As mentioned in a previous post, Invasion! Toys & Collectibles had their grand opening on the 6th and 7th of Jan. Pete and I were there to take a quick look a the proceedings on Friday night.
Admittedly, it happened over a week ago, but time totally got the better of me (work, SWTOR, in that order). But on to what happened! Sadly we went on Friday night, when Sonny Liew was not able to be present, but nonetheless there was a nice crowd present, and the boss(es) were on hand to have a quick chat with – since we spent more time chatting than witnessing this is going to be more of an overview of the store.
Well, first and foremost, Invasion! Comics is a bit of a misnomer – the store’s still going to be called Invasion! Toys & Comics as it’s main name, and Invasion! Comics is going to be part of it. It was going to have an Elseworlds branding within, but they’ve since decided to keep it to Invasion! all round – and that works really fine. A nice decision, given that it’s easy to be tripped up by all the names.
So what do we have in Invasion!? Firstly we have tons of toys as it’s focus, and this covers the majority of the walls and the centre display – but then again no different from many a comic shop. There’s a rather wide variety here, so if you ever need get one this would be a good place to look. Comics take up one side, with trades making the bulk of the display.
Speaking of comics, they do plan to start taking standing orders. It’s not going to be easy with the other entrenched players in the market, but Elseworlds has been making a name for themselves in recent years. And let’s not forget their location – they’re probably going to get more walk-ins compared to Rochor Centre, and with the school and the kids’ clothing shop nearby that’s going to be mighty handy (until Funan chases those stores out as planned). As of right now they’re keeping it simple, but do expect them to at least carry some of the larger titles – perfect when you’re shorted elsewhere.
We had a nice chat with David, the (part) owner, and you could really tell that he had big dreams for the shop, and behind that, and very focused but realistic sense of passion. It’s still early days after the move, but if anything, they’re a player to watch now, especially with a strong toy backing.
