By Nathan Carlson
SAN ANGELO, TX — It’s a tough path for local businesses to break through, but nothing is impossible for Jerry and Michelle Tubbs.
The couple opened Dragons Toys & Collectables last week at 2421 College Hills Blvd.
They’re eager to cater to Concho Valley’s collector population. Young, old, boys, and girls, Dragons will open their arms to all.
Dragons Toys & Collectables had small, but passionate beginnings.
“When (Jerry) was at least 5 years old, he started collecting WWE figures, and from that point on, it grew bigger and bigger,” said Michelle.
When asked about the targeted demographic, Jerry cites no specific range.
“(We have) boys’ and girls’ toys, because going to these other stores it's mostly boys toys. I've always seen the little girls coming in and they're saying, ‘Mom, grandma, this is a boy store.’ So I wanted to do girls stuff, too.”
When asked about what Dragons specializes in, Michelle explains, “Well, everybody that I have seen in other toy stores loves the Funko Pops. The Funko Pop craze has gone, well, pop! So we specialize in that. We get One Piece. We have Star Wars. I mean, there's just all kinds of Funko Pops and here we never knew they existed until a couple of friends that run (Downtown Toys San Angelo and DreamShark Toys & Games) were like, you might want to start selling these, because everybody loves them. So we go to Comic Cons and see what's hot and what's not.”
Dragons isn’t alone in their endeavors. Working with other local businesses is one of Jerry’s top priorities.
“We work with other stores, too. We're here to help others. If we don't have something and they have it, like Downtown Toys, we both agreed, if they don't have something, he'll send them to me. If I don't have it, I'll send them to him. So we're here to partner and work with everybody. We're not in competition. We're not in competition with anybody.”
Dragons is more than just a toy, card and game shop. Jerry and Michelle hope to attract acting talents across the anime, comic and cartoon world.
“I want to bring celebrities that people have never met before, like they're little kids’ heroes, voice actors. They can actually meet them in person instead of just seeing them on TV,” Jerry said.
The future for Dragons is bright, with expansion on the mind and potentially hosting card game tournaments of all kinds in a larger store, hopefully taking the face of their Dragon mascot, “Arty”, into downtown San Angelo.
“If I get a bigger store with a bigger space, then I'll set up one side for the gaming stuff. But yeah, the gaming stuff is in the future,” Jerry said.
Dragons Toys & Collectables
Owners Jerry and Michelle Tubbs
325-939-6905
Hours of operation
Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m.
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