I love buying random anime series trinkets. Whether it’s Black Clover stickers, Blue Exorcist playing cards or Gundam plastic model kits. Ordering them online have been a hassle for me sometimes because most of the items I want are coming from Japan and the shipping takes FOREVER (like ordering from Wish.com). Luckily, when I moved here to El Paso, I found out that there was an anime shop on the opposite end of the city that had little trinkets and things from my favorite anime.
Enter Robo Gato. A small shop with a big heart. It feels good to go into a store that has things you like and the people who work there actually know what your nerding out about. The owner, Rick (not Rick Grimes) is friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have about products and even order things for you that he may not have in the store. Below is a little excerpt from the owner of Robo Gato:
“I opened shop back in 2008. I was going to open a foreign dvd rental shop first but Netflix and Redbox killed that market.
I’ve been a fan of anime since the early 90’s, when I bought Akira and 3×3 Eyes on VHS
thanks to Naruto, Death Note and Bleach, there was a huge resurgence of interest in anime in the early 2000’s. A lot of our customers grew up watching anime in Spanish so we have a very strong customer base here on the border.”
Everything he gets in store are Japanese imports and authentic items. And they aren’t as expensive as you would think. I bought 3 Endless Waltz Gundam models for $15 each and they were Master Grades. Of course prices vary but I’ve found them to be cheaper from him than online stores like eBay or Amazon most times. I know most if not all of you aren’t in El Paso, but if you are passing through, this is def worth the stop. If you are curious about some of the items he has in stock, check out his Facebook page here. Maybe we can convince him to start an online store! Shoot, may have to get him a Twitter page as well (nudge nudge). Check him out and send some positive vibes! Until next time, Nerd Out!
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