R.I.P. Animadness, Waltham?

[redseedsprofile]

I tried to visit the Animadness store in Waltham recently, which has made appearances at the AB dealer's room for the past two years, and it seems they have gone out of business.

The door was locked, there were for-rent signs on the windows, and most of the displays were taken down. I couldn't see into the store because of a screen blocking the door. I called both of the numbers posted and got no answer. The store's number has been deactivated.

There is no indication anywhere on their website (http://www.animadness.com), Facebook or Twitter that this has happened. If it's true, the order form on their site absolutely needs to be taken down, so people don't lose their money.

I've seen the owners post on this forum before, and I would appreciate if they would confirm that it is closed for good with no chance of reopening or moving. I would also like to hear about the circumstances that caused the store's closure, and if the remaining goods will be put up for sale on Ebay or somewhere else online.

[pulsedemon]

I haven't started sending information out for the Dealers' Room yet, so I haven't heard anything from them recently. The last time the wife and I went over there, though, the story was pretty much the same as yours, unfortunately. I seem to remember a sign on the door about 'technical difficulties', but I don't know any more.

[basharoftheages]

They closed back in, I want to say, June-ish. I'll leave the details up for them to disclose or not.

[redseedsprofile]

What the hell is with them not posting ANY kind of message anywhere online saying that things have changed, though? It's extremely unprofessional; it seems like the owners just dropped off the face of the earth. They still haven't replied to my phone message, and I could be some guy trying to rent the place! Are they just going to let the website hosting expire? What's going to happen to all the plushies, model kits and figures in there?

If my personal business had to close I would be all over it within 24 hours, replacing the website with a "thanks for X years of business" message, posting the same message outside and explaining to customers what happened.

[MomoMiraculous]

They haven't really updated their website since before AB since they have a message saying they'd be closed the days of the con to attend it as a vendor. It is rather strange and unprofessional. I mean, at least post a message saying what happened for crying out loud.

[Shinden]

So, I just wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the untenable nature of shops like Animadness and Tokyo Kid in today's world.

Anime merchandise, as most of us know, comes from Japan. That is the primary market for such items.

Now, with things like global shipping and online stores, physical storefronts are a bit difficult to keep open. This is especially prevalent with stores like this.

A store has to buy their merchandise online, then ship it, then display it. They have to charge a price that covers the MSRP, the shipping charges overseas, taxes on the import and sales, and a bit to cover storefront rent (a lot) and employee pay. Profit at this stage is basically a joke, right?

So we have a lot of people who honestly, and smartly, simply buy from Japan. I do it with most of my figmas. Even with shipping and paying a proxy I still save money. This isn't to say I didn't buy from Tokyo Kid or Animadness, both offered me deals I couldn't refuse at points.

Places like AAA Anime are helping curb the costs of importing for these stores, but they can only do so much...

While con vendors only have to pay for their booth for a weekend at a con (as opposed to being locked into a rent agreement and have to spend most of your sales profits on rent alone), and get a possible 20,000 people looking at their merchandise, and individuals pressured into buying things for fear they will never see them again, plus all the cash in their pockets, but this isn't so certain with storefronts. The Animadness you see in the dealer's room was not the same Animadness you saw in Waltham. When I went, it was an interesting place to go, well decorated, and I did patronize the establishment, but it was stocked with things that were frankly... out of date. Not that this is bad; it was probably the only place in the Eastern seaboard you could find Pixel Maritan nendoroids for under $300, however, I can imagine with people going window shopping here, seeing Lucky Star cell straps with only Tsukasa available, that people into the most recent season looking for Ika Musume figmas were a bit disappointed. Maybe it was just my timing but it seemed... to be going under.

I'm afraid to say this, but if you have a favourite store here that specialises only in anime merchandise and has a physical storefront, its days are numbered. The managers may deny it, but guess what? I walked in around the first of May, and they gave no indication that the place was closing. Tokyo Kid's slow death was a rarity; the store has garnered a decade-old nostalgia amongst us around here, so seeing it die so slowly was painful, but at least we got to see it before it died, like a loved one with a terminal illness.

As for deceptive websites, I do agree; Tokyo Kid's website just looks like it wasn't updated in a while. The store is completely replaced. Animadness looks like it's still in business, too, online. I can only imagine they either sold their stock to someone or are selling it all on ebay. At the very least, they could update the site to say "We're out of business, and selling online only,. visit our auctions at XXXX"

[CyanTPC]

As much as I'd hate to share the sad news, it looks like Animadness has folded. Just walked by the store Friday, and it seems they have closed up completely.

I was really heartbroken, but to be honest, I wasn't surprised it would suspend operations so soon. As a Walthamite, I know about how hard it is to sustain a business on Moody Street these days, unless you're running a restaurant on that street. The thing about Moody Street is that it used to be a shopper's paradise. It had a Jordan's Furniture, a Sears, a Woolworth's, etc. There was a time that the city of Waltham was given the opportunity to turn Moody Street into a mall of some sort. The idea was turned down because they thought parking would become an issue, and that was a big mistake the city made when they rejected the opportunity because that's when a lot of these businesses started closing up shop. Everyone was jumping on the mall bandwagon while Moody Street was becoming a shopping desert. To fill in the vacant spots some of the businesses used to be in, there were all these restaurants and bars popping up. It's become more of a dining street than a shopping street nowadays.

[redseedsprofile]

So the sign and all the displays are finally taken down, huh? The owner still hasn't returned my call, and I don't think he's ever going to. I suspect they skipped town in a hurry.

Well, I just ordered the crap I wanted at Animadness from Hobby Link Japan. Shinden is totally right, and the phenomenon of the internet making niche retail stores financially inviable is one that's hardly limited to anime goods.

[MomoMiraculous]

As much as I'd hate to share the sad news, it looks like Animadness has folded. Just walked by the store Friday, and it seems they have closed up completely.

I was really heartbroken, but to be honest, I wasn't surprised it would suspend operations so soon. As a Walthamite, I know about how hard it is to sustain a business on Moody Street these days, unless you're running a restaurant on that street. The thing about Moody Street is that it used to be a shopper's paradise. It had a Jordan's Furniture, a Sears, a Woolworth's, etc. There was a time that the city of Waltham was given the opportunity to turn Moody Street into a mall of some sort. The idea was turned down because they thought parking would become an issue, and that was a big mistake the city made when they rejected the opportunity because that's when a lot of these businesses started closing up shop. Everyone was jumping on the mall bandwagon while Moody Street was becoming a shopping desert. To fill in the vacant spots some of the businesses used to be in, there were all these restaurants and bars popping up. It's become more of a dining street than a shopping street nowadays.

lol the mention of Woolworh betrays your age, man...and mine too but to be fair, I was a little kid when the one in my town existed and I think I was in early elementary school when it closed.

[Angel ♥︎]

Living just across town from it, I found out pretty quickly... I don't think they've updated their website in over 5 or 6 months nau?

[Anna-neko]

The thing about Moody Street is that it used to be a shopper's paradise. It had a Jordan's Furniture, a Sears, a Woolworth's, etc.

... oh god... I remember the Woolworths and their "bankruptcy" sale that only lasted like.. 4 years. It was in both their Moody St and Harvard Ave (Allston) locations too! *feels old*
but hey, back just a few years ago the middle school building on the corner was still a school as well! Which only underlined the perfection of location that is Outer Limits comic book store (well, it moved further down the street few years ago, but still there! Still awesome!!)