Polar Bear's Pop Culture Shop Adventures

A few years ago we met a cool ass dude named Jason. He sold toys and other cool collectibles. To be fair, James met him first....I met him a little later on. He set up toy shows (EPIC Toy Show) and James along with his friends went to check it out ( I was busy working at my boring hospital job haha). James came back from the show very excited! I shared in his excitement over a new venue to check out in this fantastic toy community that exists in Phoenix and the surrounding areas. We continued to support his hustle when he did live Facebook sales and the like. As I have mentioned inother stories, James and I have been partners for some time already with selling and buying and trading cool stuff. Turns out this dude is way cooler than I thought. He was working in a career as well but loves all things pop culture and nostalgia in the toy arena, so naturally we all had something in common and the side hustle for all of us was taking different directions ( some not so lucrative) due to the new "norm" with the Covid outbreak. James and Jason spoke regularly, speaking frequently about goals and visions and dreams....sometimes under hushed tones in a corner table in an asian dining spot...sometimes over the phone and then a momentous time when a HUGE PowerRangers lot was purchased. A bond was forming...and that was pretty rad. As time moves forward, visions come to light, trust is built and bonds are forged. Jason took a leap and decided that he was leaving the corporate World and wanted to open a toy shop! I mean....how cool is that?? James and I had mentioned it a time or two in our daily discussions as well but at that time we were content with the avenues we were on. It seemed like something was rotating and moving along a different axle. So....a partnership was offered to James which included myself, discussions were had and the final decision happened. We were so excited for Jason on his decision to follow his dream! I mean, who doesn't want to experience as much of our dreams as we can right? Jason, along with his whole family were moving into a new chapter and the coolest part is that James and I were asked to participate. Jason and James worked so hard to bring the vision to light...there really is so much that goes into opening your own shop. And I know that happiness, frustration, determination and drive are what brought this to a reality. They worked day and night, installing, painting, sweeping, scrubbing and going on missions to find the shelves and cases to go into the shop. Finally, the shop had a set opening day! It all seemed to happen quickly, it kinda did. Opening day was set for February 28th, 2021. Opening day was amazing! Strong family support, strong community support. We had so much fun that day! The shop has just celebrated 2 years a few months ago. And what atwo years it has been. During the course of the two years, the EPIC Toy show has taken off (this is the show that Jason was putting on before the shop came into fruition), one is put on every few months give or take. The shop has been featured on FOX10 News 3 times. Many articles have been written. Celebrities have popped in both expectedly and unexpectedly. I will not name drop lol but if you check out the Instagram page, you will see. We participate in other local toy shows and Pop Ups, s we all believe in supporting the community. We participate in Toy drives and Water drives and School drives too! Not enough can be said really about this amazing shop. Jason is a stand up dude, he has a great ideas always working in his mind. James has vision and he and Jason work daily to bring those ideas around to reality. They make a great pair and the shop is always a cool place to visit. The guys are well known as cool, fair, stand up, honest people and everyone that comes in the door is made ti feel welcome. Weekly raffles take place for cool prizes as a thank you to all of those that come through and show love to the shop and support the place. Without strong support, this would not be a reality. Regular sales happen and special events as well. A parking lot takeover has been known to happen with DJ's (The Phoenix Funkeros and friends) and bomb ass food courtesty of Sabor a Mi. We strongly suppport the community that supports others. And it really shows in the way this shop is run. Jason, you are the coolest dude around. Thank you to your family for allowing us to hold space in your dream. I want to thank you for allowing James a place in your vision, I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of something so cool. We look forward to what the future holds and to next adventure.....which just so happens to be another EPIC Toy Show on April 29th at the El Zaribah Shrine. If you have not been to the shop yet, take a trip over there and immerse yourself in memories of childhood. The shop is located in Tempe at 2240 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 102 Tempe, AZ 85288...just a hop skip and a jump North of the 202 East Freeway. Stay tuned for more adventures, laughs, fun and entertainment.

Toys are like a drug but they are my passion!

This week I am going to talk about a lovely subject....TOYS!!! Who does not love toys? No particular kind, I enjoy them all. Not just toys but also comics, collectibles, music, art and so much more!!
I presently run business with my partner in crime and we have been at it strong for roughly 4 and a half years. We started off in a modest setting of his apartment. It initially was a trio. We then began setting up a table at The Arizona Collectors Marketplace in Phoenix. The beginnings were mainly Hot Wheels and a few Star Wars toys. As time went on we began to see how everything worked in the toy game, the collector game and of course with the consumer. We then progressed onto a booth within the Collectors Marketplace which gave us more space and the ability to expand our inventory. Monster High and Littlest Pet Shop were HUGE additions to our shop. And we began to build a reputation as having a great product with prices that did not gauge people. We also had the respect of our fellow sellers within the shop. Our knowledge grew and we developed a loyal following who began to request things and this is where the real fun began. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to provide a service based on honesty, fairness, knowledge and fun! Our trio is still strong but our third member has branched out on his own and is doing fantastic as well! We participate in many events to showcase our products. What I love most is seeing the smiles of people who really, really wanted an item but previously did not get it at the store due to finances, timing or whatever. My favorite thing is to be able to give a child who only has 1 dollar to spend and they show up at our table,then to watch their face light up when we give them a much coveted toy that they could buy all by themselves. As a collector and a Mom (they are grown now thankfully and can buy their own toys) I appreciate a good deal and honesty. We have since built our reputation as a pop up toy shop showcasing great products, knowledge, honesty, availability, fair pricing and a strong business ethic. We currently sell in person, on line and we have 2 cases at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Phoenix, AZ 28th Drive and Cactus off of the I 17). Our cases are 265 and 272 and we showcase retro video games, toys, disney, music memorabilia and much more! Stop in and check it out if you are local. We also believe in giving back to our community and donate time and product to many events as well as participating in and around the valley in toy shows, conventions and parking lot sales. My partner is an artist extraordinaire and I myself am a writer so we are involved in many things not just the toy business. My partner also is beginning to have pop up art shows showcasing his artwork which includes stickers, comic book covers, music and much, much more. Be on the lookout for events coming to a parking lot or venue near you! Please feel free to follow myself on Instagram as tiannepitz or Lucky Ti. And my partner is on Instagram as siek_von_doom. I hope that you like what you see and if you do let us know! Feel free to give my blog a follow, I appreciate any and all love that I get. And I will keep new things coming frequently. Peace, Love and Toys!