I was wondering if any of you knew of any good shops that sell anime merchandise like action figures, lighters, plush toys, etc. here in the Yay. I've found a pretty decent place on Geary and about 19th (Henry's Gifts/YesAnime.com) but I want to keep them honest and check out their competitors. I also know that Suncoast has some stuff but I think their selection is WAY too small. Same with the Mikado in J-town. I'd prefer a shop as close to SF as possible but I'd be willing to drive a bit if the shop was worth checking out. Particularly interested in Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Chobits goods. So, any suggestions? Thanks!

 

theres a really good place in Emeryville. I forgot the address & how to get there though. its in the middle of some wearhouse area not far from Bay street. Its weird cause its on the roof of the building. i havent been there in years so dunno if its still open. they had this SICK Godzilla toy. it was a giant remote controlled worm that shot silk out!

 

ask huck here on the boards, he might know some things

 

YesAnime has good selection. Also peep the comic book shop just a block or so away from them on the same side of the street (it's where Amsterdam Art used to be).

You must check out the Emeryville shop HongKongBeef is referring to, Kimono My House. His selection of OG stuff is amazing and his location is mind boggling. But the store is practically world famous and it's just over the bridge.

I found this a few years back, not sure if it's been updated since but it covers a lot of Anime ground: http://www.koyagi.com/SFshopping.html

Oh, and of course there's Kidrobot. :banana:

 

you could try tokyo tekki on el camino @ milbrae, it's pretty close to the 101 exit

 

there is also a shop at Burlingame on Broadway Ave next to network video..i think its call Hobby Unlimited (not sure of the name of the place) but its definitely there

 

Wait till Aya gets back. I bet she knows them all. Ask her.

jason

 

Kimono My House, great shop, cool owner, I got a lot of Ultraman stuff there.

 

I think the place is call Cards and Comics and they are located on the same block as YesAnime.

 

South Bay:

R & K Comics : Sunnyvale/Cupertino
Address: El Camino and Remington

Positive Note: Nice Anime DVD and VHS rentals. Good workers there. Tell them Ulysses sent you.

Negative Note: Small store / Small Anime Collection

Comic World: Cupertino

Positive Note: Huge store. Lots of Anime Related Items
Negative Note: Expensive products. Everything seems to be marked up as the store is huge. So far, this place seems like the Costco of comics.

Yohan (forgot the new name) : Santa Clara/San Jose (on Kiely Blvd)

Positive Note: Next to Kinokuya Book Store. Small Anime Store. Authentic Japanese items as its a small japanese center. Good manga selection. Japanese Anime Rentals. Japanese CDs cost an arm and a leg.

Negative Note: Really expensive prices as your buying from the real deal.

D&J Hobby : Campbell

Positive Note: Lots of models. Anime and other stuff. Paints, Models, Tools, Cars, Trains, etc

Negative Note: Somewhat pricy. Anime model selection is small.

Store next to Ranch 99 : Cupertino (Wolf Blvd.)

Positive Note: Good selection of hello kitty stuff. Some Anime models. Few Posters

Negative Note: Expensive model prices!


East Bay:

Chinatown: Oakland

Positive Note: Lots of small stores carrying knock off anime items. Manga stare in chinatown has lots of manga with chinese translations. (Good luck for English)

Negative Note: Not all really japanese. Made in taiwain/thailand.

Not too many places in the East Bay to get anime from what I know.

======

Best deals really to get anime stuff now are really online stores.

Anime convention item prices are not cheap anymore. It use to be a good place to get anime items cheap but with the anime crowd growing, Anime convention dealer rooms are gauging the fans.

If you can wait, you can check out the dealers rooms at the anime conventions at Fanime or Anime Expo, if youre from Cali. There are other conventions around but not as big as these two.

Hope this helps and if you know any other places, please post them up, im always curious to know where other stores are.

- Ulysses

 

Heros Club on Clement Street, between 9th and 10th Ave. A great place to window shop, but prices are high.


Also Nikaku Japanese Art in J-town San Jose. (Are they still around?)

 

...but they carry ALOT of black market stuff. Kind of disgusting actually.

 

No No No, not black market stuff! They are quality repops from Hong Kong!

J/K! I didn't say buy from them! The owner is a ***** anyways.

 

Wow great responses everyone! Thanks!
Hey Amsterdam Art is gone? Amsterdammit!!! I loved that place
Hero's Club, heh... the guy who first opened that shop was my driving instructor haha. He's a waiter at Tong Palace across the street (though I'm pretty sure he's got a stake in it but refuses to admit it)
Tokyo Tekki - I think they're going outta business... and coincidentally they're owned by that mongo airsoft shop in San Jose
Yaohan (now called Mitsuwa) - small selection and high prices I used to get used K-1, Pride, Hot Version, and Video Option tapes there for cheap. Now all they have are dorama collections that are used and uninteresting.
And I've been meaning to visit Kid Robot... shiet I've said that for the last month now haha

 

...more like 3-4 months now.