In a twist of fate, my quest for air conditioning in June led to a magical business journey. From setting up shop near a snow cone seller, to getting a brick and mortar store, this business was getting serious. It was scary having just one brand to sell and monthly rent and utilities to pay.
A trip to Toys R Us started us on the path to Magic The Gathering. My kids convinced me to buy Magic Starter decks. I actually thought I was buying sleight of hand magic tricks. They taught me how to play and we were off to playing Friday Night Magic at a local store in Austin.
Another crazy thing happened. The store owner decided he didn’t want to run Magic tournaments anymore. He loved comic books. He suggested I take Magic to my beanie baby store.
Expanding with Magic cards, my store transformed from beanies-only to a whimsical world of games.
During this journey, the Pokemon craze was sweeping the nation. After securing a game distributor, it only made sense to introduce Pokemon to the store. With Highland Park Elementary School and Crenshaw's Athletic Club nearby, a wave of youngsters flooded in, starting with Pokemon and eventually graduating to the world of Magic.
What can I say, “It was in the cards”.
