAF business if you told us.

DrFunk · Jul 4, 2009

God, it's like a cave of nerd orgasms

Costanza · Jul 4, 2009

WTF @ that wallpaper

blame space · Jul 4, 2009

I think I'm going to cry.

rexor0717 · Jul 4, 2009

bjork said:
Tyler Galleria in Riverside CA. A couple of folks here knew where it was, but aside from Serafitia allegedly visiting it, I don't know of any gaffers visiting. I always kept it on the downlow before, but now it's an empty hole, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Oh, for a second, I thought I had been to that shop before. I guess not.

Snaku · Jul 4, 2009

Look at all of those Godzilla vinyls.

Welcome back, bjork.

blindrocket · Jul 4, 2009

A store like that would never be sustainable in my town.

Prices would probably have to be high, and anime isn't exactly known to be cheap.

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

vas_a_morir said:
You would have gotten some GAF business if you told us.

Or GAF drama. So it was a tossup and I decided to err on the side of caution.

Pancakes · Jul 4, 2009

HUELEN10 · Jul 4, 2009

I SO would have been a regular there. It seems to have had the kind of shit I buy on a bi-monthly basis. Now that it is closed, what are you doing for a living?

Kaako · Jul 4, 2009

vas_a_morir said:
You would have gotten some GAF business if you told us.

Easily man. Bjork you should've spilled the beans on the location sooner man. I'm sure West Coast GAF would represent.

Chromax · Jul 4, 2009

Damn, Store looks awesome.

Zyzyxxz · Jul 4, 2009

Good luck on the Maui job hunt, lots of businesses have closed up during this recession in my town there are a good amount of closed up shops so I'm not surprised your shop closed down with what seemed like a small amount of customers you guys had.

vas_a_morir · Jul 4, 2009

bjork said:
Or GAF drama. So it was a tossup and I decided to err on the side of caution.

We OT types don't start that kind of obsessive drama.

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 4, 2009

Rest in peace. Tonight I'll drink to the place that brought us so many entertaining stories.

DrForester · Jul 4, 2009

Man, that's alot of stock your store kept. My local anime shop doesn't keep nearly that much.

Jenga · Jul 4, 2009

so moe~

madara · Jul 4, 2009

I loved malls as kid in 80s, I cant imagine its anything but a hard sell now? I mean our local mall has been a ghost town for 3 years and only gets worse

There would have to be an amazing discount on rental space.

Stridone · Jul 4, 2009

What is up with that scary wallpaper of a baby doll though?

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

HUELEN10 said:
I SO would have been a regular there. It seems to have had the kind of shit I buy on a bi-monthly basis. Now that it is closed, what are you doing for a living?

I went back to work for the grocery company I worked for pre-anime days. I'm doing the liquor department and throwing some night crew as well. Got a phone interview for a state job with HI next Wednesday, if I get that then it's party time.

Rewrite · Jul 4, 2009

bjork said:
Tyler Galleria in Riverside CA. A couple of folks here knew where it was, but aside from Serafitia allegedly visiting it, I don't know of any gaffers visiting. I always kept it on the downlow before, but now it's an empty hole, so I guess it doesn't matter.

I know where that is. I never bothered to go in there, though. I didn't know you worked there.

DMczaf · Jul 4, 2009

bjork said:
Tyler Galleria in Riverside CA. A couple of folks here knew where it was, but aside from Serafitia allegedly visiting it, I don't know of any gaffers visiting. I always kept it on the downlow before, but now it's an empty hole, so I guess it doesn't matter.

WTF, I didn't know it was in Riverside. I could have visited you when I go down there to see my sister!

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

Stridone said:
What is up with that scary wallpaper of a baby doll though?

I had a habit of putting up the most random images I could come across as wallpaper.

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

Rewrite said:
I know where that is. I never bothered to go in there, though. I didn't know you worked there.

I think a lot of the customers liked it better when I didn't work there for awhile tbh. :lol

DMczaf said:
WTF, I didn't know it was in Riverside. I could have visited you when I go down there to see my sister!

Just a missed opportunity. We could've met at Venus Burger too but I think they closed up. :\

YYZ · Jul 4, 2009

Nicest, most organized anime shop I've seen, especially for the amount of trinkets and figurines. Most anime shops have shitty shelves and everything is dark. Here it is bright and welcoming, as if you guys enjoy sunlight.

Shadowlink · Jul 4, 2009

That looks like an awesome looking store

McLovin · Jul 4, 2009

:O ps1 games... :O!!! Chrono Cross I so would have bought that!! That store is/was awesome.. the closest thing we have to that where I live is the hentai/anime section at fye

RBH · Jul 4, 2009

Frankman's ultimate paradise.

Borgnine · Jul 4, 2009

Shit I might have gone there if Ontario Mills and Victoria Gardens weren't better malls.

alr1ght · Jul 4, 2009

If I was into anime, that store would bring a nerdgasm. Luckily I'm not, so it looks kind of creepy. R.I.P.

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

One of my last projects at the store was mostly for my own amusement to kill time on really dead days: build a rubber band ball. I'd never done it before, but wanted to try.

^ that's as far as it got because we closed a few days later. Still got it at home with about 3/4 of a bag of rubber bands left. Will finish it sometime soon.

Arol · Jul 4, 2009

I went to this store when I ran out of quarters from the arcade that used to be in front of it.

I bought all my OP volumes from this store.

I remember I asked once if the OP flag was for sale and someone at the counter said no. I asked where they got it from and they didn't answer me.

Dabookerman · Jul 4, 2009

Fuck man, awesome store. Shame about it closing down

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

Borgnine said:
Shit I might have gone there if Ontario Mills and Victoria Gardens weren't better malls.

:lol @ ontario mills.

What gang are you in?

bjork · Jul 4, 2009

Arol said:
I went to this store when I ran out of quarters from the arcade that used to be in front of it.

I bought all my OP volumes from this store.

I remember I asked once if the OP flag was for sale and someone at the counter said no. I asked where they got it from and they didn't answer me.

:lol :lol :lol

I used to HATE it when people would come from Tilt and want to buy a pocky with a $20 just to get change. But that flag was mine, I'm glad no one sold it. It's in my closet atm.

Tornado Condor · Jul 4, 2009

fistfulofmetal said:
An entire store of weirdo japanese anime crap and the strangest thing out of it all is the computer's desktop wallpaper.

My thoughts exactly.

And those mario figures look awesome.

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